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The Aquapolian Initiative (Avengers)

chosen_one386

Angel of Chaos
Chapter Thirty-Three



Kat watched as her teammates walked up the ramp to the jet, each saying their good-byes to Thor before he, Loki, and Kat made their way to the Hall of Origin. Thor stood before the gateway to Asgard, then turned back to them. “You aren’t going to return?” He asked Loki.

“No…it’s best that I stay here for the time being…My place is here, after all these years.” Loki smiled warmly at Kat.

She turned to Thor. “Remember everything that happened here when you become king.”

He nodded. “I will. I will miss you, brother.”

“You’re free to come whenever you wish. The bridge has been rebuilt,” Loki pointed out.

“Then consider me a frequent guest. I am curious to see how far the Aquapolian people will get. Good-bye.” With that, Thor turned around and vanished across the gateway.

------------

Coulson watched as Loki turned back to Kat. “I guess we’ll go back to New York for the time being,” she said. “We have to come up with a strategy to how to organize this place.”

“It’s strange…I’ve never been here before, but…it feels like home.”

She smiled. “Perhaps it’s always been your home.”

Coulson watched the two of them together, happiness surging through him as Stark and Caroline stepped into the Hall. “You two going to hurry up? We’ve got to get back to engineering the future.”

Caroline laughed. “He has a point.”

Coulson watched as these four souls, the ones he strove to protect and bring together for so long, exited the Hall. He strode slowly out to stand under the Tesseract, gazing around at the four gateways. The universe was in balance yet again.

------------
You have many questions, I know. There are holes is this story, answers hidden in bits of pieces behind the scenes.

You see, when I stood beneath the Tesseract after the Battle of New Aquapolis, the great struggle ended right where it had begun: in the Hall of Origin.

For, the story that you have just read was the very, very end. True, it took place over the span of a few months, but compared to the entire story, it was more like the last few minutes of the war.

I wasn’t physically there for the first few minutes, but I was there for a good portion of the modern war and was told firsthand about the start from the angel who was there to witness it.

The events I’m about to tell you are all true.

They span the course of three thousand years.

Lives crossed paths many times.

Lovers driven apart.

Heroes made.

This is, what you may call, the prequel.

The prologue.

The beginning of it all.
 

chosen_one386

Angel of Chaos
Part Three



Chapter One



Gunshots.

Flashes of light.

Running, running, running.

The sound of permafrost underfoot.

More gunshots.

A cry of pain.

One more.

A kick to the chest.

The ground rising up.

Then blackness.

------------

He expected the cool, wet sensation of permafrost underneath his cheek, but the cold was gone. Heat had seeped into its place, humid, almost tropical. It defied reason, but there was no way he was in Russia anymore. After a few moments, coolness spread through the cheek, the side of his face pressed against the ground.

Not ground, no, more like…marble.

Sensation was coming back. He remembered he had been shot, bracing himself for the pain in his chest to return.

It didn’t.

Finally, he was able to force open his eyes, instantly forcing them back shut against the sunlight shining off of the white marble around him. It was blinding. So white…

Heaven.

That was the only explanation. Marble, blinding light? It must be Heaven.

After a few more tries, he was able to open his eyes long enough for them to adjust to the light and take in his surroundings. Marble pillars rose to high lofted ceilings. He lay in front of a set of steps. A window shone light from above down on him from his right.

He pushed himself off of the ground, running his hand over his clothes, confused. Why was he still wearing his black Kevlar? His SHIELD-issued black uniform was still on him, pristine except for the dark swath of blood that surrounded the bullet hole.

Ah, yes, the hole…He pulled his shirt and Kevlar forward a bit so he could see his chest. The holes in the clothing remained, however, the hole in him was gone. He hoped he would get new clothing soon. He didn’t want to spend eternity in a blood-soaked uniform.

Though, wouldn’t that be something? All of the fallen walking around in the armor they had died in. Kind of like a badge of honor. He, however, was one of the lowly heroes, simply killed in the line of duty. He didn’t save anyone…maybe his teammates, if he were lucky. No matter.

He suddenly realized he didn’t have anyone personal to meet up here. His parents had died when he was very young. Maybe he could seek them out, wait around for his buddy to get up here. That would be years, though. Both of them were in their late twenties when he died.

He finally walked over to the window. A sprawling expanse of a city, laid out in all white marble, appeared before him. It was breathtaking. Though…it looked abandoned. There was no wear and tear on it…but no one seemed to be in sight.

He frowned, thoroughly confused. Might as well start exploring. He had never walked around an abandoned place without a gun or a sense of danger before. This would actually be fun, he thought, as he made his way up the staircase.

At the very top was a black cat. He was partial to cats, really. Meeting him, you would think him a dog person, but no. Cats were his soul mates, in a life without a wife or girlfriend or children. He had owned one or two. They were better pets than dogs when you flew around the world on missions. They took care of themselves.

This one had the most brilliant green eyes he had ever seen. Heaven was full of cats, it seemed. He had read once that Heaven was different for everyone. This seemed right. His Heaven was full of cats.

But cats couldn’t talk. He didn’t want to spend eternity alone without someone to talk to. He knelt down beside the cat. “Anyone else here?” He asked, his voice echoing off of the marble. He silently chided himself. Seriously? Cats couldn’t talk. But maybe here…?

He nearly jumped when the cat turned around and started walking down a passageway to the right of the steps. He didn’t follow after it until it stopped and glanced back at him, as if it were waiting for him to follow. He did so.

He was up for exploring. He tried to peak into rooms as they went along, not wanting to get too distracted unless the cat lost him along the way. Some were bedrooms, others looked to be studies. Everything looked ancient. Not old, just as if it came from Biblical times, the ancient Greeks and Romans, but a little bit different. He couldn’t place what civilization this came from. Of course, Heaven was before all that, so…

The cat led him into a huge library, shelves reaching up to a vaulted ceiling far about his head. Making its way through the maze, the cat finally stopped at a large, open air balcony that overlooked the city below.

He took in a sharp breath.

The young woman sitting against a pillar, her feet dangling over thin air, her eyes moving over the pages of a thick book, practically radiated light, just like her surroundings. No, this couldn’t have been a fellow mortal. With her long golden blonde hair and bright white tunic…she had to be an angel, for sure.

The cat jumped up onto the balcony beside her, resting one black paw on her bare arm. She glanced at it, smiling. “What is it, Loki?” Loki? Wasn’t that the name of some Norse god? Why would an angel name a cat after a Norse god?

She looked up. The most brilliant blue eyes, the color of the cross pendent that hung from her neck, met his. They seemed to shift from a deep blue to a sky blue as her expression shifted from merely happy to excited. The book fell from her hand with a thump, luckily not over the edge and into the city below.

“It’s starting…” She whispered to herself with amazement. She slipped off of the balcony. He was taken aback by how short she was. She couldn’t be more than a few inches over five feet. He expected angels to be taller.

He was too shocked to speak, and, apparently, she was too excited to say much. Why was she so excited by this one mortal soul finding his way here?

After a few moments, he decided to go with his gut and find out more about his situation. “What is starting?” He asked, intrigued by whatever the angel was so excited about.

“The prophecy!” She breathed. For a few moments, she stared at him, her eyes shining. He felt as if she could see into his soul, which caused him to squirm a bit. Finally, she realized that he didn’t understand what she was talking about. Her excitement died a bit, but it was still there. Hopefully, she would start from the beginning and explain a bit better. “What’s your name?” She asked, giving him a warm smile.

“Phillip Coulson.” He gave her his full name. “Phil” sounded out of place here, not formal enough. Plus, the only one who ever called him Phil was his best friend. Most referred to him as “Coulson” or “Agent Coulson.”

“It’s good to meet you, Phillip Coulson. My name is Quamachi…but you may call me Kat,” she said, laughing a bit as she glanced down at the cat named Loki. He flicked his tail and purred a bit.

The name struck him as familiar, until it dawned on him.

Coulson was not a human, no. Walking amongst us here on Earth (or Midgard, as it is more commonly known to the denizens of the universe) are beings called Aquapolians. They look just like humans, but differ in one aspect: they each posses elemental powers. Some can control water, others fire. Thousands of years ago, they were nearly wiped out by the Demon King of Hell. Today, only hundreds of thousands of the ancients’ descendants walk the Earth. It wasn’t common knowledge to most who weren’t Aquapolians. Many of them wore the same type of pendent Quamachi did.

And who was the angel who protected the Aquapolian race and Midgard for all eternity? The angel who pervaded all of the Aquapolian myths and legends?

Quamachi.

He was awestruck, then remembered a very rare fact. He had always been interested in the legends of his people. He knew most of the details of the Chosen One’s legend by heart…but this detail made him question everything that had happened after he had been shot.

Quamachi was not allowed access to Heaven. She stayed on Midgard at all times, except for the occasional trip to Asgard, the realm of the immortals.

“Where are we?” He breathed. He was no longer sure they were in Heaven. And what did that mean?

“We’re on Aquapolis,” she said simply. “It’s a bit empty, but…This is it!”

Aquapolis had been lost to all since its fall three thousand years beforehand. It was on no map and could not be detected by any radar or sonar known to modern mankind. Coulson stared around in amazement, completely speechless for a bit.

Finally, he spoke, a bit breathless. “Why am I here?”

“Because of the prophecy. The one given after the Fall of Old Aquapolis. You have heard of the Fall, haven’t you?”

“Yes…Ancient Aquapolian legends and history is sort of a hobby of mine.”

She smiled. “Good. The prophecy given after the Fall told of a group of warriors who would come and fight the Demon King and his armies. It says that the first warrior would arrive after his death. You must be him.”

“So I am dead?”

“Well…not anymore. You died as a mortal and woke as an immortal. You were given immortality for a reason…”

“Oh, you can call me Phil.”

“Phil, I know this all must be a shock, but…I’m so glad you’re here. It means the prophecy is in motion. The time is coming for me to be reincarnated.”

“And face the Demon King?” He asked, still breathless. “So, the Battle of New Aquapolis is coming soon?”

“Probably several decades in the future, but, yes, it will be soon.”

He thought about this for a few moments. “Okay…so what do I have to do?”

“You don’t want some time to think about it? To visit family?”

He shuffled his feet a bit. “I don’t really have any family to visit, and, well, I have an eternity to do so now, right?” Then it dawned on him. “Oh, God, my teammates.”

“What?”

“I was running a mission in Russia. My teammates…what if they’re still stuck there?”

“You can return if you wish…”

“They must think I’m dead.”

“Did anyone see you get shot?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Then this might work to our advantage. Follow me.”

Coulson followed Quamachi out of the library and to a large round entranceway. Passing through it, he could feel energy pulsing through every fiber in his being. A few seconds later, they stood in the middle of a large circular room. Overhead hung a blue, glowing cube. Three other entrances led into the room. One shone with bright light. The other was pitch black. And a third was rainbow-colored.

“This is the Hall of Origin,” Quamachi said.

“The center of the universe…” Coulson whispered, looking at the cube above them, the Tesseract…SHIELD had had possession of it for years before it disappeared completely. So this is where it had gone to…

“I have at the very least a few years until I am reincarnated,” Quamachi explained. “And I would like for you to be by my side, help protect my family, and form this group of warriors during my mortal years. For that to happen, it would be best for you to return to Russia…and pretend none of this happened.”

“Okay, I know you could probably get me there…but how do I return?”

“All you have to do is think of this place, and you will teleport back here.”

“Perks of being an immortal, I guess. What if I get fatally shot? I guess I’d have to fake my own death…”

“Yes…so be careful about the situations you get yourself into.”

He nodded. “When would you like me to return?”

“One week’s time. We’ll discuss our plans then.”

“And you…trust me to return?”

She smiled. “You seem to want to do this…to fight…I think you are itching to return, to explore these halls, to discover ancient secrets. Oh, Phillip Coulson, you will be back. I’m sure of it.”

------------

He woke with a start, lying on permafrost once again. He could hear helicopter blades above him. Sitting up, he glanced over to where several men in SHIELD uniforms were running towards him.
He let them help him to his feet, his mind vaguely racing over how he was going to explain the hole in his Kevlar. There was no bullet wound in him anymore. Maybe he could slip off his jacket and Kevlar before anyone noticed.

Once settled in the chopper, Coulson allowed himself to relax a bit. He put on the best relieved face as he looked around, his heart leaping a bit when he realized who the agents were who had picked him up off the ground.

His teammates. Each and every last one of them.

“We thought you were dead!” The man across from him exclaimed, breaking the silence. He was a bit older than Coulson, with curly dark brown hair. He had always been the quietest on the team, the most reserved. But now, he was grinning ear to ear.

Coulson didn’t understand. He looked from one face to another. Then he remembered his plan before he had been shot. He had meant to lure the Soviets away from his teammates so they could escape. A suicide mission, which, if fate had turned out differently, would have ended in the expected result.

But he had succeeded. They were all alive because of him.

He gazed around as more and more of his teammates thanked him. No one pointed out the bullet hole in his uniform. The Kevlar was hidden underneath, and the material was so dark, the bloodstains didn’t show too well. This could actually work, Coulson thought. No one had known that he had actually died.

Now he would just have to ensure that he didn’t get himself into another life or death situation soon. In his profession, that was pretty much unavoidable.

------------

White knew they would have his friend report on the mission before he was free to go, though, in all likelihood, they were going to pin a metal on him as well. Coulson had saved his entire team’s lives while risking his own in Soviet territory. White was very proud of his friend and couldn’t wait to see him, to congratulate him, to ask questions.

But now he was stuck where he usually found himself these days: the science sector of SHIELD HQ. White did the odd field mission, but because of his PHDs in physical and organic chemistry, the higher ups thought it best to keep him in the laboratory. Every once in a while some real hot shots walked through, including the three founders of the lab: Dr. Eric Selvig, Dr. William Baron, and Howard Stark, the founder of SHIELD himself.

Stark was more interested in the mechanical side of things and Selvig the physics aspect, so White didn’t get to interact with them much. Baron, on the other hand, had the same background in chemistry as White did, so the two collaborated often. White walked through the bright, space-age style laboratories, not particularly going anywhere. None of the three founders was in that day, and he was waiting on an experiment to finish up that would take an hour at least.

“Heard about Coulson yet?”

The labcoat-wearing scientist who addressed White was seated in front of a microscope, going over some samples and not looking up as he talked to White. Japanese-American, with fashionably cut hair and sleek glasses, Robert Yamamoto was based in the biology department, working on God knew what. Supposedly, all of the experiments done in the science sector were top-secret, but many scientists shared their results with others in the sector, some just to brag while others were just so excited about science, they couldn’t stand it. Baron was in the latter category, which was White liked him much better than the younger scientists around his age.

White sighed. It was kind of a stupid question. Of course he had heard about Coulson. He and his friend Phil had been in the same agent trainee class together, bonding quickly over White’s love for science and Coulson’s love for ancient Aquapolian history. Many of the other recruits would mutter and snicker at the two “nerds,” but when Coulson and White came out the number one and two (respectively) in their trainee class, everyone else shut up. They had been inseparable ever since.

“Yes, I’ve heard about Coulson,” White said, trying to keep the exasperation out of his voice and failing miserably. “Quite something, but I’m not surprised. He’s always been the one to lay down his life for his teammates.” This wasn’t the first time he had run a suicide mission, White remembered. Coulson was the man to go to when you needed a distraction.

“Rumor is, he’s in the Soviet’s pocket,” Yamamoto said as he swiveled around in his chair, a smirk planted on his face. “No one could survive the mission he ran…and he got out without a single wound.”

This was dangerous territory. White had a bit of a temper. He knew to calm himself when things weren’t serious, but accusing his best friend of treason was just asking for trouble. Taking a few steps forward, White loomed over the biologist. “Run that by me again?” He asked, his voice dangerously low.

Yamamoto was smart with science, but not smart enough to see when to back down. “Agent Phil Coulson is a spy for the Soviets,” he said simply, just the biggest smirk on his face.

Well, White was not going to have any of that. Having gone through field agent training (unlike Yamamoto), White was pretty strong and a good fighter. He grabbed Yamamoto by the front of his shirt and threw him to the floor, standing over him and growling in a hushed voice. “Let me tell you something about Phil Coulson. He has sacrificed more for this country than you will ever know.”

“This is a place for science, not fighting.”

White looked up and blanched. Standing in the doorway was Howard Stark. Yamamoto quickly scrambled to his feet. Stark looked from one to the other, a stern look on his face. “What’s going on here?”

“I’m sorry, sir,” White said through clinched teeth. “But I don’t take kindly to accusations of treason.”

Stark looked at Yamamoto and raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know that was an issue in the chemistry department.”

“Not me,” White said, glaring at Yamamoto. “Phil Coulson.”

“Oh…Well then, that’s an entirely different matter. I’m sure intelligence will be getting underway with that right now, but I personally believe none of these rumors.” Stark turned a stern eye to Yamamoto. “Now please get back to work. I’m sure you have more important things to do than gossip.”

“Yes, sir,” the biologist said, nodding. He retreated back to his work station.

White was just about to walk back to the chemistry sector when Stark stopped him. “Can I speak with you for a moment, Dr. White?”

“Yes, of course…”

They retreated back to White’s office. Awkwardly, White tried to get Stark his desk seat, but the SHIELD head was not having it. After they were both seated, Stark began. “I looked through the records. You and Agent Coulson go a ways back.”

“Yes, we went through field agent training together.”

“That’s why I wanted to come and speak with you. Out of everyone here, you know Coulson the best, which is saying something.”

White chuckled. “Yes, he can be an enigma sometimes.”

“What isn’t a secret is that he is fiercely loyal, intelligent, and an excellent field officer. I can see him making director one day. It’s a secret, but once intelligence clears him, we’ll be awarding him the SHIELD star.”

“I’m sure he’ll be honored.” White couldn’t help but beam with pride for his best friend. The SHIELD star was the highest honor a field agent could receive.

“I wanted to get your opinion on another matter…We’re thinking of giving him a year off. Paid, of course, but mostly to enable him to clear his head and re-cooperate from this mission.”

White frowned. That didn’t sound right. “Is this because of the accusations?” He asked, a bit worried. Coulson wouldn’t take lightly to a year off. There wasn’t much else in his life except for his passion for Aquapolian history and Captain America trading cards.

“No, this is because, once he returns, he’ll be placed as deputy director under Nick Fury.”

Now, that was a promotion. Going from field agent to deputy director in one go…Coulson would jump for that, even take that one year off (though a bit reluctantly). “Well, he’ll hesitate to be sure, but I think it’s a good idea. That mission was a rough one for him.”

“Good…” Stark looked a bit distant now, as if his mind were somewhere else, with another problem entirely. “Good…thank you, Dr. White.” He stood up and shook White’s hand. The scientist tried to get a read on him, wondering just exactly what had caused this shift in mood. Stark now looked two decades older than he had a few moments ago, as if something he had remembered had aged him significantly.

The SHIELD head left before White could figure out exactly what was worrying him. This was ominous, White thought somberly. Something’s not right here.

------------

His meetings with intelligence were long and tedious. Sometimes, Coulson was left in the interrogation room by himself for hours on end. He spent that time thinking about Quamachi…or, rather, Kat…and what she had told him. So, he was going to help her build a team to fight the Demon King? It seemed so surreal.

He also spent a good deal of time getting to know his now immortal body. He felt so much stronger now, could hear so much better. His senses were sharper. Coulson was a bit worried about his next physical. The doctor would know something was up. Being an Aquapolian wasn’t an open thing in SHIELD. Everyone kept their identity a secret, and there were ways to prevent the higher ups from knowing you were not a human. This would blow his cover completely.

He wondered when he was going to be able to break away, to get back to Aquapolis and start forming a game plan with Kat. He decided to see where these interrogations would take him before he made any future plans.

Finally, a muscular agent with black hair and blue eyes walked in. “Agent Coulson, please follow me.” Coulson stood up and followed the agent into the corridor and through HQ. Finally, they stopped outside of a conference room. “Please enter,” the agent said before walking away. Coulson opened the door and stepped in. Sitting at the table was the entire council of SHIELD, Howard Stark, and Director Fury.

“Please sit, Agent Coulson,” Stark said, gesturing to the seat at the end of the table closest to him. Coulson did as he was told. “We’ve brought you here today to thank you for your service to your country and to this organization, and to present to you the SHIELD star.” An agent stepped out of the shadows nearby and placed an open, black velvet box in front of him. Inside was a red, white, and blue star. “Congratulations, Agent Coulson.”

“Thank you…I’m honored…” He breathed, not able to comprehend what was happening. He looked from the star back up to Stark.

“We’d also like to speak with you today about a promotion. As you know, Director Fury has been looking for a deputy director for quite some time now. We think you are exactly what we need to fit the job description.”

“Thank you, sir.” Coulson nodded.

“But…it comes with one stipulation. We want to ensure that you re-cooperate from this mission before undertaking such a large task. One year’s leave with pay. Do you think you can manage that?”

“It will be difficult, sir, to take myself out of duty for so long, sir, but…I believe I can use the time wisely.”

“Good.” Stark smiled. “We will see you in one year, Deputy Director.”

------------

“To Deputy Director Coulson!” White raised his beer, toasting Coulson before taking a large drink of it. “I told you that you would fly up the ranks one day!”

Coulson chuckled. “I thought us psychic-types couldn’t see the future.”

