บท 12: Chapter Twelve: Homecoming
DELPHIA HAD NEVER KNOWN WHAT HEARTBREAK FELT like. However, as she sat in the underground base of the SSR, she knew that she understood it now. She drifted around the compound like an empty ghost, completely unlike her once bright, bubbly self. Though it was understandable. Steve was gone. She knew that he would have been welcomed in Valhalla for his fighting and courageous death. His sacrifice saved so many people… It just hurt that it had to be him.
After taking the HYDRA base forcibly, the SSR had taken a catalog of the advanced weaponry that HYDRA had created. Either the weapons would be kept under tight lock and key by the allied forces, or they'd use the weapons themselves. It was a bit of a toss up. One that Delphia knew she should be concerned about to an extent, but couldn't muster up the ability to care.
While she should maybe see about finding the whereabouts of the Tesseract and making sure that it was kept out of the wrong hands. After all, this fight against Schmidt was due to him having the Tesseract and using it for his own greedy, evil plans. Even still, it's not like she could find it at this moment. It was in the middle of nowhere. A place that Delphia wasn't even sure that she could go to due to it reminding her of Steve.
All she could do at this point was tell her father about its whereabouts when she returned home. Though there was the fact that she knew the Midgardians kept the Tesseract at least for a bit. Thanks to her visions, she was certain that the tesseract was kept in the hands of the likes of the SSR for a time. How long that was, she wasn't exactly sure, but she knew it would be for quite a while.
Currently she was cleaning out the room that she had been using to sleep in at the SSR bunkers. After all of this, she knew it was time to return home. It's been a few days and Delphia has had no new visions to guide her on what to do. Her gut was telling her that it was time to go home now.
"Delphia."
Delphia glanced over her shoulder to see Peggy was the one coming into her makeshift room, "Hello, Peggy."
The woman took a look around the nearly completely bare room with a raised eyebrow. "You're cleaning up in here?"
She shrugged her shoulders, "In a way."
"Colonel Phillips gave this to me earlier," Peggy said softly, "he asked me to bring it to you." She handed Delphia the small photo of Steve. The Steve before the serum, the Steve that Delphia is certain she fell in love with. She didn't care if he was a scrawny little thing back then, it was his heart that she found the most attractive. Staring at this photo, it just brought tears to her eyes. Seeing how Delphia was becoming upset, Peggy placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. They had become such close friends that Peggy hated seeing her like this. Peggy had been with Delphia through so much during this war, and knew that they needed each other more than ever now. However, Peggy had a feeling that Delphia was going to be leaving her behind now after everything. Pulling Delphia into a side hug as the two stared at that photo, Peggy asked, "What will you do now?"
"Now?" Delphia was quiet for a moment, contemplating what to say. "I have no value to the SSR. No value to this war."
Peggy shook her head at that statement, "You always have value, Delphia." She wasn't going to let Delphia think otherwise. Everyone has value, especially someone like Delphia.
In Delphia's mind she certainly was thinking the opposite. What more could Delphia provide to the SSR. She could no longer be Abraham's assistant, she hadn't been for such a long time. She was the charity case that was kept around because of the kindness to those in the SSR. However, now that Steve was gone, the entire reason that she had been recruited by them in the first place, was gone. Steve had died, and so did a part of Delphia. She shook her head slowly, "Not here. I will go home. I have been away for too long."
The thought of home almost brought some giddiness to Delphia. She has been quite homesick since she had been brought to Midgard so long ago.
"If you think that'll be best for you," Peggy said softly. She understood Delphia's thought process about this entire thing. After all, she never signed up to be a part of this since she was just a victim of Schmidt for nearly a year. Peggy might not like it completely, but she definitely thought that it was for the best. "I'll miss you."
Delphia gave her a small, genuine smile, "I will miss you too, Peggy."
"After the war, we could meet each other somewhere." Peggy offered, "Hang out when things are far less chaotic and grim."
"Perhaps." She says this, however, she has a strong feeling that it would not happen. As much as she loves Peggy, nearly a sister that she never had, she could not face coming to Midgard again. There was too much pain here now. All Delphia could focus on now was going back home, back to the safety of her family in hopes that they could make her feel better. "I wish you the best of luck in the war."
"Thank you, I know that we'll win. Steve's sacrifice will not be in vain."
Delphia didn't stick around long after that. Even the mere mention of his name was going to set her off. So she excused herself from Peggy with one final tight hug that lasted far too short in both of the women's opinions. Delphia made quick work of keeping her goodbye's short and sweet with her other friends. She kept herself away from people as she tried to find an area to call for her ride home. She did find an empty alleyway, stinky and dark, and away from prying eyes.
