- Earlier -
"So we need to kill these things?" Clark asked.
"Do not be dumbfounded, Squire... *cough*. 'Twas your Mistresses' blood duty to slay the beast... the Vgrtsmyth be mortal enemies to all things righteous and beloved Valhalla is *cough* crawling with them. Cast from Midgard, they settle here, and blood has rained e'er since. That's why I summoned you... The gods of Asgard require-- *cough*"
Thor was not doing well. The war had been getting to him.
"I don't understand... can't you negotiate, or settle this peacefully--?" Clark asked.
"Ha! forget the ways of thy home, Squire! The politics of mortals have no place among gods..."
"Kal, there's no grey area for me here. I'm honour-bound to defend Asgard without question, but you--" Diana said.
"Don't even say it. If you're here, I'm here... though I won't kill, not even these creatures," Clark said.
"Urgh, what is wrong with you? Sometimes, decisiveness is what you need to protect what you love. Having such values is impressive, but useless in this situation. If you don't kill them, they will simply stand back up again eventually. And this means that your presence here is redundant."
Big Barda looked at Superman with a neutral expression. She wasn't trying to be rude, but she saw his unwillingness to kill even the denizens from hell as a weakness and stupidity.
"Barda, Kal is a pure soul; he doesn't ever go against his values. Such dedication is respectable," Diana said.
"Hmm."
"Haha, thou art a noble varlet, young Kal, but even if ye were a coward, foul majiks bind Valhalla... I had only the strength to summon ye. I Cannae send ye back 'til this war is through," Thor said.
"How long should that take?" Clark asked.
"Methinks not too long... last time we were overrun by Frost Giants, that glorious battle lasted only 2'000 years..."
"Huh?!"
"Hahahahaha!" Barda laughed.
.
And so the battle had started. The Amazon princess, the New God, the Midgard Champion and the mighty Odinson defended Asgard against the Vrgtsmyth. Days which bled red into sleepless nights, which holwed into painful months, which shrieked into forgotten years... and still, the battle raged on... And still the great Kal-El abode by his dual oaths: Never to kill, even these evil creatures, and to always hold the face of his beloved wife Lois in his heart.
There were times when the tides of battle turned, that the great halls of Valhalla rang with merriment and humour that soldiers share on he battlefield, between the tides of violence. But tranquillity brings her cousin, memory and to a soldier's heart... And Clark did long for the bride he'd not seen for a long time.
Five? Ten? Thirty years, now? He didn't know. Time in Valhalla worked mysteriously and slowly, but still functioned on the same properties. So, while he tried to keep the image of Lois in his heart, one spring, he realised that he no longer remembered her smell. And for a sentimental man like Clark, that was bothersome, because Diana smelled like orchids and fire, while Barda smelled of lilies and blood.
"I believe it must be decades now. So many winters fought, so many springs withered. Even in this realm where time moves more slowly and strangely, I can feel it in my bones."
"Decades? Maybe here, but not in the dimension of Earth. No, Diana. If that were true, Hal would already be here. You know him, he wouldn't wait so long. He'd come crashing through the gates of Valhalla with some absurd construct and that insufferable bright smile," Barda said.
The two women were sitting around the campfire they had created and reminisced about their time on Earth and how they still didn't quite understand how things worked properly, despite having been taught by Hal.
"He does have a way of arriving precisely when one least expects him, but needs him. Yet even Hal cannot simply will his way across the Bifrost," Diana smiled faintly.
"Can't he? The man seems to rewrite reality more than we know, I tell you. The way he brought back his protégée's woman and then how he had his constructs fight on Apokolips... He gave us these rings, didn't he? Cyan Rings, he called them, born of indomitable will and hope together. Determined hope if you will... haha. If he can forge power out of two emotions and give it to us, then breaching Asgard should be nothing."
"The rings… I sometimes forget they are not truly ours, yet they answer my intentions as if they were. I feel as if anything is possible with it, as if his determination is right beside me." Diana said, looking down at the ring on her finger, a soft glow reflecting in her eyes.
"Hah. It is more than that. When the fighting drags on and I tire, the light reminds me of him and fills me with renewed strength and endurance, healing the wounds I have on my body and mind, respectively. It's as if he gave us pieces of himself. Stubborn man."
"Haha. Stubborn indeed. Perhaps that is why I think so often of him. When Hal is near, even the most destructive and evil foes and battles feel as though we will make it no matter what."
"Tch. You sound like me. I'd follow him into Apokolips itself if he asked."
For a moment, neither of them said anything.
"Let us not fool one another, Diana—we both feel the same for him, even if neither of us dares name it aloud," Barda said.
Diana looked at Barda and then smiled, nodding.
"It is true."
"But the fool wouldn't ever act on either of them, since he is too much mortal man still in that regard."
"You might be right. So what do you propose?" Diana asked.
"I respect and like you far too much to fight it out, despite that being the only idea I have right now."
"Hmm, a good thought."
"Aye, but then we would be healed by the ring and essentially never cease fighting, which would then defeat the purpose of fighting in the first place."