“Well, it’s reserved for those of us who are descendents of time lords.”

Coulson scoffed at this. “Not even the time lords could see the future.”

“So, what are you going to do for a year?”

Coulson shrugged. “Travel, catch up on some reading. Get some sleep.”

“I envy you,” White shook his head. “Promise me you’ll live it up for the both of us.”

Coulson smiled. “I promise.”

------------

As he expected, Coulson found Kat in the library at Aquapolis when he returned. She looked up from the book she was reading, a large grin on her face. “You’re back!”

“You don’t sound surprised.”

She placed the book back on a shelf. “I knew when I met you that you wouldn’t leave permanently. You want to help people.”

“They gave me a year off. I thought I would spend a good deal of it here, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course, we have a lot to plan!” She raced over to a table, where books were strewn everywhere. “First, you need to know all about the Fall of Old Aquapolis…”

“Yes, please…tell me everything…”

“But first…I’m dying for some coffee…”

“What?”

She smiled. “Do you think I stay on this island all the time?”

------------

Coulson chuckled as they sat down at a table outdoors, the Georgia sun beating down on them. “I’ve always wanted to live in the South. I love the weather.”

Kat took a sip of her coffee. He was amazed by how fashion forward she was for a thousands of years old angel. Jeans and a t-shirt underneath a light jacket. “I’ve always liked this campus. It’s so green, with so much technology. I visit all of the colleges I can, watch them grow over the years. This one is one of my favorites in America.”

“How long have you been doing this?”

“Doing what?”
 

chosen_one386

Angel of Chaos
Chapter Two



Coulson motioned to the greenery around them. He watched for a second, distracted, as a student sprinted across the walkway towards one of the classroom buildings, stopped, then sprinted again in an extremely odd fashion. “How often do you visit the rest of the world? It seems like you’ve been here quite a number of times.”

Kat shrugged, taking another sip of her coffee. Seriously, Coulson thought, she could have easily been mistaken for one of these students. He was struck by the surreal thought that these kids were rushing to classes, not knowing that they were running past the Chosen One herself…or another immortal. He wondered how many times he could have passed her in the street or had ridden on an elevator with her without knowing.

“I come by at least once a month, visit one of my favorite places. I’ve seen this college grow tenfold over the last century. They didn’t used to have girls, even up until a decade ago. And now…” She motioned around. There were scarcely any girls near them, but Coulson saw her point.

“Where else do you visit?” He wondered which places over the millennia had been dubbed special enough for the Chosen One to haunt.

“I visit Washington to see how this country is growing as well as a few other capital cities. I visit Bethlehem every Christmas, and the Vatican every Easter. I take some trips by Baker Street every now and again…I used to have a friend that lived there…”

“Wait.” Now he was pulling her leg. “Sherlock Holmes wasn’t real.”

She smiled knowingly. “He was real…in fact, he was related to the royal Stark family.”

Now this was a piece of ancient Aquapolian trivia that had been buried in Coulson’s mind for a long time, but he had not thought anything of it. “Yeah…the Starks…” They were cousins to the Pendragons, the ruling family of ancient Aquapolis. He remembered remembering that when he had first joined SHIELD, that its founder was a Stark.

“The legend says that I will be reincarnated into the Stark family.”

Coulson’s mind raced. “Really?” He thought about it. “You know, the leader of the organization I work for is a Stark. He’s famous, runs Stark Industries as well.”

He thought Kat was going to hug him, she was so excited. She nearly dropped her coffee, but ended up catching it before it hit the ground. “Nice save,” he chuckled, reaching out to take the half-empty container from her so that she could properly fangirl over the piece of information he had given her.

Coulson watched as Kat jumped up from her seat, nearly bowling a skinny kid with glasses over as she started to pace, jumping back and forth like a happy five-year-old. Once again, he had to remind himself that this was the great Chosen One. “So, we could possibly figure out who my parents are going to be!” She exclaimed. “I’m to be reincarnated soon, so what do you know about the Starks?”

Coulson thought for a moment. “Well, the only ones I know are related to Howard Stark, my boss. Let’s see, no other direct family members of his are alive except for his wife and son. Plus, Stark is too old…he’s nearly into his sixties.”

“So, how old is his son?” Kat asked, stopping to think. She tilted her head to the side, her crystal blue eyes gazing off into the distance, as if she were daydreaming about life with her parents at that moment. Coulson was struck by another piece of information he knew from the Chosen One legend. Unlike other immortals, the Chosen One had no family. She had simply been created from thin air with no parents whatsoever. The parents she would have as a mortal would be the only family she would ever know. No wonder she was excited.

“Hm, he’s in his mid-twenties, so he’s a prime candidate…” Coulson tried to think of Stark’s son’s name. He was a prodigy, he knew that much. Had graduated from MIT at the age of seventeen. Held several doctorates and was now working in Stark’s company. He had been sort of a wild kid during college, but rumor was he had met a steady girlfriend there and was most likely going to propose to her within the next year or so.

“Oh, yeah, Tony Stark, that’s his name…” Coulson said. Kat immediately froze, her eyes growing wide. Was this bad? He didn’t see anything wrong with the name.

“That’s his nickname, right? His full name is Anthony, right?” She asked, stepping closer. Coulson had to look away from the intense shade of blue her eyes had turned.

“Yeah, Anthony Edward Stark is his full name,” Coulson said, surprised he had just managed to pull the son’s middle name out of nowhere.

“There was another Anthony…” She breathed. “Another inventor that I knew in ancient Aquapolis. He was known as the Demonslayer. He killed a thousand demons before he was slain at the Battle of Old Aquapolis. He built…he built a machine to create energy…called it an arc reactor.”

“Wait, THE arc reactor was created thousands of years ago?” Now he and Kat were on two different levels. He knew she was getting hung up on the symbolism of the names, but he was struck by the fact that this particular piece of technology had been created so long ago.

“Yes, it’s the energy source that powered everything in the city for the last few decades…” She stopped dancing around for a bit, gazing up at the clear blue sky above them. The campus was unusually green for being so close to the center of Atlanta, Coulson thought, but the combination of the bright green and the cloudless sky was pleasant.

“I want to meet them,” Kat finally declared, her voice very determined.

“You want to meet Tony Stark and his soon-to-be fiancé,” Coulson said, not as a question, but as a statement. He wasn’t so sure this was a good idea, her meeting her parents before she was even born. In fact, this sounded like the very opposite of a good idea to his ears.

“Please?” Kat said, spinning around and giving him what he could tell was her version of puppy dog eyes. Of course, there was no way he could stop her if she put her mind to it.

Really, though, what was the harm? He could come up with a different name for her, just point out Stark and walk away, let her speak with him for a bit. She was smart enough to know not to give much away. Coulson pushed himself up off of the bench, nodding. “Okay, let’s go meet your parents.” He instantly was glad in his choice. Kat looked ecstatic. “They live in Malibu, I believe…”

------------

It took one call to his resources to find out that Stark was hosting a party in his new high-tech Malibu home that night. Coulson pulled a few strings and instantly got himself and Kat (who was to be disguised as Kat Coulson, his younger sister) on the guest list. Now came the simple matter of buying himself a tux and procuring Kat a dress.

The first was easy, but the second…He wasn’t so sure of where to shop, but Kat insisted on choosing the stores. Normally, he would have been careful about money, but this was certainly a very good time to ignore budgets. He told her to pick out any dress she liked, no matter how expensive. At first, she tried to refuse his offer, but he joked that they both had an eternity for her to pay him back.

Coulson was not a good judge of women’s fashion at all. He watched as Kat tried on dress after dress, commenting on what he liked. He didn’t like too-revealing clothes, but it was Kat’s decision.

Finally, Kat emerged from the dressing room in a dark blue gown that looked as if it had stepped out of the ancient halls of Aquapolis itself. It matched perfectly with her eyes as well. How had she managed to find it? “I like that one,” he said, nodding.

“Really?” She lifted up the skirt and spun a little in it, admiring herself in the mirror. “I like it, too,” she said, smiling.

That night, they arrived at Stark’s home in a limo. Coulson opened the door for Kat and offered his arm. She slid her arm through his and they walked up to the front door. “Phil and Kat Coulson,” he said. The man waved them on in. The party was just as loud as he expected. Kat instantly became excited, glancing around and gazing at the partygoers. Coulson looked around until he found Tony Stark, who was standing with his arm around a very pretty…He gasped inwardly. The woman looked almost exactly like Kat, just a bit older in appearance. She HAD to be Kat’s future mother.

“It’s them!” Kat said a bit nervously. “It has to be, look at her!”

“I…I’m starting to think this is a bad idea…”

“No, please come on,” she dragged him in the Starks’ direction a bit. He finally picked up his feet as they walked on. As they came into view, Stark glanced over for a fraction of a second before glancing back to look at Kat a bit longer.

“Holy crap, she looks just like you. I thought you were an only child,” he said to the woman beside him.

“Oh, this is a bit creepy,” she replied with a smile as Coulson and Kat walked forward.

“You wouldn’t happen to be a Rogers, would you?” Stark asked when they were finally in earshot.

“Oh…um…no…” Coulson could tell that Kat was anxious and nervous. She was, after all, speaking to the man who would one day be her father, an event she had waited for for millennia.

“No, actually, we’re Coulsons. Agent Phil Coulson. I work for your father.” Coulson held out his hand to shake.

Stark shook his hand. “Weren’t you that agent who ran a suicide mission in Russia a few weeks ago and survived? Everyone’s talking about it. Dad won’t shut up about how he’s promoting you.”

“Yes, that’s me. This is my younger sister, Kat,” Coulson said. Kat almost forgot to hold out her hand.

“Nice to meet you, Kat. Tony Stark.” Kat tried desperately not to stare at her father as she shook his hand. He was quite handsome and very charming. From what Coulson had told her, he was extremely intelligent as well. Now she wondered what it was going to be like growing up. Would she follow in his footsteps and help him run the company? She tried out the name in her head. Kat Stark. Well, of course, they probably wouldn’t name her Katharine, but…

“This is my fiancé, Caroline Rogers,” Stark said, continuing on to introduce Kat to her mother. It was really like looking into a mirror. Kat again tried not to stare as her mother gave her a warm, friendly smile. Luckily, Coulson took up the conversation again to distract away from Kat’s awkwardness.

“Rogers? As in…may I ask…Steve Rogers?” That caught Kat’s attention as well. Now it was Coulson’s turn to get excited. Was he really meeting a relative of THE Steve Rogers? Was the Chosen One a relative of THE Steve Rogers?

Caroline nodded. “Yes, he was my uncle. Well…he died before I was born, never really got to meet him, but my father would tell me stories about his adventures.”

“Man, I would love to hear those,” Coulson joked, though Kat knew he was completely serious. He was most definitely NOT going to pass up a chance to hear stories about Captain America. She smiled knowingly.

“Why don’t we grab some drinks while you start that? I’ve heard about Uncle Steve’s escapades almost one too many times,” Stark said, motioning towards the bar. It took Kat a few moments to realize that he meant that she should join him. She groaned inwardly. Great first impression she was making on him…then again, really, he wouldn’t know until years later who she really was.

“So what do you do?” Stark asked as they walked towards the bar. He expertly maneuvered around partygoers. Kat did a few sidesteps. Compared to the ancient Starks’ parties, this one was pretty tame.

“I’m…a student,” Kat said. They had made it to the bar, which was sparsely populated. People seemed to make way for Stark, as if he were a modern-day king. He carried himself like one, too. More and more, he reminded her of his ancestors. No, she corrected herself with a secret smile, of THEIR ancestors.

She wasn’t quite up to speed on what was fashionable to drink nowadays, so she let Stark order for them both. “What are you a student of?” He asked, leaning against the bar as he spoke with her. He was a bit shorter than she had expected, but his personality made up for that. Not in an overcompensating way like Napoleon, but in a way that you completely forgot that he was a bit on the short side until perhaps, years into the future, you stood beside him and realized you were only a few inches shorter than him.

“Ancient history,” Kat replied, taking a sip of the drink he handed her.

“Yeah, my dad’s a history buff, too. Any particular civilization or area?” Stark asked.

She hesitated before answering, “Aquapolis.”

He froze, putting his drink down. “I didn’t know they taught Aquapolian history in college. It’s not exactly a well-known subject.”

“I don’t study it in my classes, just research it on my own.”

“Yeah…interesting…my dad won’t shut up about the ancient Aquapolians.”

She smiled. “You’re an interesting people.”

He frowned. “What?”

She panicked. “What?”

“You said we’re an interesting people.”

“Yes…well…”

“How did you know I’m an Aquapolian?” He demanded.

“I…just…I’m Aquapolian, too…and it’s easy…I kind of have a talent for picking out fellow Aquapolians…”

“Oh…yeah, I guess we would be interesting if I knew many more of our people…” He said, watching as Coulson walked up, still chatting with Caroline. “I suppose you know all about the legend of the Chosen One.”

“It’s my favorite.”

“Then you know what the Tesseract was.”

“Is.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You believe the Tesseract exists?”

She frowned. “You don’t believe…do you not believe the legends?”

He laughed. “I’m an engineer, sweetheart. We believe what our eyes can see. Hell, I wouldn’t have believed that Aquapolians were real if I didn’t watch my dad and his friends use their own powers.”

Kat was about to say something else when Coulson cleared his throat. “Unfortunately, I’m afraid it’s time for us to go. We both have a plane to catch.”

She shot him a sad look as Stark wrapped an arm around Caroline. “It was nice meeting you,” he said to Kat. “Your name is…Kat, correct?” When she nodded, he smiled. “Short for Katharine?”

Caroline smiled. “I love that name. Always have.”

“Thank you. It was…wonderful meeting you,” she said before Coulson led her outside. Once outside, she laughed. “I can’t believe it…”

“You weren’t disappointed?”

“What could I possibly be disappointed about? I mean, sure…he doesn’t believe in my legend…” She shot Coulson a knowing smile. “But one day, he’ll be living it…”

------------

Coulson decided to stay in Aquapolis that night, lying in the room he had picked out for himself. He couldn’t sleep, however. He was too restless. He swung out of bed and padded to the library, where Kat had fallen asleep with a book, Loki the cat curled up in her lap. She woke up when he neared. “Sorry, I didn’t mean…”

She stretched. “No, it’s fine, really.” She gazed out at the empty city as he sat nearby. “He would have loved it here…” She said half to herself as she petted the cat.

“Who? Stark?”

“No…” She murmured, sighing. “Sorry, I’m still dwelling on things that happened millennia ago.”

“Speaking of, you were supposed to tell me about the beginnings of this legend. You know…what happened on Asgard all those years ago?”

He saw a bit of pain, then joy flash across her eyes before she spoke. “It’s a long story.”

“I’m not tired. I’d like to hear it.”

She smiled. “Okay, then…it started when I accepted an invitation from Odin to visit Asgard for a few centuries…”

------------

The road to the main city of Asgard flew by as she rode on, hair flying in the wind. The streets were a bit crowded as Asgardians went about their normal lives, not noticing the hooded figured that dropped from her horse, tying it up to a post near the town square.

Quamachi took a deep breath and flung back the white hood, breathlessly taking all of the sites in. She strode to the large square nearby, her hand on the hilt of her sword. The first thing she wanted to do upon arrival in Asgard was see just how strong other immortals were.

Stepping into the middle of the square, she raised her voice loud enough for everyone around her to hear. “A challenge to anyone who thinks he or she can best me in a sword fight! Three gold coins to those who can…but three gold coins from those who can’t!”

Soon enough, she got her challengers. A small crowd appeared, watching intently as one after one, warriors stood up to fight her, but were beaten down by her combination of swift and powerful strokes. Finally, she had a good bit of gold for her purse, and people started to mumble and awe. No one immediately stepped forward, so she raised her voice again. “Is that all? No one else wishes to challenge me?” She was breathing hard with excitement, not at all winded from her fights.

“I will.”

The crowd parted to reveal a man about a foot taller than she, with black hair and the greenest eyes she had ever seen. From the way he was dressed and the way people around him acted, he was important.

“But…” He said, as he stepped forward. “Let’s make the stakes a bit more…interesting…” He had a deep, soft, intelligent voice. This was going to be a challenge. “We will play for possession of our blades.”

She raised an eyebrow. To any warrior, their main sword was precious. This guy wasn’t kidding around. “Deal.” She tightened her grip on her sword as she watched him draw his. The crowd was completely silent, waiting to see what would come.

Quamachi made the first move, flying forward to swing a blow at his shoulder. She expected him to parry, so she used her height disadvantage to shove him backwards just as their swords met. She could tell he was instantly caught off guard by how strong she was, but didn’t waste too much time in striking out again.

She ducked and swung around, knocking his legs out from under him so fast, he dropped his weapon. Before he could recover it, her foot was on his chest and her blade at her throat. At first, his emerald eyes glowed with anger, but then with amusement as a smile spread across his face. As the crowd clapped, she held out her hand to help him to his feet. He stepped over to his blade, handing it out to her.
Quamachi took the blade and nodded, a triumphant smile on her face. He nodded back in acknowledgement, then disappeared into the crowd before she could say another word. A bit disappointed, she turned to address everyone. “I believe that is all for today. I have somewhere I need to be.”

------------

“Where have you been? You’re late.” Thor chided his brother as Loki hurried down the passageway to the main throne room.

“You know that there is a mysterious woman challenging people to swordfights in the square?” Loki asked when he finally caught up to his brother, the two of them making their way to the throne room.

Thor laughed. “Yes, and I have heard that she is beating everyone. Quite a warrior.” He raised an eyebrow. “Where’s your sword?”

“Like you said, she was quite a warrior,” Loki grumbled.

Thor burst into laughter. “Couldn’t back down from a challenge involving blades, could you?” Loki didn’t respond as they made their way to the platform before the throne where their father stood. Their mother sighed when she saw them, shaking her head at their lateness.

They were just in time, though. A guard stepped forward and announced, “The Chosen One, Quamachi, the Warrior of Light and Protector of Midgard has arrived.”

“Send her in,” Odin said. The doors swung open, and a lone figure walked the length of the hall. Dressed in brilliant white and gold armor, she stood tall despite her short height. With a start, Loki recognized her as the woman he had fought in the square. As she drew closer, he could see a spark of recognition in her eyes as well.

“Quamachi,” Odin stepped forward, nodding to her. “Thank you for coming to Asgard.”

“Thank you for your invitation,” she responded.

“May I introduce my queen, Frigga.” Odin turned to his wife, he gave Quamachi a warm smile and a nod. She nodded back. “And my sons Thor and Loki.” Odin gestured to each of them in turn. They each followed their mother’s suit. Loki found he couldn’t quite take his eyes off of her. There was something mysterious about her, powerful. He had felt it during their fight.

Odin continued to speak. “There will be a banquet later tonight thrown in your honor. We look forward to learning about how Midgard is faring.”

------------

“Trade places with me.”

Loki was too caught up in his own thoughts to hear his brother the first time. It wasn’t until Thor repeated himself several times that he actually heard what he was saying. “What?”

“Trade places with me at the table.” They were standing almost completely in a corner in the large banquet hall, waiting for Odin to arrive. Once their father entered the room, everyone would sit and the feast would begin. Loki had been too busy looking for Quamachi. Perhaps she wouldn’t show up until the last minute.

After a few more words of insistence, Loki finally snapped, “Okay, okay, I’ll trade places with you.” He didn’t catch the sneaky smile on his brother’s face as he walked away. People were already gathering at their seats, standing to wait for Odin to arrive. There was still no sign of Quamachi, so Loki gave up and walked over to where Thor’s seat was. His brother now sat across from him next to their mother, who sat directly beside the head of the table. Then who sat beside Loki…?

A few seconds after he took his spot at the table, he felt someone rush behind him and stand by the seat between him and Odin. He glanced down to see Quamachi, dressed in a brilliant midnight blue dress, her long hair falling down in waves around her bare shoulders. For a split few seconds, she looked worried that she was late, but, after convincing herself that Odin had not yet arrived, she breathed a small smile of relief.

Loki glanced across the table at Thor, who gave him a knowing smile. Really? He had to give it to his brother for orchestrating this, but still…He shuffled nervously for a bit. It was a grand dream to think that Quamachi would even give him the time of day. He was content with admiring her from afar. He knew nothing would happen between the two of them.

“You wouldn’t happen to know where the library is, would you?”

Her voice sounded a little bit different from when she had addressed Odin before. It was a bit softer, a bit warmer, not at all grand and powerful. And it was accompanied by a smile. He glanced down to see those powerful blue eyes turned to him. “I…yes…how did you…”

“You seem like you spend a lot of time reading.”

He frowned. “Really?”

Her eyes widened a bit. “Oh…no…I didn’t mean…It’s a good thing…I spend most of my time reading as well…”
Loki was caught off guard to see her so flustered. Gone was the confident and assured Chosen One. She seemed a bit panicked that she had accidently offended him to his face. For some reason, he felt a strong urge to assure her that she had done no such thing. “No…no, I understand what you meant…it’s okay.” He mentally groaned. Now both of them were stuttering. What a sight they must make. Usually, he was so good with words.

She was quiet for a few moments, playing with the Aquapolian pedant that hung around her neck. It matched the shade of her eyes perfectly. No one else in the four realms had that same shade of eye color. Her eyes changed shades of blue depending on her mood. Loki had the urge to watch her eyes as she spoke to observe which colors corresponded with which emotions.