"Heimdall!" She shouted out into the sky, "I am ready."
The clouds in the sky began to circle above her. A blinding light shot down from above, engulfing her completely. With the familiar feeling of the bifrost consuming her, Delphia couldn't tell if it was a comfort or not. She was returning home, however, with a heavy heart. Despite the turmoil of war and death that Midgard was currently consumed in, Earth had such potential to be a beautiful place. Delphia only wished she had gone to visit Midgard at a different time. Though deep down, she knew that was a lie. If she hadn't been brought to Midgard she wouldn't have had the blessing of meeting Abraham, meeting Peggy, meeting Steve, falling in love. Would she give that up if it meant seeing Earth's potential? No. No, she wouldn't.
"Sister!" The booming voice of Thor's echoed all around them just as Delphia arrived. Delphia was quickly swept up in a tight hug of his as her brother rejoiced in her return. She wasn't even given a moment to collect herself after her journey through the bifrost. Though it wasn't like she minded, if anything this was more than welcomed.
"Leave her be, Thor. You will crush her with how tight you are hanging onto her."
"She is not complaining is she? Are you?"
Delphia smiled lightly, "I am fine. I missed you both so much."
Next up was Delphia's mother who appeared more than relieved with seeing her in person, "Delphia." Behind her, Odin also joined in the family reunion though kept his distance slightly. Lest he seem less manly because he decided to rejoice in his daughter's return.
"Mother. Father," She sighed through her nose, the sight of her parents brought her even more comfort for a moment. Frigga embraced her daughter tightly, seemingly afraid that Delphia would leave once again.
"We missed you dearly." Frigga said while inspecting her daughter, looking for injuries or anything of the like, "Things were much more chaotic without you around."
Delphia laughed, "I can only imagine." Both her brothers must have been causing quite the ruckus while she was away. Either Loki was playing far too many tricks or Thor was getting into too many fights, or both. It most likely was both.
Her father looked down at her with a stiff posture. His ever knowing eyes pinpointed his daughter with a stern yet soft look. Even if he didn't really show it, Delphia knew that he was happy with her return. What father wouldn't be happy to have their daughter back home? She knows he understands her role as a völva demands her to see things that are horrible and that she might have to do things to play along with those visions. However, that doesn't mean he was completely content with it. He asked her, "Did you finish whatever mission you wished to complete?"
"In a way," Delphia said softly, "I played my part. There are things in motion that cannot be stopped now." The future that was coming was not one that she was looking forward to, however, she couldn't do anything to stop it. The infinity stones would be used for a horrible result, and Delphia just hoped that her loved ones didn't get too involved in it. Her visions showed her glimpses of the stones, where they are, what they will do until the moment they are assembled. However, she has no idea what the cost will be until that moment happens. She then shrugged her shoulders, "though I do believe that the Midgardians could have the Tesseract once again."
"Again?" Odin blinked at that.
She shook her head trying to explain it as briefly as she could. "They had the Tesseract for some time and some Midgardians used it for some selfish reasons. It is still somewhere on their planet… But I'm afraid it must stay that way."
Her father didn't appear to be happy with the news. After all, he left the Tesseract in what he presumed was safe hands. As much as he wanted to go down there to find the Tesseract and bring it back to his vault, he trusted Delphia's words. If she says that it must stay on Midgard, then it will stay.
Thor broke the tension that was starting to build with a hearty laugh, "Well, we must celebrate your return! Come now, we are already having a feast prepared for you."
"Oh, wonderful," Delphia did her best to appear happy with the announcement. She should have figured that something like this was going to happen. Thor would take any chance he could to have a good party, and her return is a perfect excuse for it. Though she really just wanted to be alone…
Her discouraged aura didn't go unnoticed. As Thor headed off to lead the family back to the palace with his parents following, Loki made sure to walk right next to Delphia. He leaned down and lightly asked, "Is all well, sister?"
"Hm?" Delphia blinked at him in confusion, "Yes, yes of course."
Loki eyed her skeptically, "Do you think I would believe that? As the god of lies, I can easily spot the lies of others. Especially my sister." It wasn't normal for Delphia to lie, especially to her brothers or parents. Though it was worrying for Loki to see how Delphia appeared to be uneasy about something. The last thing that he had wanted to see was his baby sister being bothered by something. He's sure that it was something that happened on Midgard, and he really wanted to know what it was.
Growing uncomfortable, Delphia turned herself away from him, "I do not want to talk about it, Loki."
