Choices

Chapter 133
Seraphina shot yet another glare toward Tyr, who was still a prisoner in his cell. He was a smug prisoner, she didn't like that. Every time she looked his way he was sitting in the corner, leaned against the wall that wasn't going to shock him and watching them.
They'd been recently discussing what needed doing once they arrived in Asgard. Seraphina had made a quick trip home to alert her father. He'd sent out scouts to see if they could track down Thanos' or rumors of him, and see if he was anywhere near coming to the nine realms yet.
Rorik had stayed by his grandfathers side and Seraphina returned to her sister.
Seraphina listened to the current strategies and set ups for what would work best inside the palace walls. Thor had provided them with a 3d map of the kingdom which Tony had uploaded to JARVIS.
She glanced once more to Tyr and felt unsettled. She didn't trust him. No man who was in a prison and stripped of his power was that calm about helping those he was trying to destroy.
Seraphina walked across the room and leaned over to whisper in Thor's ear.
"I think we need a plan that he hasn't heard. I don't trust him." She whispered making sure her face was turned away from Tyr so her lips were hidden.
Thor looked up at the prisoner and then to his brother and friends. "Let us eat. I am starving," he said to them.
Confused, but taking a hint, they all followed Thor upstairs.
"Ah, there you are!" Seraphina jerked her head up as they exited the elevator to look at Fandral, but not just him. All three of the warriors and even Sif were standing in living room.
"JARVIS, are we letting just anyone in?" Tony scolded the AI.
"They are friends of Thor." JARVIS replied.
"Indeed they are," Thor smiled and embraced each of his friends. "It is good to see you all," Thor said. "What are you doing here?"
"Odin said that there was a matter of urgency that you would require our help with." Sif responded looking serious and worried. "Is that...," Sif trailed off spotting Loki who was the last one in the elevator with Cephera.
"I have much to explain to you." Thor warned.
"I'm going to get a snack," Tony declared walking away.
"Sit down friends, let me explain."
While Thor explained the entirety of their situation, Seraphina quietly spoke to Natasha. "The blonde one, that's Fandral, my sons father," she said with a smile.
"The one you were talking about the other night." Natasha looked Fandral over. Seraphina had mentioned Fandral to Natasha as a means of spicing things up. Before leaving for Asgard, she'd enjoy a good night with them both. "And you're sure you want that?" Natasha asked.
Seraphina shot Natasha a glare. "Of course I'm sure," she growled. Natasha shrugged and nodded.
XxX
"Fandral, meet Natasha Romanov," Seraphina introduced with a sly smile after everything had calmed and all was explained.
"Nice to meet you," Fandral took Natasha's hand and kissed the knuckles shining her that brilliant smile of his.
"Seraphina has told me a lot about you," Natasha said, returning the smile.
"Nothing bad I hope." Fandral replied.
"Not at all. In fact, it's all been very enticing." Natasha touched his arm and Fandral grinned, but Seraphina struggled to hold hers.
In all her years she'd never shared him and he never flirted around her with others. She didn't think it would matter. The idea of sharing him was exciting and yet now she wanted to step between the two.
She cursed herself for being weak and continued to hold her head up and not allow such silly emotions like jealousy surface.
"Why are we all up here anyway?" Tony asked finally interrupting the reunion.
"I thought it would be better to have a plan that old asshole doesn't know about." Seraphina replied stepping away from her two lovers.
"Isn't he suppose to help us?" Tony asked.
"He's never been clear how he planned to do that." Natasha pipped up. "He's been very quiet since his arrival."
"He will not give away his secret while we have nothing to offer him." Loki stepped in. "He has no reason to help us while he remains a prisoner."
"Are you suggesting we set him free?" Clint eyed his once master. He'd been giving him hard looks since he arrived.
"Don't be stupid," Loki chided. "I'm just saying that currently he won't be giving us anything until he sees an opportunity present itself. He offered help to delay himself from being imprisoned indefinitely. The fact we accepted it shows we don't know what we are up against. Threatening him again with the same thing isn't going to work." Loki put his arm around Cephera back.
"Do we really need him?" Tony asked. "I mean, what's so bad about Thanos that we can't deal with him on our own?"
"We've been over this Stark." Loki growled.
"Look, I'm inclined to agree that we need help." Seraphina cringed at the admission but she was taught better than to underestimate an enemy. "He's powerful and he has powerful people working for him. It's possible he will expect an ambush and he'll be ready. This war won't be easy, people are going to die, but the quicker we get rid of him the better. The less casualties we'll face. Someone needs to ask Tyr what he's waiting for." Seraphina pursed her lips and crossed her arms.
"I'll do it." Natasha offered.
"You're methods are not viable," Loki snarled.
"They worked on you." She shot back.
"Did they?" He asked in return. "Did it ever cross your mind that I meant for you to know, clearly it had been too late." Natasha's eyes narrowed.
"Then we send Cephera." Natasha suggested and the suggestion instantly made Loki stepped in front of her.
"No. He enjoys playing with her. He's done enough to her, I will not subject her to more of it." His words came through tight lips. Restraining himself from bursting.
"Why me?" Cephera had stepped out around her husband, not willing to be coddled. Seraphina smiled, that was the sister she knew.