"Ah, right. That would be a problem. So what then?"
"..."
"..."
"I don't know."
"I don't know either."
"..."
"Let's not think about it now. We can get to dealing with that after this war is over," Barda eventually suggested.
"Agreed."
Both of them then shook hands and smiled, content that they didn't have to fight one another right now. Clark, who had heard both of them speak, shook his head. He didn't understand their plight, as he had already found his love in Lois, but the longer he stayed there, the more difficult it became to keep that in mind. His heart ached with longing, while those two didn't seem to be bothered by the time they spent in Valhalla, constantly fighting and killing.
.
.
(Clark POV)
As the war continued, the dark lords of the Vrgtsmyth infiltrated the inner chambers of Asgard, showing no signs of fatigue, no signs of mercy. There were a great number of casualties, and on that fateful day, the powerful creatures of Vrgtsmyth managed to bite down on Thor and wound him.
"'Tis up to you now, friends... I return to the great slumber, awaiting your victory..." Thor whispered as he passed his beloved Mjolnir to me. "In Valhalla, when the battles end... great rewards await. Avenge me, so that we might one day walk in Asgard's divine sun together..."
Diana held Thor's hand and gave him hope in his final moments, hope that they would surely win. Because both she and Barda had that hope, they had tried healing Thor, as they had seen Hal do that, and because it was, as they put it, 'part of the blue light of hope'. But it didn't work.
Thor died.
"Alright, let's get back to it," Barda said and created another shield using her cyan light.
"Someone just died. Your brother in arms, the one who stood at your side, just died," I said.
"Yes?"
"How can you act like it didn't matter and go back to fighting without a second thought?"
"..."
"..."
"I don't understand the question," Barda finally said.
"Wha--"
"Kal," Diana said and touched my shoulder gently. "You are spent, I understand, but Barda is not unfeeling or uncaring about Thor's death. She is a warrior, as am I. And as such, there is no space for letting yourself be dragged down by this."
"What would crying over Odinson's death get me? As a warrior, you will eventually die, that's the truth, and to accept that, you'd do well," Barda said.
Diana gave Barda a look that said she should stop now. It wouldn't have helped me at this time anyway. She felt so cold at times, and that warrior nature was bothering me. It made her seem ruthless. Although... these Vrgtsmyth were dangerous, so I suppose she was just doing what she had to?
"We will win, Big Blue. And despite wearing your undergarments on top of your suit, I know that you will make it as well," Barda said, trying to comfort me somewhat, by making fun of my outfit.
However, before she could continue, several sparks of energy could be felt in the air. The rings of Diana and Barda shone brighter all of a sudden, and they got ready. Both of them conjured their armour and weapons, prepared for anything. And then... a cyan door appeared mid-air.
""Huh?"" both women said at the same time.
The door opened, and from it, a cyan-coloured man stepped through. I narrowed my eyes to see who it was and then...
""HAL!!""
Both female warriors shot forward, towards Hal and tackled him to the ground full force.
"I knew you would come! I knew it!" Barda laughed.
"I'm happy to see you, Hal. What kept you so long?" Diana asked.
"So this is where you two were. I am also happy to see you two, but would you mind getting off me for a moment?" Hal asked.
"NO" "No"
...
"It's good to see you, Clark. You have seen better days, it would seem," Hal said as he arrived in front of me.
I feel the cyan light shine through the area of Valhalla and already gets to work. He walks towards me and holds his hand on my shoulder. I pride myself on having a powerful mind, but as soon as his hand comes into the closer vicinity of my body, his light touches me and washes over and through me.
I see my birthday, when I was 9; I see the moment I graduated high school; I see my first time saving someone, and I see Lois... Lois. I see her smile at me, and saying yes, when asked whether she wants to marry me. Tears make it to my eyes as, she kisses me and tells me that she loves me... and then the memory passes.
I look at Hal, who smiles at me.
"You had to endure for a long time, Clark. But don't worry, I'm here now."
"That's my line," I say.
"Hahahaha. Come now, let me and these two badasses take things from here. You go and tell Lois, I said hi," Hal said.
"What? But the war--"
"We'll take care of it."
"No, wai--"
And with a snap of his fingers, I am teleported again, back to Earth, it would seem. I don't care about anything and fly off, through the sky at high speeds until I reach our apartment. I see Lois standing on the balcony and pull her into my embrace at once, flying higher and kissing her.
"Just like remember... thank god. Tell me you missed me even half as much as I missed you, Lois?"
"I missed you, Clark. I really did."
"I'm sorry, I was so excited. That piece of paper, did you need--?"
"No! No, it's nothing. All I need is for you to hold me... tight," she said.
"For a thousand years, Lois. For a thousand years..."
.
.
Back in Valhalla, Hal was now alone with Wonder Woman and Big Barda.
"So, what do you think? Shall we finish this task and then go home? It's been a while."
"I think that's a great idea," Diana said.
"The one who gets the most, wins some prize!" Barda declared and charged forward.
"What prize?"
"Haha, that's for the winner to decide!!"