Right now, she looked nervous. Her eyes seemed a sort of navy blue at that moment as she gazed around, taking in the other feast goers who were making their way to their seats. She took in the gold halls and walls of the feast room. Loki was so engrossed with studying her eyes, he didn’t realize that he was practically staring at her, completely caught up in her. He didn’t even notice Thor chuckling at his seat, ignoring his mother’s chiding for him to leave his brother alone.

“Loki?”

Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts. She was now looking straight at him. It was then that he realized he was staring. He struggled violently not to blush, though he was extremely embarrassed. “Y…yes?”

“I was just asking you about your sword.”

“Oh…yes…” He raised an eyebrow, trying to recover his composure. “You mean the one you won off of me? That begs the question…” He lowered his voice. “Why were you challenging people to swordfights in the square?”

“I’ve never fought against immortals before.” She smiled. “Turns out they don’t fight as fiercely as some of the Aquapolian warriors I’ve faced before.”

“Perhaps you just haven’t fought against the right immortal yet.”

“Hm, so the right one isn’t you.”

“You caught me on a bad day. My mind was on the fact that the Chosen One was arriving in Asgard today.”

“So, my arrival distracted you to the point that I was able to beat you.”

“You didn’t exactly beat me…”

“I disarmed you. Unless the rules of sword fighting are different here in Asgard, I’m pretty sure I won that fight,” Quamachi teased.

Loki turned away. There was no way he was going to admit that he had lost, not to her. A small smile spread across his face as the entirety of the hall stood up at Odin’s arrival. The Chosen One was a lot different than he had thought. He had predicted that she would be high and mighty and prefer to spend time with the older brother, the warrior. He wondered if spending all of those millennia around mortals had shaped her personality, made her humble and friendly.

And now, watching her stand to greet Odin, he realized that she had no idea how to act around other immortals. So many pressures were being placed on her at the same time to act like the powerful angel she was. Everyone in the hall bowed as Odin entered…except for her. As he rose, he remembered a few simple words that told the true place of the Chosen One in the universe.

She bows to no one, and no one bows to her.
 

chosen_one386

Angel of Chaos
Chapter Three



As the feast progressed, Loki no longer had to hide his fascination with Quamachi, as she told the entire hall of the history of the Aquapolians since the last king of Aquapolis had come to visit Odin several centuries beforehand. Everyone knew he was a history buff so his captivation with her tales was passed off as his simply gleaning information off of her hungrily.

She spoke of the current queen of Aquapolis, Queen Christina, who had recently started sending envoys to the Egyption and Minoan civilizations. The Aquapolians had always been a sort of ambassador people to the human civilizations of Midgard, especially since their language translated to the many different human languages across the globe. There were no language barriers, so they moved freely through the human populations.

Loki watched Quamachi carefully as she spoke, her eyes sparking with excitement as she told of the last few kings, their adventures, conquests, and laws. It was obvious to him that these mortals were quite dear to her. With a jolt, he realized that, with no other immortals living on Midgard, the only people she had to get close to most likely died within a century.

At the end of the feast, as everyone left to sleep or converse, Quamachi turned to him. “Tomorrow, you need to show me where the library is.” She smiled. “Okay?”

“Okay,” he said, watching as she slipped away, expertly avoiding getting caught up in any more conversations.

------------

The next day, Quamachi ran up and down the passages of the palace, trying to find Loki. She finally found him walking along one of the corridors, reading. She tried to sneak up and see if she could find out what he was reading, but just as she stepped up to him, he said, without looking up from his book, “You won that sword fairly, I believe.”

She glanced down at the sword she held in her hands, the one she had won off of him the previous day. “I wanted to return it to you. I prefer Aquapolian blades, and it seemed as if you were attached to this one.”

He glanced up from his book as she held it out to him. He took it and returned to his book. They didn’t speak for a while, just walked on in silence until she said, “You promised you would show me where the library is today.”

“Where do you think we’re going?” He asked with a smirk. She smiled and followed him to two large doors, decorated with all sorts of Asgardian symbols. Loki put down his book long enough to lean forward and open the doors, holding them for her to step through. She was just about to thank him when she caught sight of the library and gasped. Rows upon rows of shelves stretched on in front of her. She raced up and down them, running her hands over ancient titles from all four of the realms.

After a little while, she returned to the middle of the room, where Loki stood leaning against the table, the book and his sword laid out beside him and an amused grin on his face. “What?” She asked, trying to sound annoyed.

“You’re like a child.” He grinned. “Wide-eyed with wonder.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Are you making fun of me?”

“Oh, no, no,” he said quickly. “No, I think it’s…good…I’ve never met anyone so excited about…”

“Books? And why wouldn’t one be?” She asked, leaning against one of the shelves. “So, how is everything organized in here?”

“The four corners are the four realms.”

“So the one right here?”

“Heaven.”

She started walking through the sections, Loki trailing beside her as she started picking books from the shelves. He noticed her grabbing some in all sorts of languages. “You can read all of those?”

“Enochian, Aquapolian, the ancient demon tongues…all of them.”

“So you’re going to spend your time here reading?” He asked as she jumped up to sit on a table and glance over a book from Heaven.

“No, I plan on exploring Asgard as well. I just need a guide.”

“Why not ask Thor?”

“He’s not as interesting…” She muttered.

“As interesting as who?”

“As you,” she said, looking up. “I’m pretty sure I’ll find the best places and the most interesting people with you as my guide.”

Loki tried to hide it, but he felt flattered. Again, he told himself that, though he wanted to hope at least a little, starting a friendship with the Chosen One…It wouldn’t last, he told himself. It would be over as soon as she returned to Midgard. Why devote any of his emotions to forming such a relationship with her?

Quamachi looked down again. It was hard for her to maintain much eye contact with the Asgardian. She had seen so many of the women at the feast fawn over Thor or one of the other warriors, but they were missing the true gem…literally. Loki’s eyes were so emerald…the greenest green she had ever seen. He was good-looking, too. She was looking for a friend, but…thought she had little hope of accomplishing it…she wouldn’t mind if they became more.

She had never fallen in love before. Necessity and her position barred against it. All of the men she had known were mortal. Why give her heart to someone who would only live for a century at most? And then there was her position. The mighty Chosen One was above them all, they would say to themselves. Who am I to make any sort of advance to her? She could tell Loki was thinking the same thing.

Well, she would see how their friendship went. Then it would be HER who made the advance. He was an immortal and was kind, quiet…She told herself to wait before she gave any section of her heart to him. Hearts were easily broken.

She slipped off of the table and quickly located a map of Asgard to spread out on the table. “What are you doing?” Loki asked as he watched her busy herself with spreading the gigantic map out amongst the books.

“Planning…Though really the best adventures come from not planning…There are some places I especially want to see…” She had read and studied about Asgard for the decades after the invitation from Odin appeared across the Hall of Origin. “I want to go to the Wall…and the ruins of Castamere…and the marshes…and…”

“Slow down,” Loki sighed, stepping up to take a look at the map. “There is an order to these things…The first question is whether you want to go disguised or not?”

He was right. She would get stopped by everyone along the way, all wishing to bring her into the lords’ castles and talk business. Ew. No, she didn’t want that. “I think I’ll go disguised…I brought some clothes I wear when I go disguised in Aquapolis…I don’t know if they will work here…” Loki shot her a confused look. “Sometimes, I like to walk around Aquapolis without being spotted as the Chosen One. You learn more that way.”

Loki slid the map closer to him. “I think you should visit the Aerie first.”

“That’s the highest spot in Asgard, right?” Quamachi asked, inching closer to look where he was pointing. He had to stop himself from leaning back. She was so close…

“Yes, you can see nearly the entire realm from there,” he murmured. “It’s the best place to start if you wish to decide where you want to go. Maps are one thing…so completely different from reality.”

She hung onto every word, but looked away quickly, studying the map when he glanced at her. “You’re right,” she said cheerfully. “That’s where we’ll go tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? So soon?” He asked, a bit flustered.

“Yeah, I only have a few centuries here after all! I need to make sure I see everything!” Who knew when the next chance to explore Asgard would come around?

Loki folded the map back up and replaced it, glancing at the books she had scattered across the table. “This one is good,” he said, pointing to a book in Enochian. He had taught himself the language many years ago. “I think I saw another like it a few decades ago…”

They spend the better part of two hours searching for books for her to read or borrow (Loki mentioned that he would look the other way if she snuck some back to Aquapolis). She pointed out some excellent books on Aquapolians he had overlooked before, pulling out some interesting volumes on demons from the section on Hell for him as well. Gone was the awkwardness both had experienced. Books they knew. Books had been home to them both over the years, companions in dark and lonely times. Never before had they met someone who shared such a passion. It was exciting.

Soon, Quamachi had too many books to carry back to the rooms that had been granted her in the palace. She claimed that she could levitate some of them, but Loki insisted on helping her. They still had to both levitate some books, but between the two of them, they were well on their way to getting all of the volumes there when they ran into Thor.

He laughed at the sight. “You know that there is a place in which you store books, brother?” Loki rolled his eyes, but chuckled. Quamachi could tell that the two brothers were close. Though Loki walked in Thor’s shadow a lot, overlooked most of the time, they seemed to have an excellent relationship. They balanced each other out.

“I asked him to help me pick some books out,” she piped up from the stack she was carrying.

“Then you went to the right person. I don’t think most of the scribes here on Asgard together have read more books than Loki.” Thor fell into step with his brother. “Father wants to take a delegation to the Lannisters in the east in a few decades and is asking for you to join us.”

“What for? To try and marry me off to Cersei Lannister again?” Loki said, rolling his eyes. Quamachi couldn’t help but feel a surge of jealousy, but was able to cover her reddening face with the stack of books she was carrying.

Thor laughed. “You still haven’t warmed up to her yet? He’s been trying for years.”

“She’s manipulative, cutthroat, and only wishes for it to be a political marriage.”

“She’s a Lannister, brother, all of them are the same,” Thor said, still a bit amused at Loki’s anger towards the subject. Quamachi just wanted them to get off of it. “Besides, at least this time, you’ll have Quamachi to talk to.”

He had said this on purpose to throw Loki off, but it was Quamachi who dropped her books (both the ones in her hand and the ones she was levitating). Loki instinctively tried to stop them from falling, but forgot he was also holding his own stack, and soon the floor was covered in a thick layer of books. As she stooped down, she could hear Thor practically giggling to himself. If she weren’t so embarrassed, she would have levitated a book up and thrown it at his head.

He knew when to take his exit, she gave him that. Thor left her and Loki to pick up the books, Loki scrambling to pick up more than she did so as to lesson her burden. “Sorry about that,” she mumbled, levitating a stack up with a flick of her hand.

“It’s not a problem,” Loki reassured her. Soon, they were back to making their way to her quarters. Loki wondered why Thor’s talking about Cersei Lannister had set Quamachi off, but he decided not to bring it up. His brother had been right, though. At least this time, he DID have Quamachi to talk to on the trip, which was still a while away.

She had him pile the books near one of the couches in her rooms. “Thank you,” she breathed after setting down her own pile. “Now I’ve got to sort all of them,” she laughed, turning to him.

It was starting to get dark outside. He wanted to linger there, to talk to her more, but he got the feeling that she wanted time to herself. He bowed a bit. “I’ll see you at the stables in the morning? We’ll ride out together to the Aerie.”

Her face lit up. “Yes, of course. I’m looking forward to it! I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Loki felt pretty cheerful as he left her rooms. His mind raced over what he was going to show her on their trip. It would definitely be an interesting one, he thought. Then again, more time alone with her made him nervous.

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Loki waited by his horse the next day for Quamachi to emerge from the stables. Soon, she arrived, leading her horse over to his. “Are you ready?” He asked.

“Let’s go!” She said, swinging up into the saddle a lot more deftly than he thought someone of her height would be. He swung up onto his own horse and set off. The first leg of the trip was a headlong race to the hills overlooking the valley that led up to the Aerie. As soon as it came into sight, they went along at a trot so they could talk.

“Does anyone live here?” She asked, staring up at the stone structure that rose into the clouds.

“Not anymore. It’s been abandoned for millennia.”

“How do you get to the top?”

“The staircase.”

“That’s quite a climb.”

He shot her a knowing smile. “You’ll see when we get there.”

“Are you sure we shouldn’t just fly up there?”

“Then you’ll miss the experience.”

She sighed. “Fine then, lead the way.”

They came to the bottom of the structure, tying their horses up just inside. A long staircase rose up and up into the darkness. Loki strode over to the first step. As soon as his feet touched it, the entire staircase started to move upwards as if along a path. She hurried to get to the bottom of the steps before it rose too far up off of the ground.

“This reminds me of the lifts the Aquapolians use. Counterweight system with boxes and everything,” she said, gazing around. It wasn’t exactly fast, but it did the trick. “So what’s up at the top?”

“Some ruins…some in languages I can’t decipher.”

Quamachi raised an eyebrow. “You aren’t dragging me all the way over here to decipher some ruins for you, are you?”

“No, no,” Loki said quickly. “But if you could help…” He said with a smirk. She had the urge to playfully hit him, but she restrained herself. Soon, they were at the top of the staircase. He led the way into a large circular chamber.

“This is interesting…” She muttered as she got a closer look at the ruins. “This is Enochian…” She turned towards him. “When was the last time this place was occupied?”

He shrugged. “Millennia ago.”

“By who?”

“I don’t quite know.”

She smiled, running her hands along the letters. “Looks like you had some visitors from Heaven in the past. This place is so high up, angels feel at home here,” she said, smiling as she ran up another staircase to the top of the building. He followed right behind her. By the time he reached the top, she was standing on the very edge of the structure, gazing out at the beautiful view of Asgard in all directions. He stepped closer, right to the edge with her. She was so caught up in the view, she didn’t even notice his presence. He took this opportunity to really study her. The wind whipped her golden blonde hair back from her face. She looked every inch the angel she was, at home here in the sky. He was so caught up in studying her, he didn’t notice that the section of the structure that he was standing on was crumbling. It gave way beneath his feet in almost an instant. That sinking feeling of falling overwhelmed him as instinct told him to spin around. She reached out and snatched his wrist, pulling him back out of thin air and onto safer ground. His heart pounded in his chest for a moment.

She shot him a nervous smile. “Are you okay? I thought I was going to have to fly down after you…”

“No, no, I’m fine!” He waved her away, trying to keep the panic from his voice. “I just wasn’t watching where I stepped…” This time, when he returned to her side, he stayed far back from the edge. “Now…where would you like to go next?”

“What is that field of purple over there?”

“That’s the valley between here and the Stone River.”

“Flowers?”

“No.”
“What makes it purple then? The grass?” Quamachi stepped back from the edge, turning her bright gaze to him. She seemed almost child-like in her eagerness and inquisitiveness, hardly the powerful angel she was rumored to be. Loki, however, preferred this side of her, this side that she seemed to hide away when in public, where she had to play the part of the Chosen One. Her child-like side seemed to come out only around him, which pleased him.

A knowing smile tugged at his lips. “You’ll see once we get there,” he said, trying to be mysterious as he turned back to the steps that descended to the ground below. He had had quite enough of heights for this century. His heart was still beating hard in his chest, and he needed thicker air and solid ground beneath his feet.

Quamachi followed him back down, trying to sound hurt that he wouldn’t reveal the secret of the purple valley to her. “Are you really going to keep me in suspense the entire way there?” She teased, poking his shoulder. Unfortunately, this caught him off guard, and he nearly feel back down the steps. “I’m sorry!” She gasped, completely embarrassed. He waved her away, and they both walked on for a bit, red-faced with embarrassment.

It was getting dark when they emerged from the Aerie below. Luckily, the stone structure was close enough to the palace for them to ride safely back without fear of stumbling over anything in the dark. Quamachi swung up into the saddle, gazing back at the brightly lit palace, an idea forming in her mind. Just as Loki had seated himself on his horse, she took off. For a few moments, he sat in confusion before he realized that she was racing him back.

The rush of wind that surged past her as she rode forward lifted her spirits and nearly made her wild with joy. She really longed to fly, but the skies of Asgard, while bright, were not quite the same as those of Midgard. She wished back for the beautiful skies of Earth, where she could spread her wings and soar through pure white clouds.

She refused to glance back until the stables were in sight. Pulling her horse up short, she laughed to see that Loki was only a few seconds behind her, a slightly annoyed and distraught look on his face. “Next time announce when you wish to start a race!”

“But then I wouldn’t have had the few minutes’ start I needed! Then again…” She laughed, swinging down off of her horse. “…I think I could have managed fine without it.”

“We’ll see about that…” He muttered as he slid off of his horse. The stable boy collected both steeds, allowing Loki to walk Quamachi back to the palace. “So, the valley tomorrow?”

“I think I’ll be up all night wondering why it’s purple. Thanks a lot.”

Loki suddenly had the urge to say more, to stop her as she turned down the passageway that led to the expanse of rooms Odin had gifted Quamachi while she stayed in his palace. For the first time in his life, however, he was at a loss for words. How could he explain his feelings for her? What were his feelings exactly?

As he brooded over this, she turned to him, a large smile planted on her face. He took great joy in knowing that the smile was his doing, and in that instant, he knew he would do anything to keep that smile on her face. “I’ll see you in the morning,” she said cheerfully before retreating down the corridor. He watched her go, longing to call out to her, but knowing he couldn’t. He just couldn’t.

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It was pure torture at times to be around Quamachi with so many feelings flying through his head. At other times it was the purest joy he had ever felt. The next day, they rode out to the valley for her to finally find out the secret behind its rich purple shade. The shriek of joy she let out when she saw the field of butterflies made him want desperately to wrap his arms around her or at the very least to hold her hand.

She raced through the field, the butterflies flying and spinning around her in waves, many landing on her as if they knew she would do them no harm. Other creatures lived here, of course. Rabbits, squirrels…

He stayed a few yards behind her at all times, simply enjoying himself watching her dash about, at times calling out words to him. They came to a stand of trees, and he bit back a snort of laughter as Quamachi instantly started to climb one of them. Some may think her too child-like for her status, but he saw the beauty in her wonder at every little detail.

“Loki!”

Even hearing his name on her lips made him happy. “Yes?” He lifted his head, squinting through the bright sunlight to see her amongst the leaves. The sun shone around her like a halo, setting her golden hair on fire. He was so caught up in this illusion, that he nearly didn’t hear her when she said his name again. “I’m sorry, what were you saying?”

“Look what I found!” She started climbing back down the tree, though, truthfully, she was half-sliding down it. He watched as she lightly fell to the ground before him, causing him to back up a few feet to make sure they didn’t end up in the same space. Excitement was painted on every inch of her face as she held up a small black furball.

He had no idea how she had managed to find a kitten stuck up into a tree in the middle of this valley, but, for some reason, he found it extremely amusing. Loki burst into laughter, turning away from the sight of Quamachi with the kitten in order to at least attempt to calm himself. “What?” He could hear her ask in a slightly annoyed voice. “What is it? Why are you laughing at me?”

“No…it’s just…” He stifled his laughter enough to turn to her, smiling. “Do you want the truth?” Every cell in his brain was screaming at him that this could possibly be a very bad idea, but he ignored them. It was time to put reason aside and start acting with his heart.

Quamachi tilted her head to the side, causing golden strands of hair to fall across the kitten’s face. It immediately started batting at the strands, caught up in how shiny they were. She didn’t seem to notice. All of her attention was on him. “What is the truth?” She asked simply, a small smile turning the corners of her mouth upwards.

Loki took a small breath and began, “You’re much different than I expected. To tell you the truth, my experience with people in high positions is that they are often high and mighty in attitude. I love my brother, but he often takes after our father in that respect. Now when they told me that the Chosen One was coming to Asgard, I expected someone similar. Proud, too important to speak to those you deemed lower than yourself.” He smiled. “You are the complete opposite of all these things, and I must say that I have never been so glad to be so wrong in my entire life.”

His speech could have gone over so badly. She could have gotten mad with him, that he would even think that she would be snooty or vain. She could have stormed away from him, never to speak to him again. He actually held his breath as he watched her think over what he had said.

A sigh of relief escaped him when she laughed, “To tell you the truth, that was exactly what I was expecting out of the entire royal family before I got here. I’ve found that mortals can be quite humble, even those of royal blood. But, then again…I haven’t spent much time around immortals…”

“Perhaps that’s a good thing,” he said without thinking.

“You’re right…” She agreed. “You learn a lot from people who only have a century to live. They forgive more easily. They practice more humility. They love more passionately.” Was it his imagination or had she blushed just then? She had turned away quickly, her hair covering her face…he had most likely just imagined it. Her attention turned to the kitten, who was now climbing up her shoulder, purring so loudly that even Loki could hear it from where he stood.

“Are you going to name it?” He asked as they started walking back to where they had tied up their horses a few hours previously. The kitten had climbed onto her shoulder and had half-fallen asleep.

She thought for a moment. “Give me some time, and I’ll come up with the perfect name for him.” The sun was setting on the horizon, illuminating her hair until it shone like fire. He had the sudden urge to push it back from her face to better see her eyes, but he held himself back. They weren’t at that point yet. It was there, in that valley of purple wings, that he finally decided that he wanted her and that he would fight to be by her side. They had both been so lonely, and it started to physically pain him at the thought of her returning to Midgard alone.