While her brother left her alone after that, Delphia could feel the concerned look he was burning her with. At the moment, she was not going to talk to anyone about what had happened while she was on Midgard. When her father asks for details about the Tesseract or anything else he deems necessary to know. Though it wasn't like she was going to tell him about her… relationships while on Midgard. As far as they needed to know, she had allies on Midgard who helped her, made sure she was safe, and could be trusted. She didn't want to talk about Steve. It just hurt too much.
They traveled back to the palace and started to get right to the celebration. There were so many people who had joined in on the celebratory feast. All of Asgard seemed relieved and ecstatic with the princess' return home. After all, they were always told how precious she is as one of the last pure völva in Asgard so she was always kept under a watchful eye. Not many Asgardians were glad to hear about Delphia traveling away. She is the darling of the kingdom, no one ever wishes ill on her, ever.
There were a plethora of people who had come to the feast. It seemed like the entire kingdom had come to see the return of the princess. They all cheered and celebrated when she was presented by her father, healthy and seemingly happy. The usual golden glow that surrounded Delphia was dimmed slightly, but people were too excited by the festivities to really question it.
Currently, with a belly full of some of her favorite foods, Delphia sat around a golden table with Sif and the warriors three. They had greeted her loudly once they spotted her. They retold her all the stories about the adventures that they had gone on through laughter and exaggerated gestures. Delphia could never tell if some of it was actually true or not. It was quite amusing to see them retell them. Volstagg told of all the wonderful violence he got to partake in and the feasts that she missed out on. Fandral did his best to try and impress Delphia with his own retellings, as he had plenty to catch up on when trying to woo the princess. Hogun was more or less quiet while watching his friends talk, inputting his own tidbits of story from time to time. Sif was more or less the same, but just as excited to tell Delphia about what she had missed out on. It was safe to say that Delphia could feel just how much her friends missed her, which she hoped that they could feel how much he actually missed them. Even if Delphia wasn't completely mentally okay.
"Now, tell us," Volstagg started to say with his mouth full of food, "what is Midgard like nowadays."
It took Delphia a moment to focus on the question pointed at her, "Oh, currently, they are at war."
All her friends leaned forward at the interesting statement, Sif blinked, "At war? With who?"
"Themselves."
Fandral pursed his lips, "Huh, interesting."
Loki blinked at her from over his goblet of wine, "I hope that you did not join in on this war!"
She shrugged her shoulders sheepishly, "When war is everywhere, you cannot really avoid it."
"Did you fight?" Sif asked eagerly, "How was it?"
"I did not fight, at least, not like I would have wanted."
"How disappointing," Hogun shook his head. He knew just like the others that Delphia was a skilled fighter, even if she was kept off the battlefield ever since her visions became rampant.
Delphia nodded her head slowly, "yes, I suppose."
Fandral leaned forward, "You must have made allies while down there, correct?"
"What are the Midgardians like?" Volstagg asked, "Strong warriors? Cowards?"
Delphia was silent for a moment as a far away look clouded her eyes. The reminder of those who she left behind on Midgard, who was lost during her time there, grabbed her heart tightly. "T-the ones I met, they were strong." She swallowed thickly before whispering, "Very strong."
It didn't seem like they caught on to the sudden depression that took her over. Perhaps that was because she was able to hide it real well, or they were too caught up in the festivities around them. Either way, no one commented on how she seemed to retract into herself. "Well, I am glad that my sister was kept safe by such warriors!" Thor chortiled loudly, "I would one day like to meet these Midgardians worthy of Delphia's presence." After that, Delphia didn't divulge much of her time on Midgard to them. She just kept to herself and let them enjoy the feast.
By the time the feast was well on its way of being over, Delphia was able to escape to her bedroom. While Thor, Sif and the warriors three had wanted to keep Delphia longer and begin an after party, Delphia declined. Loki seemed to be the only one that was concerned with how unenthusiastic Delphia appeared to be tonight. He had thought that after being away for so long, Delphia wouldn't want to part from either him, Thor or those warrior buffoons for too long. Loki had assumed that Delphia would celebrate all night long! Even so, Delphia escapes the party to get upstairs. She even told the guards stationed outside her chambers to leave her alone for a while. It took a bit, but her sweet words and encouragement for them to grab a drink from what remained of the feast convinced them.
So now she stood in her bedroom, the only light illuminating the room were from the small candles by her bed and the moon shining through the large window. One thing that was a big comfort was finally getting to be in her own room again, to sleep in her own bed, to see the beautiful view from her window. Which is what she was staring out of once she changed into some night clothes. Her people were down there happy and excited about what the next day would bring, but Delphia was completely the opposite. Tomorrow was going to be just as bad as today, and yesterday. Everyday will be just as horrible. With the knowledge of Steve's life being taken so terribly, Delphia wasn't sure when any day would feel normal again.