"Because he does like to toy with you. He'll be willing to speak to you. He's said nothing to anyone else since he's come here, but he instantly tried to push your buttons upon arrival." Natasha explained.
"If you think it will help." Cephera replied.
"Cephera," Loki warned and she turned on him.
"Don't," she warned in return.
"At least the bars will keep either of you from killing each other," Tony commented.
"Don't let him get to you. You know he's going to start off saying things to upset or anger you. The more of a rise he gets, the more he'll push. Keep your goal in sight, wear him down until he has nothing better to do than tell us what he wants." Seraphina advised.
"I'm fine now." Cephera assured her. "Less emotional than before. I'll be fine," she shot a glance over her shoulder up at her husband. Loki didn't look at all pleased.
Seraphina squeezed her sisters hands before letting her go. It was better done sooner than later.
(Cephera)
Maybe life had thrown her too many blows, but she had just lied to her sister. She wasn't okay. The thought of facing this man sent a bubble of rage through her belly.
She couldn't forget the things he'd done and a bit of her hatred came from the things he put his own wife through. Cephera didn't know how it felt to be in Suvia's shoes, but she sympathized to a point that his actions enraged her.
Who would have thought that it would take a different version of her husband to bring out such a drastic change in her normally calm exterior.
She wanted to help defeat Thanos. She wanted to be more than just a mother and wife. Her people were built to be warriors, and so had she. She'd always avoided it, but lately she wanted to taste battle. To bask in the glory of knowing she helped save lives. She wanted something her family could be traditionally proud of.
She hadn't told Loki yet that she planned to leave Ikol with Pepper to be at their sides in the battle. As a princess of Mechanova, the treaty to help protect Asgard and its realms extended to her as well. She felt it was her duty to uphold it. Loki would not be pleased.
Cephera tried to hold her head high and her shoulders back as she approached the cell where Tyr still sat. One knee bent in the air his arm leaning on it and the other leg curled under him.
He did look shocked to see her. "To what do I owe the pleasure, dear wife?" He mocked.
"I'm not your wife," she corrected. A bad start to this conversation.
"You are married to a version of me therefore you are like a extended wife. Stop lying to yourself." Tyr chuckled. Cephera refused to correct him again.
"Why would you do all of this?" She asked. "I can't imagine the pain you've gone through, why would you want to put anyone else through it?" She honestly couldn't fathom his logic.
"The emotional pain only lasted until I was old enough to realize I was better than that. After that it simply turned into hatred. I do what I do because I can. Because it's fun." He replied smirking. "Life would be boring without me, and living in my home world with no one to play with was boring for me, so here I am." He stood and approached the bars.
Cephera didn't step away, she wasn't afraid of him. She almost wished the bars were not between them so she could strangle the truth from him. "Don't you care about the emotional turmoil you've caused those around you?" She asked instead.
"You mean my world wife?" He asked. "It's strange the variety of women I enjoy," he said not answering her question. "I chose Sigyn because she was beautiful and graceful. I tricked her out of spite. It would have been enough for her to deny me marriage because she was already betrothed, but then she went and insulted me. I got my trophy wife, and she got her punishment for her salty words."
"So you meant to make her life hell from the beginning?" Cephera was disgusted.
"You're not much of a trophy wife. Not beautiful like Sigyn in her youth. I could see why it took me so long to even consider you a viable lover. In your youth you were silly, childish, and weak. You proved me wrong when you grew out of those things, but still at best he should have just used you as a lover, not a wife." Cephera swallowed her anger and stared him in the eyes.
"He's not you," she replied.
"Oh, but he still can be. You've a fire in you lately, I like that." He grinned.
"A fire lit to burn you," Cephera threatened.
"It's not the only fire I've ignited in you if I recall correctly. I made you scream on more than one occasion, you didn't seem to mind that fire." He smirked.
Cephera had been ready for that. She knew at some point he'd bring up those months he'd spent coming to her room. "And just like the dreams I thought they were, I simple settled for what I thought would bring me closer to my dead husband, though undoubtly it was lacking. That's what happens, when one is desperate."
Speaking of fire, she recognized that her words burned. His eyes narrowed and his lips tightened. She'd insulted him and she felt as if it were a small victory.
"What have you come down here for?" He scowled. She'd ruined his fun.
"You are willing to help us with Thanos, but how? You are a prisoner and you are not stupid enough to think we'll just set you free." She jumped past the hundreds of things she'd love to say, they were not as important.
"I have a plan, but it requires an item that only I will know how to use," he said.
"What item?" She asked.
"Gungnir," he replied. Cephera was silent.
"You have no power to use it." She noted after a moment of thinking.
"I don't need the power. It will do what's needed when combined with my plan." He smirked.
"I don't suppose you're going to tell me your plan?" He laughed in response and she knew he wouldn't.
"Happy now? All I want is that staff, and Thanos will no longer be your problem."
"I'll be happy when he's gone and you're rotting for eternity somewhere were you can never hurt anyone else." She replied.
"Such hatred, does your husband know how much you hate him?" Tyr chided.
"You and him are not the same, and now you'll never get a second chance to corrupt him." She turned on her heels, not willing to put up with him a moment longer. She could feel his gaze on her as she left.

Notes