He would have to wait for a few more decades, he decided. Spend more time with her, let their relationship grow. Then he would confess his love for her. That was the biggest obstacle, after all. He was good with talking, but he was better with words on paper. Perhaps it was time to start composing a letter…

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Quamachi flopped down on her bed, which was covered with the finest silk sheets Asgard could provide. She missed her bed high in the towers of the palace in Aquapolis, but this one was nice and comfy for the time being. The black kitten padded over the sheets to her, jumping onto her stomach and curling up in a ball of purring fur. As she ran a few light fingers over his soft head, her mind once again wandered to Loki.

Their conversation earlier that day had further solidified in her mind the idea that she had found the one…Mortals spoke of that phrase often. Finding your soul mate, the one you were destined to spend your life with. Of course, for immortals, it would be all of eternity (and God bless those who found their other half was either not mortal or not immortal). For Quamachi, it had been clear that she had no immortal family, had simply been created to protect Midgard. Surely it was okay for her to fall in love? There was the slight fact that she was barren. The Chosen One could not bare children, but no matter. It didn’t mean in the least that she couldn’t marry.

She was beginning to suspect that he had some feelings for her as well, just from little things she had picked up on that he constantly tried to hide. Small looks and little smiles that told her more than a thousand words could.

The kitten started climbing up her chest, batting at her hair again. “Stop it,” she giggled, pushing him back. He turned his eyes to hers. They were the exact same shade of emerald as Loki’s. “Okay…” she whispered. “I know exactly what I’m going to name you.”

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Loki was still struggling in his mind with the wording of his letter to Quamachi the next day when she appeared in the library, the black kitten running along behind her almost like a small dog. “Have you given him a name yet?” He asked, pushing aside his papers so that she couldn’t see what he was working on.

“Yes, I have!” She said with a knowing grin on her face as she sat down across from him. The kitten jumped up on the table, padding across its surface to bump his head against Loki’s hand. Loki smiled, placing his hand on top of the kitten’s head as he started to purr. “His name is Mischief.”

Loki raised an eyebrow. “Mischief?”

She laughed. “In mortal mythology, you’re known as the Immortal of Mischief. I thought it fitting,” she motioned to the kitten, who was now tugging at Loki’s sleeve with his teeth.

“And what are you called in mortal mythology?”

“The Chosen One. Warrior of Light. Aya…”

The last name he had never heard of before. “Aya?” He asked, an eyebrow raised. It sounded familiar, surely an Aquapolian word…

Quamachi laughed softly. “It means Angel of Chaos in Aquapolian. Chaos, of course, for my enemies.”

Loki thought on this name a bit as she leaned forward, gathering Mischief up into her hands and plopping the kitten down in her lap. He wiggled onto his back, purring softly, and, within a few seconds flat, fell asleep. Yes, the name suited her. He wondered if she wouldn’t mind…

“May I call you Aya, then?” The words tumbled out before he could stop them.

She blushed a bit, her gaze focusing on the black ball of fur in her lap. Loki held his breath, wondering if he had crossed a line somewhere. Then, she turned her brilliant blue gaze up at him and smiled.

“Yes, of course you can call me Aya.”
 

chosen_one386

Angel of Chaos
Chapter Four



Loki struggled for decades over his letter to Quamachi, changing wording, adding in little bits and pieces from memories they had shared together. It turned out that he was the only person in the universe who called her “Aya,” which made him happy every time he thought of it. It was the little things, really. The way she laughed whenever he made a sarcastic or witty comment about something, especially about the inhabitants of the court of Asgard. The way she lit up whenever he walked into a room. They way she ran to him, excited like a young child, when she found something interesting in a book or something new in Asgard that she wanted to explore.

However, no matter how much he started at the letter in front of him, he just couldn’t get all of his feelings down on the page. He had never had this problem before. Words had always seemed to flow from him easily, but Quamachi just stumped him. How was he to explain that, despite the fact that there was so much that stood between him, he was growing to love her dearly.

Meanwhile, he explored Asgard with her, showing her the ruins of Castamere, the Blackwater (yes, the water was literally black), and the sand dunes near Dorn. They spent hours just walking around, talking. Quamachi told him everything she knew about Midgard and its human civilizations and the technological advances the Aquapolians were making. She told him about the mortal friends she had made and all of the adventures she had had with him. What Loki found most interesting was her relationships with the kings and queens of Aquapolis, whom she advised and often made friends with. She had clashed with a few while becoming best friends with others. By that time, the current queen of Aquapolis was dead. Quamachi couldn’t get news from Midgard, but she could guess after half a century passed that the queen was gone.

There was a special spot in the palace that overlooked a waterfall, a spot that Loki had kept to himself for years. No one had been able to find him there, so it was quiet and comfortable. Quamachi, however, had found him within a few years. At first, he debated asking her not to come there again, then he instantly decided against that. It was nice to share a spot that only the two of them knew about.

One day, after an especially interesting hike through one of the valleys beyond the palace, they sat there, side-by-side, their legs dangling over the edge facing the waterfall. The sun was setting, casting everything with a golden glow. Quamachi’s hair looked as if it were on fire, and they had both grown quiet, simply enjoying each other’s company as they watched the horizon glow with shades of scarlet and violet.

While she was watching the sunset, he took this chance to study her, the way her hair flowed over her shoulders. Her eyes changing from a calm blue to a wondrous sky blue. Her hair covered the part of her face closest to him. He suddenly had the urge to push it behind her ear so that he could see her more clearly.

Before he knew what he was doing, Loki reached across and tucked a few strands of hair gently behind Quamachi’s ear.

They both froze as he realized what he had done. His mind was screaming for him to take his hand away, but he was frozen in place. She turned slightly towards him until his fingers brushed against her cheek. It looked as if she were holding her breath.

He should have pulled away. He should have apologized. But something inside him told him this felt right, that the words he was struggling to get down on paper were better when put into action.

He leaned forward, keeping one hand on her cheek. He heard her gasp a bit before he pressed his lips against hers. For a few moments, he savored being close to her and the sweet taste of her breath. And then she was kissing him back. Relief flooded through him for a few moments. Quamachi wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss.

They stayed that way for a few moments until they both pulled away, a bit breathless. He gazed into her eyes a bit, not really believing what had happened.

She smiled and laughed a bit, practically glowing.

“I’ve been waiting for you to do that for a while now. I wasn’t sure if…” She whispered, trailing off.

“I love you.”

The words came out in a quick whisper, as if, if they weren’t said soon, the moment would pass and her feelings for him would disappear. She stared at him a bit, taken aback by his words. This was more than she had ever dreamed for…for a second she was speechless with joy. Tears stung her eyes.

“I love you, too,” she whispered back, placing a soft kiss on his cheek. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close into an embrace, burying his face into her hair. He felt as if he was about to explode from happiness. All of that worry was gone. All of the fear that she would push him away evaporated in that moment.

They sat there for quite some time, enjoining being so close to each other. After a time he felt her grip on him lessen, and he shifted to look around at her. Quamachi’s breath had slowed down, her eyes closed as she leaned her cheek against his shoulder.

She had fallen asleep.
At first, he was extremely confused and didn’t quite know what to think. Then he realized…for her to fall asleep in his arms meant two things: she was completely comfortable around him and she felt completely safe with him. He clutched her a bit closer, listening to her steady, slow breathing and heartbeat.

He only held her for a few minutes before he realized that he now faced a dilemma. He needed to get her back to her chambers, but…how to do so without someone seeing them? He couldn’t just walk around the palace with her in his arms. She was the Chosen one after all.

That made his mind wander to what they were going to do next. Would they keep their relationship a secret? People would talk. The king of Asgard’s youngest son and the Chosen One? Rumors would fly. Loki, for one, was perfectly fine with letting others know…but, in the end, he would leave it to Quamachi.

He picked her up, and she instantly curled up against him again, burying her face into his shoulder. A sort of mixture of happiness and contentedness surged through him.

Then, he got an idea. He was an expert at illusions. He and Quamachi had played many a prank on his brother and their friends using this. She was quite the actor, and, as it turned out, she was one of the only people who could see through his illusions almost instantly.

His idea was simple: disguise her as a stack of books and carry her along the passageways like this to her chambers. If anyone stopped him, he could just explain that he was bringing Quamachi some books she had requested from the library.

It worked like a charm. Loki was stopped along the way by several people, but each and every one of them fell for it. As he approached Quamachi’s chambers, however, he ran into his mother.

Frigga had been the one to teach him all of his magic. She would be able to see through his illusion in an instant. He stopped short, trying to stay outwardly calm as best he could. “Hello, Mother,” he said in a calm and even voice.

She smiled as she stepped forward to speak with him quietly. “Very clever hiding her in a stack of books, Loki.”

He laughed nervously. “She fell asleep on one of the balconies, and I felt it best if I carried her this way…”

“You’ve seemed a lot happier since she arrived here.”

Of course. Nothing escaped Frigga. She was one of the most perceptive people Loki knew beside himself. He instinctively clutched Quamachi closer to ensure she didn’t fall. Bowing his head, he muttered, “She’s a good friend.”

Frigga raised an eyebrow. “It seems as if she’s more than a friend in your heart.” His mother paused, a thoughtful expression on her face. “I’m so glad you found her, Loki.”

He couldn’t help but to smile in agreement before clearing his throat. “I need to get her…”

“Oh, of course…before anyone else mistakes her for a stack of books,” Frigga laughed, walking away. Loki nearly bolted for Quamachi’s chambers. Once inside, he lifted the illusion, carefully stepping over to her bed and placing her down gently. Tugging the sheets over her, he bent over to kiss her forehead.

“I love you, Aya,” he whispered again before quietly slipping out of her chambers.

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The next day, Quamachi woke to the sun streaming through her windows. She stretched happily, then froze. Why was she in her bed? Then, realization hit her. She sprang up, throwing on fresh clothes before hurrying out of her chambers and to the library, her new cat, Chaos, on her heels. He was an attractive one, with golden blonde fur. Loki had named him, since the cat looked so much like her.

As expected, she found Loki in the library. She slid into the seat across from him, and he lowered his book. “Thank you for getting me to my chambers last night,” she murmured.

He grinned. “It wasn’t much trouble.”

“But how…”

“I disguised you as a stack of books.”

“Oh.” She paused, smiling. “That’s clever.”

“Only one person saw through it.”

She froze. “Who?”

He hesitated. “My mother.”

“Oh…” A worried expression flew across her face. “What did she say?”

“Apparently, we more or less have her blessing,” Loki replied, his attention turning back to the book in front of him. Really, though, his attention never was completely on something else when she was around, and he had to read a paragraph three times before he actually comprehended it.

Quamachi was silent for a moment. “I don’t care what people say.”

His gaze lifted from the book. “About what?” He fully knew what she was talking about, but he wanted to hear it from her lips.

“About us.” She lowered her voice to a murmur. “Really, what could they have to say…?”

Oh, so she was unaware of exactly why people would talk. “Why would you have the younger brother when you could have the heir?”

He didn’t mean for that to slip out. Oh, God, no. That was a terrible way to put it. Complete and utter shock spread across her face, and silence fell for a good few moments as he raced to find a way to take it back.

“Why would you think that?” She whispered, a bit hurt. “I don’t care for Thor beyond as a friend. I want you.”

“I just…There’s nothing special about me…I hold no titles, no lands…and to be with the mighty Chosen One…” No, no, no, shut up.

She thought this over for a few moments. “So what you’re saying is…you don’t think you deserve my love?”

Ouch. But, yes, that was correct. He turned away, trying not to respond. He could hear her rise from her seat. She was going to leave. She was going to walk out, and he would lose everything he ever wanted.

But no. She stepped around and slid into the seat next to him until their knees touched. He could feel the warmth of her body as she leaned forward, placing a hand underneath his chin and forcing him to look over at her. Her eyes were a deep sad blue.

“Please don’t ever say that,” she whispered. “Don’t ever…think that. I don’t care about titles and lands. I care that you’re able to memorize whole volumes of seemingly endless knowledge about random mortal civilizations. I care that you took so much of your own time to show me places in Asgard I know you’ve seen thousands of times before. I care that you love your brother despite the fact that you often think you stand in his shadow. And what you don’t realize is…is that you don’t…at least not to me. You have a clever heart, but what people don’t take the time to see is that you have the warmest heart of anyone in this realm.” She paused. “And I love you for all of that and more.”

Loki had to turn away to make sure Quamachi didn’t see the emotion in his eyes. She let him gather himself before forcing him to look over at her once again. Leaning forward, she kissed him gently. He gave himself over to the happiness of being close to her, of holding her in his arms. She broke away from him after a few moments, leaning forward to give him a kiss on the cheek before turning to the book he had been reading. “Enochian?” She turned it over. “Oh, you’re reading about the archangels…” She started flipping through the pages, one arm still around him. He slid an arm around her waist, and she instinctively moved closer to him, her head resting on his shoulder as she pointed to one picture of an archangel named Castiel. “I know him.”

“Do you?”

“He comes over to Midgard every once in a while to draw up a report on how the realm is doing.”

“Oh, yes…I believe there’s an archangel who comes here as well…Though I’ve never seen them.”

“Castiel doesn’t have a family in Heaven, so he devotes much of his time to watching over affairs in the other realms.” She laughed. “He’s kind of my adopted brother.”

Loki smiled. “What happened to his family?”

“They were all killed during one of the last skirmishes with the Demon King.”

Loki tilted his head to the side. “Is it true you killed Laufey?”

“Yup,” she said nonchalantly as she turned to another page, this one depicting the archangel Gabriel.

“And set up the walls between Hell and Asgard and Hell and Midgard?”

“I did.”

He laughed. “Such humble words for someone who practically saved the universe with her own hands.”

“It’s my job.”

“Protecting Midgard is your job.”

“True, but I didn’t want Asgard falling to the Demon King, either.”
“That seems fair.”

“Oh…Zachariah…”

“Yes, one of the archangels…”

“He’s a jerk.”

“Are you sure you’re supposed to be talking about the heavenly host like that?” Loki asked, laughing softly.

“Well, seeing as how I’m technically one of the heavenly host, I believe I can.”

“Fair enough…” They continued flipping through the book, reading quietly for a bit.

Finally, Quamachi spoke. “One day, you’re going to have to come with me to Midgard so I can show you Aquapolis.”

He turned to her, studying her. “I should?”

“You showed me all of Asgard and…no offense…but Aquapolis is so much more…beautiful…”

“I’ve heard as much,” he murmured softly, entranced by how wistful she looked when she talked about her home realm.

“It’s just…” She whispered. “We live for millennia. We have literally an eternity to do anything we please, yet…with mortals…the have such a short time to fulfill their life’s mission…so they make the most beautiful buildings and works of art and inventions…They have something special that we don’t…”

“And that’s why you were placed in their realm to protect them,” he murmured. “Because they are special…and you can see that…” He studied her for a few moments, brushing the hair back out of her face. She was so beautiful, like a work of art.

She turned to him, and he immediately tried to look away as if he weren’t studying her, but he was too late. She smiled, leaned forward, and kissed him again. They spent the rest of the day reading from the Enochian book.

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More decades passed. Thor’s coronation as crown prince was looming ahead, as was the end of Quamachi’s time on Asgard. It was a glorious few decades. Loki spent every waking moment he could with her. Finally, a few years before Thor's coronation, they rode north to see the wall that she had placed there to keep the Demon King from attacking Asgard. It was a pleasant ride, taking them through valleys and over hills, a two-day ride that forced them to stop for the night in a small range of mountains about half a day from the wall. After searching for a bit, they found a nice little cave to set a fire up in.

After setting up the logs in a pile, Loki was just about to light it with his powers when flames erupted from the wood, startling him a bit and causing him to jump and hit his head on the low cave roof. Quamachi gave a gasp and a laugh as he groaned and sank back down to the floor, rubbing his head.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know I was going to scare you THAT much!” She exclaimed, sliding closer and placing a hand on his head. The pain instantly washed away into a nice warm sensation. Her powers of healing were legendary. Loki had read at one point that she could bring people back who were from the brink of death.

That leaned against the cave wall beside each other, watching the flames in sweet silence for a bit. He grabbed the large blanket he had brought with him and threw it over Quamachi, who snuggled closer, placing her head on his shoulder. He carefully wrapped an arm around her, placing his cheek on the top of her head.

“I’m leaving for Midgard soon.”

Her words pierced him like a dagger. It was too soon. They had only such a short time together.

“I want you to come with me.”

His breath caught in his throat. “For how long…? You want…to show me Aquapolis…?”

“I want you to stay.”

He could barely believe the words she said. “You want me to come live with you on Midgard?”

“You know how I keep on telling you that you’re clever? I think I may have to stop,” she teased.

“No, it’s just…I can’t…” He told himself he shouldn’t cry in front of her. This was no time to be crying.

“You can’t what?” She pulled away a bit, a worried expression on her face. “You can’t go?”

No. No, he wouldn’t let her start crying, either. She was starting to tear up just at the thought that he couldn’t go with her. “No, I CAN go…I just can’t believe…That you’re asking me…I want to spend the rest of eternity with you…” His breathing was starting to get ragged.

She curled up beside him again as he tried to wrap his mind around what was happening. He would return to Midgard with her, live in the city of Aquapolis, stay by her side for millennia.

It was all he had ever wanted.

“Yes, of course…I’ll return with you…” He whispered.

------------

“Where is this wall you keep talking about?” Loki asked. They had made it to the spot where Quamachi had claimed she put up the wall to separate Asgard from Hell millennia ago, but there was nothing in sight, just what looked like a slow transition from bright green grass to the dark landscape of the underworld.

“It’s invisible!” She answered, dropping off of the horse. “It’s just an energy barrier built to keep demons out.” Loki trailed after her as she slowly walked up to one of the transitions in the landscape. She reached her hand out, placing it on the air in front of them. A blue ripple of energy shot out from her hand and traveled in all directions.

He nodded. “Impressive…”

She reached backwards and grabbed his hand, pulling him across. “Okay, we’re only going to stay here for a few moments…They’ll sense me after a while. I give off quite a lot of angelic energy.”

Loki didn’t want to spend more than a few moments in that wasteland. He could practically feel the aura from millions of demons pressing down on them as they walked through the wasteland, carefully stepping around burnt trees.

“If the Demon King ever succeeds in taking over Asgard or Midgard, this is what both realms will look like within decades,” Quamachi muttered, jumping up to stand on a charred tree stump. At that height, she was just about as tall as Loki was.

He couldn’t help but shiver. This place was wrong. Dark power surged through every square inch of the air. He reached out to grasp Quamachi’s arm and gently pulled her down off of the stump. “I think it’s best we go now, Aya.”

He could sense that she was a bit uncomfortable in that place as well. “Okay. Let’s leave this place,” she said bitterly. He knew her duty on Midgard was to stop this wasteland from spreading there.

Before he could respond, she stiffened. There was a sound of a sword being withdrawn from its sheath at lightning speed and a cry of pain. Quamachi’s sword dug through the shoulder of a demon dressed completely in black leather and armor. The weapon was so sharp, it cut through metal, leather, then flesh and bone. Finally, it hit the demon’s heart, and he collapsed in a pool of his own blood.

The entire attack had lasted all of a few seconds, but it was enough time for the two of them to be instantly surrounded by a ring of dark warriors, each brandishing swords and daggers. Loki quietly slid his own dagger from where he kept it inside one of his pockets.

They were outnumbered. There had to be at least ten demons surrounding them, but Quamachi did not look worried in the least. Why should she? Killing demons was most likely sport to her. He could feel the blood pounding in his ears, quietly preparing himself to attack.

Suddenly, two demons in front of him stepped back, parting way for another figure, this one dressed in much more splendid armor and leather than the others. From the way he walked, Loki knew he was important. Quamachi turned, her breath catching in her throat. That wasn’t a good sign.

The demon was muscular and tan with sandy blonde hair. His stride was arrogant, and a smirk was planted firmly on his face. “It’s been quite some time since I last saw you, Quamachi,” he said, stepping forward. Quamachi stepped around to position herself in front of Loki, her hand grasping her sword protectively.

“You can’t win this fight, Killian,” she said in an even voice. “Let us go.”

“I thought you were going to leave us alone after you put that splendid wall up?” The demon asked, tilting his head to the side, his obsidian eyes studying both of them with amusement.

“We’re leaving,” Quamachi said firmly.

Despite his arrogance, he was smart. The demon named Killian stepped aside, gesturing towards the wall grandly. “It was such an honor to have you step into our realm once again, Chosen One,” he said with mock honor in his voice.

As they walked past him, Quamachi kept her sword at her side, walking tall and glaring at Killian as she made her way for the break in the ring of demons. Loki looked away just as he got past the demon, but was stopped by the demon lashing out, placing a hand on his chest to stop him.

Quamachi’s sword was immediately at the back of Killian’s throat. He laughed. “Don’t worry, Chosen One. I just want to talk.” The demon studied Loki with grand amusement. “It isn’t every day that a son of Odin steps in our lands. Then again…” He added in a hushed tone so that only Loki could hear. “You aren’t a son of Odin, are you?”

“What?” Loki breathed as Quamachi withdrew her sword from Killian’s neck and grabbed the Asgardian’s arm, dragging him along with her out of the ring.