As she gazed at her kingdom, Delphia wondered what Steve would think of her home. What would he think of her not being a Midgardian. Would he have felt betrayed that she didn't share that part of her? Be scared of her for not being a Human? Shunned her away for lying? Use her to his advantage like Schmidt? No. He wouldn't do that, she was certain. Steve Rogers was nowhere near a man like Schmidt was. Though she couldn't be certain that he would just accept who she was. Delphia wished she had the opportunity to have told him the truth.
Her mind then wandered to everything that she had endured on Midgard. Delphia had to question what was the point. She understood the vision she first saw of herself on Earth, but now she returns home empty handed. Was the reason that she was given the visions of herself on Midgard during that war was to get the Tesseract and bring it home? Well, she wasn't sure. Though she also didn't care. Not only that but she knows that she returns to Midgard sometime in the future. The reason was also concerning the Tesseract, so it seemed like her purpose being on Midgard during their war was not to retrieve the Tesseract. At this point, she could do nothing but yearn to shut herself into her room. She wants to be alone. Though it seemed she would have to wait for that.
The door to her bedroom suddenly creaked open, startling the princess as she jumped to see who had come in. It was Frigga, dressed in her beautiful golden gown and red hair in a fashionable braid. The queen came over to join her daughter at the window that Delphia focused on once more. "Heading to bed already?"
"Yes, the journey home and the feast has tired me out." Delphia said softly, not willing to look at her mother lest she see straight through her. She felt dirty having to lie to her mother like this. While she was a bit tired from the long day, that wasn't the main reason she had escaped to her chambers.
That didn't seem to work as Frigga said, "I noticed something ever since you have returned home." Her statement caused Delphia to freeze. Of course, her mother noticed something. Both Loki and their mother were observant people and Delphia could never really hide too much from them. No matter how much she would try. "You are not well," Frigga said matter of factly, "I can tell. Your eyes are vacant and near lifeless."
"Mother…" Before Delphia could protest further, her mother grabbed both of her hands in her own.
"I can recognize the look of heartache, you lost someone while on Midgard." The way that Frigga was able to recognize Delphia's plight nearly caused Delphia to sob. The reminder of one of the life of Abraham that was taken from right in front of her eyes haunted her. The reminder of Steve's sacrifice caused her heart to sink even further. Seeing the young woman starting to grow upset, Frigga hushed her quickly, "You do not have to tell me about it. Though know that I will be here if you wish to."
Delphia stared at her mother for a long moment as tears collected in her eyes. She loves that her mother knew her better than anyone. Perhaps that was due to her magic or her maternal instinct, but Delphia appreciated it no matter what it was. She wasn't ready just yet to open up to anyone about what had happened on Midgard. Perhaps she would retell bits and pieces that were insignificant. However, no one would know about Steve, not yet anyway.
Delphia missed Steve, she will always miss him. It was an idea that she knew she would have to face at some point due to their large difference in life expectancy. However, it was more heartbreaking since he was taken far too soon in a horrendous way. Even if Delphia knew that she couldn't spend the rest of her life with him, she wanted to know that he had a good long life on Midgard, not having to give it up due to one man's selfishness and greed.
Though there was as dark thought in the back of her mind. A voice plaguing her with doubts of herself. There was one thing that she could have done. She could have used her magic to save Steve. How she would save him while he was on a plane miles and miles away from her, she couldn't completely explain it. She would blame herself, she knew that. It would take years, centuries before Delphia came to terms with it. Who knew when she would be herself again.
So she let herself sob. Sobbing into her mother's shoulder once Frigga brought her in for a tight hug. The queen might not know what had happened to Delphia to cause her to become like this, but she would let her have time to tell her. Frigga knew not to push Delphia on this, lest she close everyone out permanently. Frigga just hoped that her daughter would not be completely lost in her grief.
As time passed, Midgard changed over the decades. It wasn't until it was 2011 that Steve Rogers, Captain America, stood in New York City once again. Disoriented, confused, and on edge, Steve stared around at the foreign yet somehow familiar surroundings. The vibrant, colorful billboards that greeted him were by no means anything that he had seen before. The New York that he is used to was not the same, nor anything that he had ever seen before. Even when he is told by the eye-patch wearing Nick Fury about the fact he's been asleep for seventy years, he's not entirely upset about it. He's more upset by the fact that he had left someone behind, someone he loved.
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