Heroes Assemble!

I'm With You

Thor closed the book, leant forward and gently placed it upon the small table before the set of chairs, one of which he was occupying. Almost reverently, he gave it a soft pat, contemplating its contents. While it was true that he was never one to pursue the wisdom gained through the written word – much to his mother's consternation and his brother's mockery – that did not mean that he did not appreciate a good tale, regardless of its medium.

Looking up, he found the Seidhr standing with his back to the room, looking out the great glass door at the city beyond.

"Your deeds are worthy enough to become legend," Thor stated.

Harry spun about, his arms remaining crossed over his chest. A singular raised eyebrow told that he begged to disagree.

"Any one of your feats – slaying such a monster as the King of Snakes, driving off a horde of foul demonic beasts, defeating in battle such an enemy as this Riddle character not once but more than half a dozen times – any one would be lauded in Asgard with feats, revels and songs," Thor stated, emphasising his points by throwing his arms wide.

"Songs?" Harry asked, looking like he was going to be sick before straightening and throwing out a pointing finger towards the Healer. "No. Don't even suggest it."

The Seidhr Healer, though, merely smirked at Harry.

"You know that there are songs about the Boy-Who-Lived," she said. "Although not as many as there are about the Man-Who-Conquered."

"Gah!" Harry growled, throwing up his hands.

Thor noticed that Barnes shifted slightly at the Seidhr's unexpected explosion, as though he was prepared to protect the Healer from potential harm, a wholely unneeded gesture; Thor was positive that the Seidhr would never hurt anyone without just cause and this definitely did not warrant such an action.

"I fail to understand why you do not accept the accolades that you are so obviously deserving of," Thor stated.

"Yeah, come on, Gandalf, if you're going to be a part of this team, you're gonna have to get used to the accolades and parties. Not to mention the awards and parades that are sure to be held in our honour," Stark agreed.

"I'm not like you two," Harry stated emphatically. "Thor, you were born a Prince of Asgard, destined to one day rule your people. Your parents have probably been grooming you for that role from the moment that you were born."

"That is true," Thor replied, a momentarily pain bursting in his heart at the thought of his mother.

"And you, Stark, you revel in being 'famous', in being the centre of attention," Harry continued. "But when did you gain that fame?"

Thor noted that Stark went very still, as though the Seidhr's question cut deep.

"I'm the son of Howard Stark, the CEO of Stark Industries," Stark replied, a little too flippantly, or so Thor thought. "I've always been in the limelight."

"You know that that's not true," Pepper countered. "You won that award when you were sixteen ..."

"The M.I.T. Robot Design," Stark interjected, buffing his nails on his shirt. "And still the youngest to ever win that award."

"But apart from that, you were sheltered from the public," Pepper continued before lowering her voice. "Until your parent's death, that is."

From the corner of his eye, Thor noted that Barnes jerked, only to still when the Healer placed a hand on his knee and began whispering to him.

"December ninety-one. I was twenty-one," Stark said quietly. "I took over the company not long after that."

"And that's when the media really began paying you far too much attention," Pepper said.