The demon leader smirked and turned around, watching them leave with his eyes of darkness. “Adam says hello and that he would love to meet you.” Killian laughed to himself as he saw the flash of confusion and fear in Loki’s eyes.

The journey out of Hell was quick. Quamachi had started off walking to ensure the demons that she was not afraid of them in the least. Then, when they had gotten out of sight, she sprinted for the wall, dragging Loki along behind her.

He was still in a daze from what Killian had said. Not a son of Odin? That made no sense. What was the demon lieutenant after? Loki wanted to voice his fears to Quamachi, but he was sure he was just being paranoid. She would laugh and tell him not to worry about such things.

“Loki?”

He glanced up. They were already back to their horses on the other side of the wall. Quamachi still had a firm grip on his arm, a worried expression in her sapphire eyes. “Yes, Aya?” He breathed. As always, her presence seemed to calm her, but he still felt the panic rising up in him.

“Are you okay?” She stepped closer, placing a hand on his other arm. He desperately wanted to pull her close, to reassure himself that everything was alright as long as she was there.

Instead, he nodded. “Yes.” He tried to keep his voice from faltering. “Yes, we just need to get back to the palace…I’ve had enough of demons for one day.”

------------

Questions burned at him for another few weeks before he decided that he needed answers. Instead of going to Quamachi, he decided that the true source would be more reliable.

He found Odin walking between the training yards and the library. Loki had never had a particularly close relationship with his father. Thor was obviously Odin’s favorite. Loki was much closer to Frigga. But he needed answers, so he pressed on.

“Is something troubling you?”

He hadn’t noticed that he had been following Odin like a shadow for a few moments until the king turned to him with his question. Loki paused, shifting his weight from one foot to another. “Quamachi and I rode out past the wall today.”

“Yes, so I heard.”

“We ran into one of the Demon King’s lieutenants. Killian. He said it was an honor to meet one of the sons of Odin, but…”

“So he told you.”

“What?” Loki breathed.

“After the last great war with the Demon King Laufey, we retreated for home, finding one of the last of Laufey’s strongholds near the wall. Inside, I found a child. Half-Asgardian, half-demon. The son of Laufey and of an Asgardian woman whom he had married before the war started.”

Terrible realization dawned on Loki’s face. “The Demon King’s son? Why…why would you take me?”

“You were just a child. And you were half Asgardian.”

“The son of Laufey…I could have inherited the throne or helped…”

“Your half-brother? Adam was the rightful heir to the throne. We should have killed him when we had the chance.”

“Then I’m a hostage.”

“I did not say that.”

“Then what use do you have of me?!” He shouted. “A half demon in the court of the Asgardian king?!”

“You twist my words…”

Loki had heard enough. He spun around, escaping from the hall. His mind spun as he made his way across the palace, a state of shock coming down on him.

“Loki?”

He stopped at the sound of Quamachi’s voice. She knew. She had to have known all along. He turned around, anger flashing in his emerald eyes. “You knew! You knew and you kept it from me!”
 

chosen_one386

Angel of Chaos
Chapter Five



The pained look in her eyes told him everything he needed to know. Rage surged through him, aimed at her, at Odin, at himself.

“Why didn’t you tell me?!” He demanded, his voice shrieking off of the marble that lined the floor of the hallway. The guards posted around this passage most likely could hear him, but he didn’t care. Rage, fear, and pain blinded him.

She paused, choosing her words carefully so as to not make things worse. “I didn’t see any need to.”

“What?” He asked, breathless. “Didn’t see any need to tell me I was a half-demon, the son of the Demon King that you slew? This entire time, you walked by my side…I held you…I LOVED YOU…and yet you failed to mention that it was all for nothing?!”

“It was not all for nothing!” She pleaded, tears forming in her eyes. He could hear her voice rising in pitch, desperate to make him believe her words.

“A half-demon and an angel?!” He shouted. “Where in the universe do you think that would be accepted?!”

“YOU ARE NO DEMON!” It was her turn to shriek now, but instead of the pitiful, pained shrieks that he had been uttering, hers was powerful, full of the wisdom of the many millennia she had lived.

He started to laugh bitterly. “Apparently, I am. Who is to say one day I won’t slay you in our bed?” His laugh died, his eyes filling with hatred. Hatred at everything. But her. Despite all this, he still couldn’t bring himself to hate her. “It’s in my nature, Aya.”

“No,” she shook her head. “It’s not…”

“How can you say this?” His voice cracked. No. He would not cry in front of her. Not now. Not again.

“Because I have fought demons since the beginning of time, and you are not like any of them.” She tilted her head to the side, her eyes pleading. “You have a pure soul, Loki. I’ve seen it.”

That’s when he made up his mind. He would not let any harm come to her by his hand. One day, he was sure, his nature would turn against him, and he would wake with her blood on his hands. Better to hide himself away in Hell than to see this. Perhaps she would find another immortal lover. Someone who would be able to protect her. Loki backed away from Quamachi, pain shooting through him. “No, I don’t…” He murmured, turning and escaping from the room. She watched him leave, paralyzed with pain, worry, and terror, before racing back to her corridors.

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This time, when Loki crossed the wall, he dismounted his horse and shouted, “Killian!”

The lieutenant was there in an instant, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. “I thought you would return. That’s why I took the honor of inviting my king here.” Loki followed the demon to a large stone building, the walls inside lined with black marble. A large hall stood in the middle of the structure, decorated with only a few tables, a large hearth with a fire burning inside, and several large chairs.

“I don’t care if the Aquapolian King knows the rangers are there. Make it a point to anger or terrorize him, either one!” The largest chair in the room was occupied by a demon with pitch-black hair and eyes. He sat forward in his chair, raising his voice at the demon ranger who was standing before him. The ranger nodded and retreated as Killian and Loki approached. The demon in the chair glanced up, a grin spreading across his face when he saw Loki. He jumped from his chair, striding forward with his arms held out. “Brother! I knew you would find your way across the wall some day. Welcome.”

“I’m not your brother,” Loki couldn’t help but growl.

The Demon King laughed. “I’m more of a brother to you than Odin’s son. Truth be told, I’m surprised it took you so long to figure this one out…Then again, none of us was ever able to figure out exactly why Odin took you.” He paused, tilting his head to the side to study him. “I’ve heard some interesting things about you and Quamachi. I think we can use that to our advantage.”

“Do not dare to threaten her in my presence.”

Adam paused, stepping forward until he and Loki were only standing a few inches apart. In a lowered voice, he said, “Why did you come here? To kill me? To join my cause? To simply accept your fate?” He saw a flicker in Loki’s eye. He smiled. “Ah, yes, it’s the last one. Well, welcome home.”

Loki glared at him for a few moments until he started to hear the sound of metal snapping together. He glanced down at his wrists, where manacles had appeared out of thin air. “What is this?” He asked, holding up his hands.

“I don’t trust you in the least, brother,” Adam confessed. “I mean, before Quamachi arrived on Asgard, there was a chance for you to claim your true place, but now…” He laughed. “You are far too attached to her for us to believe that you would join our cause willingly.”

“Then what are you going to do with me?”

“I’m not going to kill you, oh, no, you can serve more use to me alive.” Adam smiled. “I’m sure the Chosen One would pay royally to get you back in one piece.”

------------

Quamachi raced through the first bit of Hell towards the first outpost, slicing through the two guards at the door. She strode through the front hall of black marble, her hand clutching her sword angrily. When she reached the main hall, she froze in horror.

Adam looked up. “Hello, Chosen One.” He strode forward, a horrible smile on his face. Her eyes went to Loki, who was bound in chains, his emerald eyes wide with surprise. “What brings you to my realm?”

“Release him.”

He laughed. “It’s not going to be that easy.”

“Release him, or I’ll smite every demon in this place.”

“Including him?” Adam raised an eyebrow. She answered this with silence. “Oh, so you’re not sure whether or not your powers would smite a half-demon as well? Perhaps it’s better not to take the risk…”

“What do you want?” She snarled.

He shrugged. “Aquapolis.”

“You can’t have it.”

Adam sighed. “Too bad.” He snapped his fingers together. The chains around Loki’s wrists started to glow with power. He let out a gasp of pain, sinking to his knees and shuddering. She looked on in horror.

“I can’t give you Aquapolis,” she said firmly. This made it worse. Loki screamed once. She flinched, then turned her sapphire gaze to Adam.

“Your answer, Chosen One?”

She clutched her sword tightly. “No.” A wave of white washed forward, knocking Adam off of his feet. He flew part way across the room, nearly knocked unconscious. The other demons jumped to attack her. One lost his head immediately, the other two receiving a sword through the chest one after another. Loki watched as the head of one of the demons rolled past, a shocked looked forever frozen on the dark warrior’s face. Loki tried to jump to his feet, but, between the searing pain that was slowly but surely fading away and the chains that dragged him down, it was proving difficult.

But Quamachi was strong and had been at work smiting the demons she could get her hands on. She rushed forward, helping him to his feet and dragging him after her, not bothering to release him from his chains first. She was in the right. They needed to make it past the wall before they saw to undoing Loki’s chains.

There was a rush of running footsteps following them as they raced from the black marble building out into the bleak daylight of Hell. Somehow, Quamachi’s power surging from her hand through Loki’s arms was enough to make the chains lighter before finally disintegrating them completely. Now, he could run full out, but not nearly as fast as she.

Luckily, his horse was not far from the building. She was the first one to the mount, vaulting onto his back gracefully. Loki’s horse was not used to Quamachi, kicking up a fuss for a few moments before her angelic aura calmed him down. By that time, Loki was able to leap up behind her, grabbing the reins and riding hard towards the wall.

Quamachi’s long hair blew back into his face, and, for a full half a minute, all he could see was gold. She quickly pulled her mass of curls to the side, giving him a good view of where the wall stood, at the intersection between dark wasteland and beautiful golden pastures.

Loki shot a glance behind them, his heartbeat slowing down as he realized that Adam had not sent his warriors after the escapees. Perhaps they did not have horses. Or perhaps they traveled a different way in this realm. Angels flew through the sky. What did demons do?

Too late, he realized the answer to his own riddle. A hand burst from the ground in front of them, scaring his horse so bad that both Loki and Quamachi went flying through the air. They landed on the ground a few yards away, Loki safely in Asgard, with Quamachi lying across the barrier.

Another demon’s hand burst from the ground right behind her, reaching out to grab the angel and drag her back into Hell. Loki was faster, however, and grabbed her arms, pulling her to safety. He looked up to see where his horse was, but the mount was gone, scared away in the wrong direction, deeper into the pits of Hell. He felt terrible about that. Loki had owned that horse for quite a while. It had been the favorite of his steeds. But rather his love be safe.

It took them a few more moments to catch their breaths. Quamachi’s horse, thankfully, had been tied up on the right side of the wall a few yards from where they stood, safe out of harms way. Loki wanted to ride away so badly…to grab Quamachi and race back to the palace…

She was so fast he had no time to react until his cheek started to sting from the slap. He was stunned for a few moments, not quite comprehending why she had hit him until she started to scream, tears streaming down her face. “Why did you do that?! He could have killed you…or worse!” She rose her hand to slap him again in her fury, but he caught her wrist just in time, gently forcing it down.

“I had to face him…” Loki explained weakly. “I had to face who I am.”

“I told you…” She sobbed. “I told you that you are not like them! You are good and true and intelligent and I see light in you that they will never possess! So please!” She placed her hands on his shoulders. “Please come back with me!”

For a few moments he had the urge to push her away, to insist that she didn’t know what could happen, that he wouldn’t chance harming her. Then, he remembered exactly who she was. The Chosen One. The most powerful angel in existence. She knew exactly what she was talking about, right?

His whole being was drawn to her, his mind screaming out to him that he should take that risk and return with her to the palace of Asgard. He reached up and pushed her hands away from his shoulders, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close into an embrace. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I should have known this entire time where I belonged.”

“Where?” She breathed.

“With you,” he sighed, hugging her close. They stood wrapped in each others’ arms for a few moments before he pulled away, taking her hand and leading her to the horse. He sat up front this time, Quamachi jumping up behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist, placing her head on his back as they raced off for the palace.

------------

Quamachi turned away from the flagon of wine to where Loki sat, staring down at his hands in silence. She stepped over quietly, handing him the cup, which he thankfully took. She slid onto the couch beside him as he drank deeply, placing her head on his shoulder. He put down the cup, still staring down at his hands. “I could have gotten you captured…” He murmured half to himself.

“No…” She placed a hand on his back, rubbing it gently. “No…I would have been fine. It was you I was worried about…”

“He was going to use me to trap you,” Loki pointed out, still staring down at his hands. Quamachi sighed and turned away a bit. He was right, but still…She didn’t want him blaming himself.

He started to sob.

Her heart broke as she turned to see him quietly crying, all of the fear and pain and anguish that had come from his discovery of his true parentage pouring out. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close to her as he cried into her shoulder. She was just so relieved that he was safe. So relieved that he was in her arms again.

This wasn’t over, though. She knew he would continue to question himself until that one day, perhaps far into the future, that he proved to himself that he was no demon. And she would be there every step of the way, to comfort and assure him.

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly, almost desperately, as if something was threatening to tear him away from her.

Finally, his sobs died down.

------------

Quamachi woke the next day from perhaps the best sleep she had experience in centuries. It was strange, really, when she had fallen asleep curled up partly beside and partly on top of Loki on the couch. He had his arms around her, sleeping peacefully. She studied him. He had such a beautiful face. She pushed a strand of raven black hair back from his face, admiring how he looked when he was asleep.

After a few moments, he awoke, his emerald eyes brightening from dull sleep to a half-awake state. He stretched, then pulled her closer, burying his face in her hair. Neither of them spoke for quite a while. Neither of them really wanted to get off of the couch. This was the closest they had ever been. Quamachi knew that she could never go back to sleeping alone.

Finally, they forced themselves to sit up. She stretched, then glanced outside.

“Snow!”

She had seen so many snowfalls, but the winter’s first snowfall was always the best. Here on Asgard, it was no different. Loki’s balcony was covered in at least a good few inches of snow. She rushed across to it, slipping halfway to the rail and nearly going over it.

Loki was fast, however, faster than she expected. He had forgotten that she could fly and had launched himself clear across the room to grab her and pull her back from the snowy ledge. She had felt no terror before going over the edge, but as he pulled her close, she could feel his heart beating fast in his chest. She turned to him, lifting an eyebrow. “Here I was about to have a nice flight in the snow.”

“Oh…” He muttered mostly to himself. All the same, he didn’t let go, holding her close even as his heart beat slowed down. She enjoyed being close to him, wrapping her arms around his chest and burying her face into his shoulder. Out in the chilly winter air, she was starting to get cold, but she didn’t care.

Loki pulled away a bit, and she turned her head up to see what was the matter. They were so comfortable here despite the cold snow, weren’t they? She tried to pull him back, but he resisted.

“What is it?” She murmured, a bit disappointed. Her question was cut off as he took her face in his hands and leaned down to kiss her deeply. It was full of relief and love and a sense of joy that she had never tasted from him before. As if this ordeal had brought them closer together.

After what seemed like a lifetime, they pulled away from each other, their gasping breaths fogging up the air over the balcony, joyous smiles on their faces. Loki turned back towards his rooms to get her some furs to wear outside.

She took this opportunity to gather a handful of snow and throw it at him. It hit him smack in the side of the face, startling him. She burst into laughter as he shivered a bit from the cold ice, turning to her with a mock hurt expression on his face. “Why would you do that?” He whispered.

She knew she was in trouble then. Before she knew it, he had dumped a good amount of snow on her head, even down the back of her tunic. She shrieked, pelting him with more snowballs as he tried desperately to throw her into the tiny snowdrift that had formed on the balcony. Just as he was about to succeed, he lost his footing and slipped, causing both of them to land in the cold, wet snow. It was a shock, but they both ended up dissolving into laughter.

Soon though, it became too cold, and they were forced to go back inside to change into warmer clothes. Loki snatched some of the furs off of his bed just as Quamachi finished changing, dumping the pile on top of her before she could even manage to sit down.

“Gee, thanks,” she said, trying to dig her way out of the pile of furs. He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her and the pile. She could feel the warmth coming back to her fingers and toes.

This was the most content she had ever been in her entire existence. The rest of the day they spent curled up underneath the furs, talking and reading, kissing and enjoying each other’s presence.

It was pure heaven.

------------

Quamachi stretched happily, then curled up closer to Loki. He was already partway asleep, his breathing slowing down every second. She had started to sleep in his bed ever since that snowy day decades ago. No one had much noticed that she wasn’t sleeping in her own rooms…and if they had, they most likely kept the rumors to themselves. Let them talk, she thought to herself. She was perfectly happy where she was, and, really, who could tell her that she wasn’t aloud to see him?

As she curled up closer to him, he slowly wrapped his arms around her. He had a habit of pulling her closer in his sleep whenever they became a bit separated by tossing or turning or whatnot. It was as if he were afraid that she would be torn away from him if she wasn’t close.

No one would tear the two of them apart, she concluded. No one would dare.

------------

Thor’s crowning pretty much snuck up on them. The ceremony was grand, Quamachi standing in a place of honor between Frigga and Loki near the throne. She had high hopes for Thor in the future. It would be millennia before he reigned, a long ways off for his rule to impact her people, true, but it would still be positive. Odin had always held a low view of the Aquapolians despite his desperate attempts to rule them from afar. Thor, on the other hand, had proven himself more caring towards the fact that they were supposed to be ruling themselves.

That night, she snuck into Loki’s chambers after getting dressed for the grand feast. He had just finished dressing himself and looked splendid in his gold dress armor, which consisted mostly of only a breast and shoulder plates. Instead of choosing her own white and gold enameled armor, she had decided to wear a dress of flowing indigo and midnight blue.

When she entered, he turned to her, the smile on his face fading to an expression of awe. “Are you okay?” She asked, a bit concerned after a few moments of his looking as if he couldn’t breathe.

He shook his head, stepping closer to her and wrapping both arms around her waist. “You look beautiful,” he murmured, leaning down to kiss her gently. She wrapped her arms around his waist, silently wishing they could just stay in his rooms for the rest of the night, talking and simply enjoying each others’ company.

But, as she was a guest of Odin’s and a friend of Thor’s, that wouldn’t do. They pulled away from each other for a moment as Loki stepped to a small table nearby, picking up a golden chain. He held it in his palm for a few moments, contemplating its smooth golden surface, before stepping back over to Quamachi. “Turn around,” he said in a quiet voice.

She did so, wondering what exactly he was up to. He strung the chain around her neck, his fingertips brushing against her, sending chills up her spine. After a few tries, he clasped the chain in place successfully. She glanced down and gasped.

She had often seen him wear this ring. Gold, black, and emerald, it had been given to him by his mother millennia ago, when he was younger. He had cherished it, and now he was giving it to her. “Loki…” She murmured, getting a bit choked up.

He placed his hands on her bare shoulders, bending down to whisper in her ear as she studied the ring, turning it over in her hands and running her fingers over its smooth, polished surface. “This is a promise. One day…when we return to Midgard…I’ll marry you…This is a promise that we will spend the rest of eternity together…” As he said this, he wrapped his arms around her waist again, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek.

“I love you…” She murmured, turning around to kiss him on the lips.

“I love you, too, darling…” He whispered back, smiling. “Now…” He stepped back, keeping one arm wrapped around her waist. “…let’s go enjoy this one last feast on Asgard.”

------------

The great hall of the palace of Asgard was packed with people and banquet tables and (best of all) every kind of food Quamachi could imagine. First, they searched around for Thor, who was drinking with several of his friends nearby and receiving congratulations from all of the royalty and lords of Asgard. When he saw them, he practically beamed. It still warmed Quamachi’s heart to see how much Thor loved his brother, even after he had learned that Loki was, in fact, adopted. He had reacted to the news with indifference. “No matter,” he had said, waving it away. “He is still my brother.”

“Brother! Quamachi!” He said, stepping over to hug them both. At first, she thought he was a bit drunk, but it turned out he was just his happy self.

“Congratulations!” Loki said with a smile after Thor hugged him.

“No, brother…” Thor said with a knowing smile. “Congratulations to YOU.”

Quamachi and Loki exchanged glances. “How did you…” She started.

Loki sighed, putting his face in his hands. “Mother…”
Quamachi chuckled, putting an arm around his waist. “I guess I should be glad that your mother thinks so highly of me.” Thor burst into laughter as well, which was good. Loki had turned almost bright red at her comment and was still hiding his face in his hands. She patted him on the shoulder and left to speak with someone.

“Shall I announce your engagement at the feast tonight?” Thor asked.

“You don’t have to do that…” Loki said, smiling.

“Come on, this is a happy day! And your last great feast on Asgard!” Thor lowered his voice. “I assume you’re returning to Midgard with her.”

Loki nodded. “We’ll get married there.”

Thor laughed, though his eyes were sad. “I’ll miss you, brother…” He muttered.

“And I, you.”

“But I’m glad you found such happiness in your life. I hope one day I will find someone who will make me as happy as Quamachi makes you.” Loki seemed a bit surprised and taken aback by his comment. Thor explained. “You smile and laugh a lot more than you used to, Loki,” he said in a serious voice. “And I know it must be Quamachi, because you do so most often in her presence.”

Loki smiled, nodding his agreement.

A few minutes into the feast, Thor stood up from his seat between Odin and Frigga, raising a glass. “Before we continue with the festivities, I have a happy announcement to make!” Quamachi glanced over at Odin. He didn’t seem in the bit surprised, just watched Thor expectantly. “Though we are sad to see Quamachi leave us, we must say good-bye to another who is dear to our hearts. My brother has decided to return to Midgard with Quamachi, and they have given me the honor of officially announcing their engagement to be married on Aquapolis!”

There was a round of applause and many congratulations. Quamachi ducked her head, a bit embarrassed by all of the attention, but happy as well as Loki took her hand underneath the table. Thor had the biggest smile on his face as the room quieted again. “To Loki and Quamachi! May the days of their eternity be forever bright!”

------------

Loki and Quamachi were deep asleep later that night when they were both roused by a banging at their chamber door. Quamachi sat up, groaning, as Thor’s voice carried through. “Loki?! Open the door!”

She turned her eyes toward Loki as he moaned, rolling over in bed and grabbing one of the silken pillows to pull over his head. Neither of them were morning people, and being woken up during the middle of the night was just as unpleasant. She tugged on the night-black tunic he usually wore to bed. The first night she had spent in his rooms, she had worn the white Aquapolian-style tunic that she had slept in for perhaps a century. Loki had nearly given himself a heart attack laughing, and it took her quite a few minutes to realize the meaning behind the colors of the tunics they were wearing.

Quamachi got back at him the next night by stealing his black tunic before he had a chance to change for bed and leaving him only her white tunic to wear. Loki’s tunic was much too long for her, coming all the way down past her knees, but it was worth it. The sight of tall, lean, and slightly muscular Loki in her short white tunic when there was a complete foot difference in height between the two of them was hilarious. He had stood there in that short white tunic and his own long black pants with an expression on his face that just screamed that he had no idea what he had just gotten himself into.

Oftentimes afterward, however, they had switched tunics again. Quamachi found herself wearing some of his shirts whenever she lounged about in his rooms…well, now they were becoming THEIR rooms…At first, it had caught him off guard how quickly and effortlessly she had assimilated herself into his personal environment, but he quickly grew accustomed to her constant presence. In fact, he enjoyed it greatly.

Especially the nights sleeping beside her. As he groaned again and pushed himself to a sitting position, his raven-black hair sticking up at odd angles on his head, he realized that, for all of the many nights she slept there, he could still remember the lonely nights. The ones he had spent simply lying in the darkness, staring up at his sleeping, or reading himself to sleep. He remembered the nightmares, most of them involving his dying alone sometime in the endless future.

Those memories made her presence that much sweeter. Now, he fell asleep with her in his arms, his lover, his everything. They would live out the rest of their days together…the rest of eternity in that beautiful land that she called home. His eyes flashed over to his ring that she wore around her neck. Like the Aquapolian pendent she wore constantly, his ring was never absent from her.

There was another loud banging on the door. “It’s your brother…” Quamachi muttered darkly, as if she wanted to grab his dagger from his bedside table and stab Thor to death for waking them up at that hour. Loki didn’t blame her, but he kept a close eye on her in case she made that rash decision.

“Loki?! Quamachi?! I know you’re in there!”

More banging. She sighed. “Go and let him in so we can go back to sleep.” She flopped back down on the bed again, making Loki jealous. He wished so much to curl up beside her again, to snuggle back under the furs with her and drift back into a peaceful sleep. He shot a quick glance over at his dagger, not quite so sure that HE didn’t want to stab his brother at least once for waking the both of them up. Instead, he heaved a great sigh and crawled out of bed, wincing as his bare feet stepped across the cold white marble of his bedchamber.

Thor barreled into the chambers as soon as Loki opened the door, which annoyed him a bit. Although it was unlikely, what if Quamachi had been undressed? They had decided against being together in that way until after their wedding, though it wasn’t exactly Asgardian tradition to do so. He hadn’t spoken a word of that to his brother, who was now barging into his chambers.

“You both need to leave, now!” Thor was saying urgently. Quamachi had wrapped the furs on the bed around herself, more to keep warm than to cover up, really. She frowned sleepily, confused by Thor’s urgency.

“Leave where?” Loki asked, just as confused, and a bit angry in his tired state.

“Asgard! Now. You must get to Midgard immediately!”

This seemed to wake Quamachi up completely. From all the way across the room, Loki could see her brilliant blue eyes widen and spark with fear. “What is it? Has something happened in Aquapolis?” The country was usually in peace with the occasional minor attack from the Demon King every century or so. She slipped out of bed, instinctively reaching for her sword near the bedside table. Even standing there in her tunic and pants, she seemed like a force of nature. Loki almost felt sorry for the demons who decided to invade Aquapolis at the moment.

“No…” Thor murmured, turning to Loki. There was an apology in his eyes, but a good bit of determination as well. “It’s Father. He is enraged.”

Loki didn’t even try to bite back the bitter laugh that escaped from him. “Yes, well…I never imagined that he would look upon our marriage happily. An angel and a half-demon…” He shrugged. “He wasn’t the first to speak against it, and he won’t be the last.”

Quamachi shot him a confused look. No one had said anything in her presence since the feast about this particular part about their marriage. Then again, would anyone really dare tell the Chosen One whom she could and could not marry?

Apparently, Odin thought he could.

“That’s only one reason why he is enraged about your engagement, brother.” Thor took a deep breath, as if what he was about to say was terrible. Loki’s breath caught in his throat. His brother was usually such a cheerful soul. For him to look this distraught…something was very wrong. Loki glanced over at Quamachi. The look of worry was magnified on her face as she waited with bated breath for Thor to speak.

“In Father’s eyes, I announced the wrong engagement,” Thor explained, looking from his brother to Quamachi and back again. “He pulled me aside before the feast tonight to announce...not your engagement, but…” He was having trouble with the words. “His one last attempt to control the Aquapolians…by announcing MY engagement to Quamachi.”
 

chosen_one386

Angel of Chaos
Chapter Six



“What?!”

Loki froze as Quamachi screamed. He couldn’t quite believe his ears. For the first time in a long time, he was struck speechless.

Quamachi, however, was about to do enough screaming and talking for the both of them. “Who told him that he could marry me off to anyone he pleases!?” She said, stepping forward. Despite her short stature and pure white tunic, the angel look menacing, blue fire sparking in her eyes. “I am not one of his subjects! I am not within his jurisdiction! What does he think he’s doing!?”

“With our marriage, he hoped to gain complete control over the Aquapolians,” Thor tried to explain, but quickly shut up as Loki shook his head, telling him to quiet down before he did more damage.

Too late. “I don’t control the Aquapolians,” she said in a low, dangerous voice. “I bow to no one, AND NO ONE BOWS TO ME. Immortals do not rule the mortals. Midgard is the MORTAL realm.”

“All the same, you must leave,” Thor protested.

“Why? What is he going to do to me?” Quamachi demanded.

Thor paused, flicking a pained glance at his brother. “Not to you…but…”

“Ah, yes…” Loki said, a self-deprecating smile on his face. “I’m dispensable…Not a true son of Odin.”

“What?” A look of horror spread across Quamachi’s face as she realized exactly what Thor was saying. She immediately went from menacing to terrified, crossing the room in a few strides and grabbing Loki’s hand, pressing close to him. He gave her a tender look, and Thor’s heart fell a bit. What if his plan didn’t succeed, and his brother was torn from the love of his life? What if Odin really did plan on killing or imprisoning Loki to get him out of the way?

“You have to leave…NOW,” Thor said firmly.

------------

The vast marble halls of the palace of Asgard were deathly quiet. The only sounds were the stamp of armored boots on the floors created by the household guard. The soft footfalls of the two escaping lovers barely reached any immortal ear that was present to hear them. Quamachi would have taken the lead if they were escaping elsewhere, but Loki had informed her he knew of a good shortcut to the sky boat port at the base of the palace. She ran beside him, making sure she had a tight grip on his hand as they hurried silently through the lower passageways and towards the port. She didn’t want them to get separated during their flight. She had never flowing in one of Asgard’s fabled sky boats before, but Loki insisted that he could navigate one.

The port was completely empty when they got there. Loki pulled her towards the closest boat. It was smaller and sleeker than the others, only big enough for maybe four passengers at the max. Loki helped her up into the boat and climbed up after her, pressing several controls on the steering column. “You’ll want to hold on tight to something, darling. This is going to be a fast and probably bumpy ride.”

She looked around for something to hang onto for a few moments before deciding that the pilot was perhaps the best option. While he was focused on some last-minute controls, Quamachi walked behind him and slipped her arms around his chest. He stopped and turned to her, sighing. “Well, I did say hold tight to something…” He said with a grin.

With a few more button pushes, they were off, streaking into the dark Asgardian sky towards the Bifrost. Quamachi held on tight to Loki, the thrill of flight coursing through her veins as they shot across open space and beside the Bifrost. The many colors of the bridge flashed by in a whirlwind as they raced on. She could make out the end of the Bifrost, a bright golden orbed tower that sat at the portal between Asgard and the Hall of Origin, the center of the universe.

Demons did not like the sky, and most were actually afraid of heights, but not so her precious half-demon. Despite the gravity of their situation, Loki looked to be extremely enjoying this flight, and it turned out he was an expert at piloting the sky boat. She wished for more time with him here, for him to show her more of his world. HIS world, not particularly Asgard, but the world he had grown up in within it.

Loki steered the boat to fly on top of the Bifrost, slowing it down considerably until it came to the stop in front of the golden tower. She let go of Loki, allowing him to jump out of the boat first so he could catch her in her descent. They moved along the rest of the Bifrost, into the tower, which was curiously empty.

“Where is Heimdell?” Loki muttered to himself as he took Quamachi’s hand, the both of them moving towards the portal. It was no matter that Heimdell was not there. He was able to control the portal and aim the Bifrost at specific places on Midgard. Without him, the portal simply opened up into the Hall of Origin. Loki and Quamachi could walk through to the Hall, then walk through the portal from there into Midgard where it opened into Aquapolis.

They stopped right in front of the portal. Loki turned to her, squeezing her hand. “Are you ready, darling?”

She nodded. “Ready,” she murmured. They took a step towards the portal.

“Stop!”

The portal slammed shut in front of them. They spun around to see guards running across the room towards them. Odin was standing in the middle of the room, where Heimdell usually stood. Thor stood behind him, a terrified and apologetic look on his face. Quamachi could tell that he had tried to stop Odin and his guards from making it this far and failed.

“I invite you into my realm, and you conspire against me?”

“Conspire?!” Quamachi shouted, aghast. “It is you who is conspiring against the Aquapolians! You have no power over me, yet you seek to marry me off to your eldest son!”

“Seize him!”

“NO!”

Quamachi’s shouts were to no avail. Loki’s hand was wrenched from her grasp and several guards stood between the two of them before she could even draw her sword. Loki fought, kicking and thrashing, but to no avail.

“Father!” Thor protested.

“Silence!” Odin snapped, turning back to Quamachi and lifting his scepter. “Quamachi, Chosen One, Warrior of Light…”

She turned her gaze to where Loki stood, still trying to free himself from the grasp of the guards. His emerald eyes flashed with panic as he desperately tried to make his way back to her.

“I now banish you from Asgard and destroy the bridge between our two worlds.”

Loki’s eyes were the last things she saw before total darkness fell.

And his screams were the last things she heard before blacking out.

------------

The bright blue light that swam before her eyes when she awoke made her burst into tears.
That was the state the young timelord found her in a few hours later. Floppy brown hair and such old eyes…He hesitantly stepped across the floor of the Hall of Origin to her until he was finally in her view, standing above her, blocking out the image of the Tesseract levitating about their heads. “Are you okay?” He asked, kneeling down beside her. After a few moments, he realized who she was. “Quamachi…” He gasped in awe. “You’ve returned…”

She wiped the tears away from her eyes, gathering herself together for a few moments and sitting up. “I’m sorry…how long have I been away?”

He thought for a few moments. “About five centuries, give or take a few decades.”

“Oh…” She paused. “Who is the ruler now?” She pushed herself to her feet, still in a state of shock.

“King Uther Pendragon. He’s been king for the past two and a half decades,” he replied.

She stopped, staring out towards the darkened portal to Asgard. “The Bifrost has been destroyed.”

The smile on his face faded. “What?” He turned, studying the portal. “Why?” He asked more to himself.

“It’s my fault,” she said, staring straight ahead, past him. “I need to speak to the king…soon…I…” She burst into tears again, cursing herself for breaking down in front of him.

The timelord stood there for a few moments awkwardly before crossing the distance between the two of them and laying a hand on her shoulder. “Whatever happened, I’m sure it wasn’t your fault…” He muttered.

She stopped crying after a few moments, lifting her eyes to his. “What number are you?”

He smiled again. “Eleven of the Order of the Timelords, at your service!”

She gave him a small smile. “Thank you.” She paused, looking back at the portal once again. “It was Odin.”

Eleven scowled. “He’s always wanted our civilization…Like a spoiled child, he is. Now he’s gone and destroyed the bridge because he can’t get what he wants.”

She was struck by how close to the truth Eleven had hit. He was clever, even for a timelord. “Yes…well…that’s not the entire story…” She didn’t elaborate, however. Her warrior side was taking over. She could already feel the shifts that were occurring in Hell. She had to focus, elsewise her loss and grief would take over, paralyzing her. There was much to do now, much to prevent.

“Take me to the king,” she said to Eleven, the tears gone and the ancient Warrior of Light present once again.

------------

The tale had been quite long, just as Kat had told him. The sun rose now, scattering many-colored streaks of light across where they sat. Coulson was quite, struck with awe at her tale. He had expected her time in Asgard and her quarrels with Odin to be of wars and battles and politics. The last was ever-present of course, but he had not expected the tragic love story that had played out, almost right before his mind’s eye.

He could tell she was desperately trying not to cry in front of him and wondered who, if anyone, she had told this story to in the three thousand years since. He also wondered if he should leave her be, with her memories…but something was nagging at him. Questions needed to be answered.

“In all this time, you haven’t been able to find an alternate route to Asgard?” He asked.

“It would make no difference,” she answered, her voice a bit strained at first. She cleared her throat, petted her sleeping cat, and sighed. “I was banished from the realm, meaning even if I found a way back, I wouldn’t be there for long. I might not even make it there, just step through a portal to find myself in the Hall of Origin yet again.”

“So you haven’t seen him in all this time…” Coulson muttered. He was kind of stricken by how…mortal she seemed now. Even before, she was a mysterious thing, this Chosen One who ACTED mortal. But now, after this tale of lost love…She was in reality far from the fabled ancient Chosen One was in his head.

“One day…” She said, her hand resting on top of the cat’s furry black head. “When Thor becomes king in another few centuries…I have hope that he will lift my banishment. He was torn between his brother and his father in that conflict…Perhaps he’ll find a way to allow Loki to get here…” She shook her head again.

“What about after the war?”

“I’m sorry?” He could tell he wasn’t going to get much else out of her. She looked physically drained. From the way she had told the story, she had been very suddenly ripped away from Loki. It must have been a shock, increasing the pain and loss she felt over the millennia.

“Never mind,” Coulson said softly, yawning. “I just need some sleep.” He stood up, nodding to Kat. “I’m going to try and catch a nap for a few hours.” He paused, not quite sure what to say. “One day…one day, the two of you will find each other again, I’m sure of it.” She turned her brilliant blue gaze to him, a dull hope in her eyes. He nodded again and quickly left, escaping to his chambers.

------------

“I’ll be reincarnated soon.”

Kat said it so suddenly, Coulson was not sure he had heard it correctly. He looked up from his Japanese food, looking at her with a quizzical expression on his face. “Are you sure?”

She nodded. “I can feel it. I’ll need your help, of course…” She poked at her food with her chopsticks. “To protect my parents and those around me. To let them know that I’m the Chosen One.”

“You saw how Stark treats the legend of the Chosen One. It will take some convincing.”

She smiled. “I’m sure you’ll be able to convince him. Now…” Her smile grew bigger. “I think it’s about time I told you about Captain Rogers.”

“What?” He nearly dropped his teacup, staring at her in shock. “I didn’t…I thought…” He spluttered.

She laughed. “I knew you would want to hear it. I only met him briefly, however, at least face-to-face. I could go on and on about him for a while, but there are a few pieces of his story that you need to know…”

------------

The Tesseract’s light flickered and sparked. Rogers had only a few moments to study it before jumping into the pilot’s seat of the plane. According to Schmidt, the cube was not only a source of energy, but a communicator, a databank reaching straight to the center of the universe. For some reason, it had been taken out of the Hall of Origin and sent to Norway a few centuries ago. As the plane took a nosedive, he hoped that the Tesseract would find its way home again. His heart leapt into his throat, the blood pounding in his ears. He had no other choice. He had to sink this ship before it caused any trouble.

“It will be quick.”

He jumped, startled. No one else was supposed to be on this plane. He turned his head slightly to the side, his bright blue eyes widening as they met two brilliant crystal blue orbs. The figure standing beside his chair was that of a young woman with blonde hair the exact same shade as his own. There was a sad smile planted on her face, and, for a second, Rogers wanted to reach out and comfort her, though he certainly didn’t know why.

After all, HE was going to die, not this spectral vision. Perhaps to comfort her as she grieved over him, though he had never met her before in his life.

“It’s okay,” she said, her voice both soft and strong, echoing of the ancient past. In her white and gold enameled armor, she looked to be a warrior straight off of the battlefields of Old Aquapolis.

The entire Captain America project had centered on Aquapolis, from the formula Dr. Erskine had created to magnify the once-dormant powers of an Aquapolian to the Tesseract, the mighty database of the ancients. Rogers had studied the legends as best he could. One of the project leaders, an industrialist by the name of Howard Stark, was pretty much obsessed with the legend of the Chosen One.

Could it be?

She reached out and placed a hand over his. He started to panic. This wasn’t a spectral image. She was HERE. She was REAL.

And the plane was going to crash any minute now.

And they didn’t have an escape pod to leave in.

“No, why are you here, no…” He protested, though it was futile.

“One day, you’ll wake up. You won’t remember me, but we will meet again. Until then, sleep. You’ll need the rest.”

She said these words so simply, as if danger were not looming straight ahead.

Somehow, those blue eyes were comforting.

She stayed there until the end.

In his final moments, he knew peace.

------------

“What do you mean you’ll meet him again?”

Kat knew that was the one part of her story Coulson would latch onto instantly. She laughed, causing him to look a bit embarrassed to be so obsessed with that line. “Sometime in the future, he’s going to be found,” she explained, though that was very vague at best.

“Howard Stark searched the oceans for him for years…they only found the Tesseract…which ended up missing.” He eyed Kat. “How did you sneak it out, anyway?”

She shrugged. “I asked Howard Stark for it back.” She said this so nonchalantly, Coulson just had to stare at her for a few moments before he came to accept that she was telling the truth.

“You just walked right up to Howard Stark and asked for it back?” He asked incredulously. “Is that why he’s been even more obsessive with your legend over the years? Because he’s actually met you?”

“Careful what you say. That’s your boss you’re talking about,” she warned him with a smile. “But…well, it was a bit more difficult than that. He had taken down all of the information he needed from the Tesseract, so he was at least partially willing to give it up. The only reason why he really let go was because I promised him I would place it back where it belongs.”

“The center of the universe. The Hall of Origin.”

“Exactly. Little did I know he would turn out to be my grandfather!” She said, extremely excited. “Well…he’s not my grandfather…yet.”

“Convincing him that you’re the Chosen One would be easy. It’s convincing Stark that will be the hard part. He’s never had the best relationship with his father and has always considered his talking about your legend ravings.”

Kat frowned. She had wished her father would be more receptive of the legends…She didn’t blame him. He had seemed a very down-to-Midgard scientist…Well, after a few years of being the father to the Chosen One, maybe he would come around. She was getting more excited by the second. At the same time, a feeling of dread was creeping upon her. Something wasn’t quite right here.

Something was wrong.

------------

As best Kat could predict, she would be reincarnated within the next few months. Coulson, sitting at his desk back in SHIELD HQ, noted the date. It was now September 19, 1990. So, by the end of the year. Sometime around November or December. He tried to see if he could find a date for the Stark’s wedding. That may give him a better idea.

“What are you doing back so soon?”

Coulson was so lost in thought, he nearly jumped at the sound of White’s voice. He put his phone back in its cradle. He had considered confiding to his friend about Kat’s existence and his death, but had decided against it. Best to keep White out of harms way than to drag him into a three thousand year old mystery.

“I just came back to get some work done. You know me, can’t stay away for too long,” Coulson said with a smile.

“Well don’t hurt yourself,” White joked. “From what I heard, you took a bad shot to the chest. Should have died.” His face grew serious, as if he were thinking about this.

Coulson scrambled to change the subject. “I was thinking of going to speak with Stark about my next move.”

White laughed. “Yeah, it’s about time for your promotion, isn’t it?”

“Do you know when his son’s wedding is?”

White frowned. “What? His son…” He thought for a few moments. “You mean…Tony Stark? I didn’t even know he was dating someone seriously…He’s engaged?”

Coulson waved him away. “Forget about it. I’ll find it out myself.” He resolved to just call Caroline Rogers and ask. It would be extremely awkward, but he could just pretend to be asking her to confirm a fact about her uncle and slip the question into the conversation somewhere. Actually, he realized, that was a great idea. There were several things that he wanted to ask her about Captain Rogers after all.

“Listen, there’s talk coming down from the council that they’re going to start a new mission initiative soon,” White said, his voice low as he changed the subject. Coulson was glad. He didn’t know how long he would be able to keep up that inquiry without looking strange. “The funny thing is, they’re looking for scientists as well.”

“Agents AND scientists?” The project must be big, Coulson thought.

“Yup. I was thinking of signing on for it. It’s one of those big super-secret ones, though. They won’t tell us exactly what’s going down until after we’ve signed on.”

Coulson frowned. “You don’t find anything suspicious with that?”

White paused for a moment, tilting his head to the side as he thought. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, slow, and careful. “When I signed on for SHIELD, Coulson, I knew that there were things taking place here, especially in the science department, that I may not agree with morally or ethically. If I don’t agree with what’s happening in this new initiative, I’ll just choose not to take part in it.”

------------

“Hello?”

“Hi, Miss Rogers, this is Agent Coulson. We met at your…at Tony Stark’s party about a year or so ago.”

“Oh! Yes, you were interested in hearing about Uncle Steve! And your sister…she studies Aquapolian history?”

“Yeah, still does, actually. Listen, I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about your uncle?”

There was a loud noise in the background and a crash. Caroline turned away from the phone a bit to yell, “Tony, stop that for a second! I’m on the phone!” She turned back. “Sorry, we’re building our new house in Malibu…well…Tony is, at least. You wanted to talk more about Uncle Steve…Why don’t you come on over and have lunch later on this week? Is that convenient for you?”

“Miss Rogers, you don’t have to…”

“Caroline.”

“What?”

She laughed. “Just call me Caroline. Why don’t you bring your sister, too? We can show her the house, I think she’d be interested…and Tony’s been doing some more research into his father’s old archives, so Kat may find him a bit more receptive to her lectures this time around.”

Coulson winced. “Um…okay, I’ll see if she’s available.”

“Great.” There was a loud, glass-like crash. Caroline sighed and turned away. “Tony, are you okay? You’re not dead are you?” Coulson stifled a laugh as he heard a muffled response. She turned back. “We’ll see you later on…IF my fiancé hasn’t killed himself by then.”

------------

“I’ll get to play the role of your sister again?”

Kat grinned over her sandwich. Coulson sighed. “I’m not so sure this is…Kat, you’re going to look the exact same once you hit your late teens, early twenties, right?”

Her grin faded a bit as she realized what he was saying. It was true; her appearance was that of a young Aquapolian woman in her early twenties. Once she was reincarnated, it would not change once she hit that age naturally again. Then the Starks would start to wonder. But then…they would KNOW that she was the Chosen One, they would have known for years. It would be a nice story for them to tell their child as she grew up, about what she was like when she was an angel.

Then again, the more she saw the Starks, the more they would question once she went missing, once she was conceived. She and Coulson had already gone over what they would do if the Starks asked questions about where Kat was. It was a sort of cruel like, but, nonetheless, it was essential, at least for a time. At least until Coulson could fully teach them about what it meant to be the parents of the Chosen One.

She sighed and leaned back in her seat. “You’re right. It’s not a good idea. I guess I’ll just have to have…an exam to go to or something.” She laughed, her brilliant eyes meeting Coulson’s. “Though I was looking forward to playing your sister again.”

Coulson smiled. They were so alike in that regard. Coulson’s parents had died years beforehand, and he had no siblings. Kat was really the only family he had. And Kat herself had no family. In fact, none of her family had even existed. The Starks would be the only family she had. For now, however, they were brother and sister.

------------

“Agent Coulson! Please come in!”

The Starks’ house in Malibu wasn’t even halfway finished when Coulson got there half a week later. The front entrance and some of the rooms were finished enough to where the two of them could live without having to stay at a hotel. They could have afforded it, of course, but Stark had apparently been so anxious to finish the project, he had refused to spend a night away from the house.

“This is nice,” Coulson said as he stepped through the glass doors of the entryway. It was extremely modern, and Stark was even installing his own computer AI throughout the house. It was a new system he had built only recently nicknamed JARVIS.

When asked what it meant, Caroline had sighed, rolled her eyes, and said, “Tony sometimes isn’t that creative with names. It stands for Just A Really Very Intelligent System.”

There was a crash that sounded out from down a flight of spiraling stairs. “Tony’s workshop is down there. He won’t let anyone in, though, so we’ll have to skip that part of the tour,” Caroline said, leading Coulson to the state-of-the art kitchen. “He wants to finish the entire house before the wedding.”

“And when will that be?” Coulson asked. Here was the real reason why he had come to the Starks’ house. Now everything would be smooth sailing, and he would actually be able to enjoy the stories of Captain Rogers that Caroline would tell.

“We’re thinking sometime around Christmas, actually,” Caroline replied cheerfully. “You and your sister are most definitely invited. It’s a shame she wasn’t able to make it today. I hope her exam goes well.”

Yes, thought Coulson as Caroline moved around the kitchen, looking for coffee. But you’ll see her again one day in the near future.
 

chosen_one386

Angel of Chaos
Chapter Seven



He wasn’t alone.

He had lain his head down on the book in front of him for only a brief few moments. After all, even immortals had to sleep every once in a while. He had not slept in two weeks. It was time to rest.

He hated closing his eyes nonetheless. Half of the time, he saw nightmares. The other half, he saw happy, painful visions.

This was one of those latter times.

He was still in the library, slumped over the giant tome of Enochian mythology he had been sifting through, ever searching for that elusive path that would take him to Midgard.

A warm hand on his shoulder caused him to raise his head a bit. It wasn’t his mother’s touch. She had often checked on him during his time in the library, making sure he ate and slept at least a little. No, this wasn’t Frigga.

One glance up, and his eyes met two brilliant sapphire orbs.

She smiled, but didn’t speak, simply wrapping her arms around him.

He couldn’t help it. Desperation had started to creep in over the past few centuries. The universe was now coming close to the third millennium after the Midgardian Savior’s birth. The time was drawing close to three thousand years since he had last seen her, and there was no hope in sight.

He threw his arms around her, pulling her close, holding her tightly as he buried his head into her shoulder, sobs wracking his body.

“Please. PLEASE show me a way to you, Aya,” he managed to plead between sobs. “I can’t take many more centuries away from you.”

The past three thousand years had been a combination of sitting in the cells beneath the palace and searching through the palace libraries for some sort of way to get from Asgard to Midgard. Odin had thrown both him and Thor into prison after Quamachi was banished from Asgard, simultaneously teaching a lesson to his biological son and punishing his adopted one. Loki had been released only after five centuries had passed and Odin’s temper had cooled.

After a few moments, he woke with a start, cold once again. Raising his head from the book, he sighed.

Then, his eyes caught a word in Enochian.

He had seen it a million times before, but now inspiration struck.

“Hell,” he muttered to himself. He sprung to his feet and muttered louder, “Hell!”

He didn’t waste much time in saying good-bye, silently packing a small bag and slipping his way through the palace and to the stables, riding north to the wall that separated Asgard from Hell.

------------

“This isn’t the best of ideas,” Kat mumbled to Coulson as he pulled up to the chapel. “What if I get recognized?”

“Stark and Caroline invited you, remember?” He pointed out, parking the car.

“No, I meant what if I get recognized as Quamachi?”

He paused, turning to look at her. “What aren’t you telling me?”

She sighed, running her hands through her bangs. “I’ve met Howard Stark before. Once, many years ago.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about that. He’s claimed in the past that he’s met the Chosen One, but everyone has written it off as kind of a tall tale.”

“Well, it’s true.”

“When?”

“After Captain Rogers died. I made sure the Tesseract ended up in Howard Stark’s hands.”

“That was a good choice, but still…” Coulson thought for a moment. “Perhaps we’ll just show up to the reception. It will be easier to avoid Stark there…”

They waited until the ceremony was over, then followed the line of cars to the reception hall at an extremely nice hotel in Malibu. Kat warily followed Coulson inside, nervously looking for Howard Stark everywhere. Somehow, she got separated from Coulson in the large crowd.

“Kat! I’m glad you made it!”

Kat spun around to see her mother walking towards her, dressed in a beautiful strapless wedding dress. Caroline walked up and hugged her, then stepped back. “We didn’t see you or your brother at the ceremony…”

“I’m sorry we were so late…my flight was late from Atlanta…”

“Well, you’re here now! I have someone you should meet. Tony’s father is here…”

She tried to protest, but it was no use. A few moments later, and she was face-to-face with Howard Stark. He was still recognizable, still the same man she had met fifty years previously. His eyes widened a bit when he saw her, but he didn’t mention that he had met her before as Caroline introduced the two of them. “Kat, this is Tony’s father, Howard Stark. He’s an expert in Aquapolian history.”

Before Kat could make her escape, Caroline left the two of them alone. There was an awkward silence before Stark stepped closer to her, lowering his voice. “May I ask what you’re doing here?” He seemed in awe that she was standing before him after all this time.

“Don’t tell anyone who I am,” she said.

“Yes, but why are you here?” He asked again.

She shrugged. “I was invited…I…met your son and his fiancé a few months ago…and they invited me…”

“And they don’t know who you are.”

She shook her head. “No…and they aren’t supposed to know.”

“The Chosen One shall come from the Stark line,” Stark muttered, half to himself.

“Don’t…”

She was cut off by a man who looked to be around the same age as Howard Stark. He had white hair and blue eyes and looked awfully familiar.

“Good to see you, David,” Stark said, shaking the man’s hand.

“It’s been years…I’m glad I got this chance to speak with you.” The man glanced over at Kat. She nervously stayed as he continued. “I just wanted to thank you on behalf of the entire Rogers family for not giving up your search for my brother all of these years.”

She inwardly gasped as she realized who this was. Stark was caught off guard, speechless. Kat took this chance to excuse herself and duck away, trying to find Coulson as fast as she could.

Unfortunately, she ran into the younger Stark before she could find her friend. “Caroline told me that you finally showed up,” he said with a smile, gesturing to his father. “Has my dad been discussing any of his crazy theories with you?”

“Such as the existence of the Chosen One?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. She hadn’t meant to sound angry, but she was starting to get impatient. She needed to get out of there as soon as possible.

“That amongst other things.”

“You’ll soon come to believe in her existence.”

She hadn’t meant this to be a prophecy.

But those were her last words to Stark before she slipped out of the building.

------------

Later that night, she knocked on Coulson’s hotel room door.

Sitting down on the couch across from the bed, she said in a shaking voice. “Don’t be surprised if I’m not here in the morning…or any one after this.”

He nodded. “I expected as much.”

“You know what you need to do.”

He nodded again, then took a shaking breath. “Kat. I will do everything in my power to protect you and your parents. I look forward to us meeting again soon.” He smiled.

She returned his smile, then stood up, stepping across to hug him. “Thank you.”

Those were her last words to Coulson.

------------

A few weeks later, Coulson found himself over at the Starks’ fully renovated home. Caroline was all abuzz with energy. He wondered if she knew yet that she was pregnant. After thirty minutes of her not mentioning it to him, he decided that she didn’t.

It wasn’t until Stark came up from his basement workshop that Coulson got the question he was dreading. “You didn’t bring your sister with you?” Stark asked, a bit disappointed. Despite their differences, he had enjoyed speaking with Kat.

“Um…no…” Coulson said, looking down at his feet. He wasn’t quite sure about this part of Kat’s plan. There was no turning back now, however. It was much too late. “I’m sorry for not telling you at first…but I wanted to speak to you face-to-face. A few days ago, Kat was in a bad car accident…”

The look on Caroline’s face made him instantly want to take it back. He wanted to assure her that Kat wasn’t really dead, but alive, just starting her new reincarnation. But there was no way he could explain it now. He just needed to stick to the script.

Before either of them could ask about her condition, Coulson barreled on. “She was gone before the ambulance came.”

The look on Stark’s face made him want to turn and run.

In fact, he did.

------------

The world spun back into focus as the pain increased, waking him from complete unconsciousness. He struggled to free his arms, but they were tied behind him with strong, metallic chains.

He gave up the fight after a few moments. He had learned over the past few centuries that resistance was futile. At least, physical resistance was.

They wanted to forget her. He refused to do so. She was all he had left.

A figure stepped into view, and he sneered. Killian. The demon lieutenant had taken great pleasure in aiding his king in the process of converting their prisoner to the dark side.

The next figure to step into view caused hatred to flow through the Asgardian’s body. He had grown to loath his half-brother more and more with each passing day. If Adam ever released him from these chains, he would slay the Demon King without hesitation.

Or, at least, he had thought as much up until his mind started blurring a century ago.

The constant physical, mental, and emotional torture had blurred his mind to the point that his hatred would grow confused whenever Adam or Killian came into view.

Today was better than most days. He was absolutely sure he hated the Demon King.

“He still isn’t giving her up,” Killian said, shaking his head. “Things would be a lot more simple if you did.”

Adam smiled. “No matter. Another few decades, and I believe he’ll be at least ready to carry out the mission I have set up for him.” He turned to Loki, tilting his head to the side and studying his brother. “Your Angel of Chaos has gotten herself reincarnated. Within the next two decades, the War of New Aquapolis will begin. And I’m going to need someone to control Midgard for me.”

“No,” Loki snapped.

Adam nodded. “Soon you’ll agree with me. You’ve refused to give up your attachment to the Chosen One, but perhaps we can put that to our advantage.” He glanced over at Killian. “Begin work on the Initiative immediately.” Killian nodded and left the space. Adam turned to Loki. “The Aquapolian Initiative. The systematic wipeout of the Aquapolian race. Starting with the family of the Chosen One.”

------------

“All I’m saying is, this is top secret stuff of a proportion even you have never seen before,” White said to Coulson as they made their way through the winding halls of SHIELD HQ.

“I think that’s an overreaction,” Coulson replied, laughing a bit. “I’m sure it’s just another step to actually starting the Aquapolis Project.”

“They didn’t send out an all-call for Aquapolians, though.”

“They wouldn’t. I think Stark, Selvig, and Baron want the project to be between both humans and Aquapolians.”

They finally reached the small conference room and slid into some seats around the large circular table. Everyone was deathly quiet before a member of the Council walked in, an older man with greying hair. He stood at the table across from Coulson and White. “Today, we start on a new initiative, one that will be kept top secret from everyone not in this room. Today, we start the Aquapolian Initiative. We’ve been aware of the existence of Aquapolians for quite some time now. It’s now been brought to our attention that they are a threat to the survival of humans on this planet.”

Coulson and White exchanged shocked glances as he continued. “We will begin with the list of names of known Aquapolians. Over the next twenty years, they will be systematically eradicated. We will not provide you with the full list, but give you a shorter list of names for you to follow as time goes on. Does everyone understand what we are doing?”

The time had come, Coulson realized. This was the opportunity he and Kat had planned for. He gave a grim nod while White nodded in complete and utter shock.

Coulson knew exactly what he was doing.

------------

He got the news about a month later.

Ever since he started getting his short list, he had worked hard to sabotage whatever plans the Aquapolian Initiative had. Between watching after the Starks and working on the list, he had no time to delve deeper into who exactly was behind the Initiative, so he placed that job on the back burner for a time.

He had still kept up a correspondence with the Starks, especially Caroline, who loved to tell him stories or any new facts she had learned about her uncle. It was during one of their calls that she told him that she was pregnant.

She couldn’t see across the telephone, but, for the first time since Kat had been reincarnated, Coulson lit up. “That’s wonderful. Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl yet?”

“No,” she laughed. “I’m not that far along yet, but you’ll be one of the first to know once we find out.”

After a few more words on the baby (apparently Stark was even more excited than his wife about this news and had already started on the project of building a huge nursery for the child), he said his good-byes and hung up, staring down at the list in front of him.

“This is going to be an awfully big job, Kat,” he muttered. Not only did he have to protect the Starks and make sure the people on his list survived the holocaust that was coming, he also had to pick and choose some Aquapolians to serve as a back-up team for her in the future, when the Demon King came to Midgard for his second try at taking over the realm. He had already added Stark to the list. If nothing else, he could be a financial sponsor.

Then, he got an idea.

What about the people on his short list? He glanced over the names. None really stood out. He would wait and see, then. Perhaps one or two of them would be willing to join this team.

------------

Coulson walked up the driveway to the Starks’ home, ringing the doorbell. After a few moments, Caroline answered the door, smiling widely. “Phil, come in!” He stepped inside and followed her into the living room.

“I came to say congratulations. I heard it was a baby girl.” He looked around for her, but she wasn’t in the room.

“Oh, Tony has her downstairs in the workshop. He won’t put her down, even when he’s working. I think he’s determined for her to get a feel for engineering early on.”

He laughed. “That’s good to hear.” He paused, uncertain of what to say next, then stepped forward and lowered his voice. “I actually need to speak to the both of you about something important…”

“Okay,” she nodded, “Let me just get Tony up here.” She descended the winding staircase down to Stark’s workshop, where he was sitting in his desk chair, looking over some figures for a new weapons system, the baby sleeping in his arms. “Tony, Agent Coulson is here. He wants to speak to us.”

“About what?” He asked, turning away from the computer screen.

She shrugged, then held out her arms. “I don’t know, but I’m taking this opportunity to steal her away from you.”

He sighed, but smiled as he carefully handed his daughter over to her mother. They walked back upstairs to where Coulson was standing in the living room. “You might want to sit down for this,” he said.

After the four of them were seated, the Starks on the couch and Coulson in a chair across from them, he asked, “What’s her name?”

“Katharine,” Caroline said.

“Kat,” Stark said at the same time.

She sighed. “As you can see, we’re having trouble deciding just what we’re going to call her on a daily basis.”

Coulson was speechless for a few moments, but recovered quickly. “I haven’t been entirely truthful with you about who I am. I told you I’m an agent from SHIELD, but…I’ve been set to work on a very important mission that involves the three of you. My sister was involved as an advisor due to her knowledge of ancient Aquapolian legends. As far as we can tell, the time has come for the Chosen One to be reincarnated…”

“Wait a minute,” Stark said, putting his hand up. “Are you saying that Kat is the Chosen One?”

“Yes,” Coulson answered, nodding. “I am.” He lifted up the briefcase he had brought with him, taking out several photos. “I’m sure both of you know about the pendants of Aquapolian crystal your ancestors used to wear.”

Caroline nodded, her hand flying up to her neck, where a cross pendant of that same crystal hung.

“And you both know of the Tesseract, the cube made of the same material that used to lie at the center of the universe.”

“I thought it was made of pure energy,” Stark said.

“Sometimes, it is. Sometimes, it’s not. Not all of the Tesseract’s mysteries have been unlocked,” Coulson replied, laying out a picture of the Tesseract and an Aquapolian pendant. “Does this color seem familiar to you?”

Caroline studied the pictures for a moment before breathing, “They’re the same color as Katharine’s eyes…”

“Have you ever seen anyone else with those color eyes before?” Coulson asked.

She shook her head. “No…but…how?”

“We’ve been looking into the Chosen One legend for quite some time now. We knew all along that the Chosen One would come from the line of the Starks.”

Caroline glanced over at Stark. As Coulson had predicted, the father was not convinced. In the end, however, Coulson didn’t need HIM to be convinced, just Caroline.

A mother would do anything to ensure the protection and safety of her child.

In that instant, Coulson knew Caroline believed who her daughter was and exactly what danger she was in. Caroline had grown up in a family that had believed in and knew by heart the legend of the Chosen One. After all, being an Aquapolian lay close to their hearts, especially after everything her uncle went through.

“What I’m offering is protection. SHIELD will set you up with bodyguards at any level you want. If you only want one to check in on you during the day, that’s fine. If you want several to always be here, that’s good, too. You chose what you want.”

“And that’s all you’re offering…protection?” Stark asked, a doubtful look on his face. “That’s all that SHIELD wants…to protect her, right?”

“Yes,” Coulson replied. “Unless you wish for us to assign her a trainer to help her learn her powers.”

Stark didn’t seem to like the sound of this, but it was too early to have a debate about this quite yet. Coulson made a mental note to bring it up again five years down the line when Kat was closer to training age. “I can give you three days to decide whether or not you’d like our protection.”

“And if we refuse?” Stark asked, earning a wide-eyed glance from Caroline. Obviously, there were going to be some debates in the Stark household that night.

“Then we’ll leave you alone unless you change your mind later. All I can tell you is that the threat is real. Either now or further down the line, people who wish you or Kat harm will appear. People can profit off of using her powers…and selling her to darker forces.”

“Like demons?” Stark asked with a cynical glance.

“Your daughter is an angel, Mr. Stark. Is it so hard to believe that the opposite exists?” Coulson asked, raising an eyebrow. All of the evidence was staring him in the face. Why didn’t Stark, who had such a scientific mind, own up that this was a fact? Perhaps he was just scared for the safety of his family…to the point where he denied that they were in any danger at all.

Coulson decided to leave it at that, standing up to collect his photos and take his leave. “I’ll come back in three days with all the necessary paperwork for any plan you might wish to take. Until then, take care.”

------------

As Coulson had expected, there was quite a debate in the Stark home a few hours after he left.

As usual, Stark had Kat in his arms, sitting at one of the tall chairs in their new state-of-the art kitchen and watching as Caroline fixed supper. She had been on edge ever since Coulson had left and wasn’t getting any calmer.

Finally, after about twenty minutes of silence, she set the pan she was about to use to cook in down and turned to him, resolute in her decision. “We need to sign up for at least a basic level of protection, Tony.”

He sighed. “Do you really want SHIELD completely in our lives?”

“Your father runs the organization, Tony. If they get too involved in our lives, he can have them back off.”

He was silent for a few moments, then added, “The minimum amount of security. Enough to make sure we’re safe…”

------------

He was hallucinating again.

He was sitting in the chair they had strapped him into that first day, his hands tied behind his back and his head tilted towards the ceiling. He tilted his head down to see her standing before him, tears in her eyes. “What have they done to you?” She whispered, stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him. He immediately felt safe and relieved, drinking in her presence and warmth as he buried his face into her shoulder. He closed his eyes, sighing with happiness for a few moments. When he opened his eyes, however, she was gone, and it was dark again.

He swore. It had been his own powers of illusion that had tricked him this time.

------------

“We’ve decided to take your offer,” Stark said to Coulson three days after their initial meeting with him.

“Good,” he replied, placing is briefcase down on the kitchen table. “Which level of security do you want?”

“The most minimum you can manage. Just someone to check in on us once or twice a week.”

“We’d like to meet whoever it will be first, though,” Caroline added.

“No need,” Coulson said, smiling. “I’ll be the one checking in. I kind of volunteered for any of the security detail you would like.”

“So YOU’RE our bodyguard?” Stark asked, looking a bit more happy about the situation. Caroline smiled.

“I thought it was best since we’ve known each other for a while now. It took some arguing with the higher ups, since they wanted to name someone else, but after some of my…most recent field awards, they eventually agreed.”

“What, you take down a bunch of Soviets a few years ago or something?” Stark asked, laughing.

“That’s classified,” Coulson said in his best fake stern voice as he pulled some paperwork out of his briefcase. “Here’s the paperwork for minimum security. Just me.”

“Just you?” Stark asked, just to make sure as Coulson slid the paperwork across to him and Caroline.

“Just me,” Coulson reassured him.
 

chosen_one386

Angel of Chaos
Chapter Eight



Coulson was sitting at his desk back at HQ when White stormed in, a shocked expression on his face. He stood in the doorway for a few moments as if he couldn’t bring himself to even comprehend what was going on. Finally, Coulson asked, “What is it?”

“Howard Stark is dead.”

“What?” Coulson asked, shock coursing through him.

White reached back and closed the door behind him before turning back to Coulson. “It’s beginning, Phil. The Aquapolis Project is dead in the water now. Selvig and Baron won’t be able to continue on without Stark’s finances.”

“Tony Stark could…”

“Tony Stark doesn’t even halfway believe in any of the stuff they were hoping to achieve. Plus, he’s got his own problems taking care of his daughter, the Chosen One.” White lowered his voice. “The Project is over, and the Initiative is gaining speed. We have GOT to come up with a gameplan here besides putting these Aquapolians in witness protection. Sooner or later, when the time is right, they’re going to put a bullet in Tony Stark’s brain, and it’s all over.”

“I’ll be able to protect them,” Coulson said firmly, standing up. “The Starks will not die on my watch.”

------------

Killian straightened his tie before ringing the doorbell, waiting for a few moments before he heard someone pad barefoot to the door and push on the intercom. “Hello? Who is it?” He smiled. Good, it was the mother.

“My name is Aldrich Killian. I’m a business associate of your husband’s,” he said, turning on the charm.

“Tony’s not home right now, I’m afraid. Do you want to leave a message for him?”

Killian sighed. “I have something I need to drop off, if it’s okay with you. Some documents he asked for about my project in Atlanta.”

The door slid open a bit. Caroline Stark looked just like her daughter looked when she was an immortal, Killian mused. He smiled and held out a briefcase. “May I come in and use your bathroom real quick?”
------------

The moment he got home, he knew something was off.

Granted, everything had seemed a little off in the three weeks since his father had died. No, been killed. Stark was suspicious. Coulson had started acting very antsy, as if the threat to the small family’s lives was starting to get more serious. He stopped by the house more often now.

This was a different sort of offness. The house was completely quiet. He tapped on one of the video screens, freezing as he realized JARVIS’ system was down.

That couldn’t be right. Either JARVIS was malfunctioning or…

“Caroline?” He called out, moving into the living room.

No answer.

“Caroline?” He called out again, moving towards the steps. She couldn’t be out running errands…Coulson had basically told her to stay put in the house until everything at SHIELD had blown over.

“Caroline?”

His voice dissipated into emptiness once again.

In the months, years, decades that followed, he had multiple nightmares about that day. Every single time, his brain screamed at him not to go there…

Not to go into the nursery.

He had spent hours painting the walls and making the furniture and basically putting all the little details into his daughter’s nursery from day one. Caroline had little to no input into anything, which she was fine with. Stark was pretty much impossible to get along with when he had his mind on something.

He ascended the stairs, stopping to listen. Nothing. “Caroline?”

He took a few steps toward the nursery. The door was open.

His stomach dropped. He pushed the door open with a shaking hand.

The soft white carpet he had taken care to place down on the floor was now red.

“Caroline…”

------------

Killian no longer returned to see him. Now it was just Adam.

“I’m having him…pay a visit to the Chosen One’s family, the Starks,” Adam explained one day, that grin on his face that made him look the very embodiment of what mortals believed was Satan’s essence. “Too bad, though, the mother was the only one home. I guess we can always blame her death on the father…”

A surge of fury washed over Loki. For the first time in years, he lunged forward, straining at the chains that bound him to the chair that had been his prison for so many centuries. Adam simply took a few steps back, watching as the anger surged through his half-brother’s emerald eyes, the Demon King simply watching with an amused smirk on his face.

It was as he had feared, he realized. After centuries of attempting to practically beat the feelings Loki had for Quamachi out of the Asgardian both physically and psychologically, the plan ran short the moment she was threatened. His attachment to her was just too strong.

Adam had a Plan B, of course. He had suspected that Plan A would fail for quite some time now. It was time to consider the more…temporary option.

------------

Coulson felt sick.

All of that planning, all of the little talks and decisions and promises he had made to Kat were for naught. He knew something had happened the moment his phone rang at the office. He had picked it up, immediately recognizing Stark’s voice.

“House…break-in…”

The words broke off as if there was a high volume of static across the line. Coulson didn’t even stop to think, but slammed the phone down and rushed out of his office. Dread filled him as he practically flew out of the parking lot and towards Malibu.

Now he was standing in their living room, his hands wrapped around his gun, poised to listen for any more intruders. After scanning the bottom floor, he ascended the stairs to look for Stark.

There were about five or six rooms upstairs, plenty of room for guests and visitors. Two were set aside for the master bedroom and Kat’s nursery. Coulson paused outside of the nursery and nudged open the door.

All hope drained from him immediately. Caroline Stark lay in a pool of her own blood, just inches away from the nice mahogany crib Stark had fashioned himself for his daughter. Coulson backed out of the room and slowly made his way down the hall until he came to the master bedroom. He tried the doorknob. It was locked.

“Stark?” He called out, sure that no one else was in the house now. “Stark? It’s me, Coulson. Open the door.” There was silence for a few moments. “Stark? I’m going to have to break this door down if you don’t open it.” He could hear someone step slowly over to the door and heard the lock click. He opened it slowly, lowering his gun as he stepped inside the dark room. Stark was sitting on the bed, cradling Kat in his arms.

“She’s dead,” he said hollowly. For a moment, Coulson’s heart froze as he thought Stark was talking about Kat. The baby thankfully yawned soon after, causing Coulson to sigh with relief.

“Yes, I know.” He shut the door behind him, sliding his gun back into its holster as he stood there, shock and disbelief surging over him. “I’m sorry,” he said, cursing himself silently as his voice cracked. “I promised…”

“I should have been home. I decided to stay another night in New York…” Stark continued, not even looking at Coulson, but staring straight ahead at the wall beside him.

“If you had been here, Kat would be an orphan now,” Coulson said. “It was my fault. I should have posted more guards…”

“We asked you not to…It’s not your fault…”

Coulson realized with horror that Stark didn’t blame him at all. In fact, he blamed himself as if HE was the cause of his wife’s death. There was no use arguing with him for now. It was best to move on. “How is she?”

“She wasn’t even crying when I got here. I thought she was dead for a few moments when I walked into the room, but she was just sleeping…She slept through everything…Caroline ran into the room to try and protect her…”

“There was no sign of a forced entry. Whoever killed her was someone she knew and/or trusted. I’ll get a team of forensics down here that I trust. You’d be best to get a hotel room for the night.”

“DON’T take her body anywhere near SHIELD,” Stark snapped, suddenly animated.

“I won’t. I promise. Believe me, SHIELD is the last place I would ever want to take her.”

------------

He could practically feel her distress and loss all the way across the realms.

Straining at his chains once again in a desperate attempt to free himself, he felt helpless. He knew what Adam had in store for him. His future was bleak.

If he and Quamachi had not been separated, this would never have happened. He would have been able to protect her and her family from Adam.

------------

“Demon attack.”

Those two words were the last ones Coulson ever wanted to hear. The young forensic scientist he was working with specialized in handling unorthodox cases and was an Aquapolian. She had seen her fair share of demon attacks. Aquapolians were still being picked off by demons, though the attacks had dwindled since the Dark Ages.

“How high a level demon are we talking?” Coulson asked as the scientist drew a sheet back over Caroline’s body. They were standing in an off-base hospital morgue where the young woman worked. Stainless steel coldly glittered all around them. Even though the temperature was low in the room, Coulson felt as if he were being smothered.

“From the levels of energy we’re getting around her, pretty high. I’d guess a lieutenant.” Every being in the universe left traces of their aura behind wherever they went. Every aura was different, and those with more power left more aura. Aquapolian scientists had developed detectors similar to those used in ancient Aquapolis to capture and read the aura, though they kept most of that science hidden away. By now, there were pocket readers so that his young forensics friend could hide hers away without anyone knowing.

Coulson frowned. The lieutenants of the Demon King’s armies were bad news, second only in power to the king himself. Kat had warned him about them, especially Adam’s right hand man, Killian. That begged the question, however, would Killian murder Caroline himself or get one of his soldiers to do it? The Chosen One’s mother was a pretty important target, he reasoned. Killian would want to do it himself.

But he had no proof. And another, more horrifying idea was forming in his mind. What if this attack was connected to the Aquapolian Initiative?

And, furthermore, who was running the Aquapolian Initiative?

------------

A few hours later, Coulson knocked on the hotel room door where Stark and Kat were staying. A few moments later, Stark opened it, looking worn and tired. He simply nodded to the agent and opened the door wider to let him step inside. It was a very nice, expensive suite, where Kat’s baby seat looked out of place. She was sound asleep in her seat on the couch. “We’ve got a preliminary report in,” Coulson said, lowering his voice as to not disturb the baby.

“And?” Stark asked, sitting down on the arm of the couch.

“It looks to be a demon attack.”

“A demon…a demon got into our house?” Stark asked carefully. “We don’t know anyone who could be demons,” he added, laughing bitterly.

“You could. Without the right tools, you wouldn’t know they were. I’m going to continue digging.”

“The police came by a while ago.”

Coulson raised an eyebrow. “The police? I kept the crime scene on lockdown.”

“Someone at SHIELD must have called them. They were asking questions, want to bring me into the station for more questioning.”

“You’re their prime suspect,” Coulson realized. “Jesus, someone at SHIELD is pulling strings…” He swore in an outburst of anger. “They’re taking advantage of this…”

“Someone at SHIELD wants Kat,” Stark reasoned. “They’re going to pull out every trick in the book to make sure she gets taken away from me.”

“That’s the thing. They’ll take her, they’ll stick her in a program and train her. She’ll become a weapon,” Coulson reasoned aloud.

“They AREN’T going to take her,” Stark snapped.

“They’re going to target you in this investigation. They’re going to throw everything at you. And, at the end of the day, they’ll make up anything they can to take her away from you. So, why don’t we beat them to the punch?”

“Are you suggesting I give her to them?!” Stark jumped to his feet, his voice rising. Kat blinked and yawned, opening her eyes, though her father’s raised voice didn’t cause her to cry.

“I suggest you give her to me.”

------------

That night, Coulson started his file on the initiative he was to create. He set up a corkboard in the office in his basement and started filling out notecards to stick on there.

Tony Stark: CEO of Stark Industries. Father of Katharine Stark. Aquapolian abilities unknown.

Walter White: Chief scientist in chemical labs of SHIELD. Agent in the Aquapolian Initiative. Psychic Aquapolian abilities.

He hesitated a moment before starting to scribble down more names, even though it may turn out to be impossible for them to join the cause.

Loki Laufeyson: Asgardian/demon. Son of Odin and half-brother to the Demon King Adam. The Chosen One’s lover. Skilled in the art of illusions and magic.

Thor Odinson: Asgardian. Son of Odin and crown prince of Asgard. Brother of Loki. Controls lightning and wield the hammer Mjolnir.

He finished by putting “location unknown” by the last two cards. It looked a pretty small set. There were just five of them, and these were the only ones he trusted. Stark and White he knew personally. If he ever could get in contact with Loki, he knew the Asgardian would jump for the chance to help his beloved and protect her. And Thor? Well, from what Kat had told him about Thor, he would jump for the chance to fight beside his brother and kill some demons.

Now for a name. He sat at his desk, staring at the corkboard and thinking over the mission the team had. Was it just to protect Kat? No. One day, Kat’s name would be up on that board. One day, the Demon King would return to Midgard, and they would fight him and gain vengeance for…

He sat straight up. Vengeance…for the destruction of Aquapolis. For all the lives lost to the Aquapolian Initiative. For Caroline Stark’s death.

In large block letters, Coulson wrote carefully on a piece of printer paper.

The Avengers Initiative.

------------

Coulson had given Stark three days to think over his offer. Now, as they sat in the kitchen of the hotel suite Stark and Kat were staying in, he knew the young father had made his decision.

“Take her…but promise me that you’ll ensure that she never falls into SHIELD’s hands.”

------------

He had finally managed to turn his chair over.

Lying on the ground, his cheek pressed against the cold concrete floor, he mulled over his predicament. Adam would return soon, he could feel it. At long last, though, he could rest against the concrete and feel his will to live slip even more away.

He just wanted this over with. He wanted to die. Adam would never grant that rest to him in a million years, but that didn’t stop Loki from praying for one of his half-brother’s blows to be too much one day.

He half-heartedly yanked at the chains that bound him to the chair. Then again, if he played this right, he might be able to escape. Adam had desperately tried breaking him down over the past few centuries, but to no avail. The temporary route would be to possess Loki’s mind and corrupt it, a process known as Shadowfication, then turn him loose on Midgard.

The probability that he would eventually run into Quamachi was high. She would be able to purify him. The risk was always there that he may harm her, but, as far as he could tell from Adam’s attempts to break his love of her down, Loki was absolutely certain that he would never do so, even under possession.

He lay there and waited, counting the hours down until he would be allowed out of that hellish prison.

------------

Coulson had never intended to have children, had never even had much of a girlfriend past six months. Women always complained that he was married to his work, which he believed to be true.

Kat Stark lay in the crib Coulson had purchased her, calmly looking around at her surroundings. He sat down on the sofa next to the crib, putting his head into his hands. “What are we going to do now, Kat?” He asked aloud. “I’ve failed you…I failed to protect your mother…and now I’ve taken you away from your father…what am I going to do now?”

------------

“His name is Mike, and he’s new to school, and he’s an orphan just like me.”

“Really? Making friends, are we?”

The five-year-old turned her enormous sapphire blue eyes to him, smiling that small smile she had kept on her face since she was a baby. Coulson had to stop himself from buying her only varying shades of blue clothes over the years, hoping that, one day, he would be able to match her clothes to the exact shade of her eyes. He had so far been unsuccessful.

“Mike is really smart, too. He reads…almost as much as I do!” Kat exclaimed. It was remarkable how intelligent the girl was. She spoke better English than many of the adults he knew and was already reading on an eighth grade level. Then again, after remembering who her father was and his previous encounters with her before she was reincarnated, Coulson was not surprised.

“That’s great! What’s his last name, Kat?” He asked, turning onto their street. He had bought a house in the suburbs of D.C. that was the perfect distance from SHIELD H.Q. AND a very good private school that had excellent credentials and went from kindergarten all the way to twelfth grade. He got off work every day early especially to pick her up from school, then finished his work later on that night.

“Mike Ross,” she announced excitedly. Coulson nodded solemnly. He knew exactly who this kid was. The Rosses had been another two members of the Aquapolian Initiative who had somehow flown under the radar as Aquapolian before they were assigned. Like Coulson and White, they had a system of hiding away the people on their kill lists. Unfortunately, they ended up being assasainated by two other members of the Initiative, leaving their three-month-old son an orphan.

Of course, Coulson didn’t say any of this to Kat. To her, he was “Uncle Phil,” not a biological relative, but her guardian after both of her parents had died when she was young. He had mulled over telling her about Stark for days on end, but, knowing Kat, she would probably just try and run off to find him when she grew older…and keeping Stark from locating her was difficult enough.

After making sure that Kat was settled in at the kitchen table with her homework, Coulson descended to his office in the basement to look at his corkboard. He scanned it over once or twice before picking up another card and scribbling a new possible entry into the Avengers Initiative.

“Dr. Bruce Banner. Expert in gamma radiation. Sustained massive damage while trying to recreate Erskine’s supersoldier formula. Original Aquapolian powers unknown.”

------------

Barton sat in darkness, his hands chained to the desk in front of him. The door to his cell opened, revealing Coulson with a huge file folder tucked under his arm. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you,” the agent said as he closed the door behind him. “You’re at the top of our most-wanted list, so I’m glad I found you before anyone else did.”

Studying the young man in front of him, Coulson guessed he was in his mid-twenties. Muscular with short blonde hair and a searching face, Clint Barton looked every inch the world-class assassin he was rumored to be, and yet…there was something different about him, something Coulson had never seen on a covert ops’ face before.

Determination. Regret. Guilt.

As a trained covert op himself, Coulson knew the standard expression was none at all. Emotions got in the way of missions, introduced a level of human error that could be catastrophic. Emotion should only be introduced when working undercover missions, and, even then, it should be only on the surface, a façade presented only to those whom you wanted to trick.

Thus, Coulson spent the first few moments studying Barton further, working out whether this was a façade or genuine emotion. The covert op shifted in his seat a bit, not from nerves but from simple patience, waiting for Coulson to size him up. The older agent finally came to the conclusion that Barton wasn’t playing around, that he knew he was beaten and his only chance of survival was to play along.

“Nowadays, SHIELD is not a safe place for Aquapolians like us,” Coulson said, tossing Barton’s file onto the table in front of him. The assassin glanced at it before turning back to Coulson. “If you had been caught by pretty much anyone else in the organization, you would have been eradicated on sight.”

“There’s word going around that SHIELD is taking on a…systematic genocide of Aquapolians,” Barton said carefully, tilting his head up to study Coulson. Now it was the older agent that was being read. Now Barton was trying to decide whether or not he could trust Coulson. As an Aquapolian sitting in a SHIELD detention room, he was in an extremely dangerous place at the moment. “Is it true?”

“The Aquapolian Initiative,” Coulson said with the usual amount of venom he reserved only for that particular name. “I was carelessly assigned to it, as were several other Aquapolians. The higher ups are learning this…but very slowly. I can offer you protection…in exchange for your services.”

“Who’s my target?” Barton asked, a sort of disappointed look in his eyes. Coulson had read the report on the assassin’s capture. Barton was too good to be captured, and yet he had practically ran into the SHIELD team’s arms. He had WANTED to be captured. For all his young years, Barton looked tired.

“It’s not a target. I need you to train a young Aquapolian girl for me in hand-to-hand combat. She needs to learn how to defend herself,” Coulson explained.

“How old is she?” Barton asked, interested.

“Ten. She’ll be eleven soon.”

Barton nodded. “Not too young to start…do you want me to train her in firearms as well?”

“Archery would be preferred. And see that she starts learning how to fly.”

“I don’t even know how to fly.”

“Yes, well, you know the basic principles.”

Barton considered Coulson’s offer for a few moments before asking, “When can we start?”

------------

“You got me a trainer?” Kat asked, looking up from her meatloaf at the dinner table, her eyes wide with excitement.

“A trainer and a mentor. His name is Clint Barton.”

“Is he an agent at SHIELD?”

“No…well…he soon will be, but not currently.”

“Is he covert ops?”

“Something like that.” The phone started ringing. Coulson got up from the table and strode across the kitchen to pick it up. “Hello?”

“I got out.” It was White.

Coulson lowered his voice, making his way through the hallway to the basement door. “You got out?”

“I’m retiring. A decade early. I’m going to go teach at the high school near HQ.”

“You mean the high school near us.”

“My family needs protection. It’s best if we stay in the general vicinity.”

Coulson paused, thinking over his friend’s current predicament. The past decade had been rough on White, between the expansion of his family and worrying constantly over their safety. Bailing from the Aquapolian Initiative and SHIELD all together under the guise of retirement was most likely the safest option for him at this point.

After saying his good-byes and hanging up the phone, Coulson realized that, at least now, he knew one of Kat’s future high school teachers.
 
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