"Hela!!!"
The Valkyrie drew her pistol in a flash and unloaded on Hela, shot after shot without pause!
All she regretted now was not having donned her Valkyrie armor, not having brought her sword. If she had, she would have hacked that damned Hela's head clean off!
Watching the energy bolts flying towards her, Hela sneered with disdain and casually swatted the blasts aside!
At the same moment, Yondu and Major Victory rushed forward and pinned Valkyrie firmly in place.
Clutched between the two of them, the Valkyrie clenched her teeth and screamed curses.
"You bastards, let go of me! Let me go! Let me kill her — I'm going to kill her!!!"
The words had barely left her mouth when the hulking Charlie-27 charged up from behind and drove his fist straight into the back of Valkyrie's skull!
BOOM!!!
The shockwave rippled outward, and Valkyrie's eyes rolled white as she crumpled to the ground.
But even with Valkyrie down, Yondu still had her locked in a death grip, refusing to let go no matter what. Pinning the Valkyrie's spine under his knee, he shouted at Hela in a panic.
"I don't know what's gotten into her, but that was absolutely not our intention!"
At this, he glanced over at Major Victory. Their eyes met in a rapid, silent exchange.
A moment later, Yondu steadied his nerves and pressed on.
"Besides — she's nothing more than merchandise. A bargaining chip I brought to trade for Peter Quill! So this damned tool attacking you has nothing whatsoever to do with our original purpose!"
Yondu rose to his feet, leaving Major Victory to hold her down on his own, and walked slowly towards Hela, whose expression was one of pure amusement.
"She's Brunnhilde — the Valkyrie you speak of. One of Asgard's very own Valkyrior. Use her to trade for Peter Quill. Do you want this deal or not?"
"A deal… heh."
Listening to Yondu's words, Hela smiled faintly and replied with contempt.
"This is the first time I've ever met anyone who comes to Asgard to talk deals. So I must inform you — Asgard makes decrees. It does not negotiate deals!"
As her words fell, Hela beckoned with her right hand, and the Valkyrie on the ground instantly began hurtling towards her. Had Major Victory not slammed down with sudden force, the Valkyrie would already be in Hela's grasp!
Feeling the woman in his grip straining, pulling as if trying to fly straight into Hela's hand, Major Victory ground his teeth and called out.
"Charlie, get over here and help!"
Charlie-27 lunged forward and seized the Valkyrie, anchoring her so Hela couldn't simply yank her away. At the same time, Stakar and Martinex dashed ahead. Together with Yondu, they formed a shield in front of Major Victory and the others.
Watching the united Guardians of the Galaxy, Hela smiled with genuine interest.
She withdrew her hand, turned with effortless grace, and seated herself once more upon her solitary throne. Then, looking down at Stakar and his comrades, she spoke in a tone of utter boredom.
"That you have returned Brunnhilde, the Valkyrie of Asgard, to us — this does genuinely surprise and please me. Though Asgard never trades with outsiders, I will admit it: I am quite satisfied with what you have done."
"Then that's great! So Quill can—"
"Silence!!!"
Yondu's interruption made Hela's brow furrow. With a flick of her right hand, the Necrosword materialized in her grip. She tapped the pommel lightly against the armrest of her throne, and layered rings of resonant hum rippled outward — the sound so oppressive that Yondu choked back his words in frustration.
Once the ringing faded and silence had fallen over them all, Hela nodded with satisfaction and continued.
"If I were the one seated upon this throne, I would indeed grant your request. The good-for-nothing son of a Celestial, traded for a Valkyrie of Asgard? Or rather — after you have returned a warrior who strayed from Asgard's shores, to grant you Quill as your reward!"
At this, Hela glanced with curiosity at the unconscious Valkyrie and shook her head gently.
"But the decision to imprison Quill was made by the All-Father of Asgard himself. That his father, Ego, must come in person to retrieve him — that too is the All-Father's decree. Without His Majesty's command, no one may take him away. No one."
Her words finished, Hela rose with her sword and walked directly towards the reluctant Yondu and the others. As she advanced, her eyes remained locked on the Valkyrie, who was trembling faintly on the floor.
Noticing that Valkyrie had already regained consciousness, Hela pursed her lips and murmured softly.
"Tsk, tsk. Valkyrie. There you lie, sprawled on the ground — looking no different from when you were unconscious. Or dead. In that battle all those years ago, every Valkyrie who dared draw her sword and charge at me died by my hand. So why is it that you are still alive?"
She paused, then gave a cold laugh.
"Well, of course — because even back then, you were exactly as you are now! I was imprisoned for five thousand years, and yet you haven't changed one bit. It disappoints me."
"Hela!!!"
Valkyrie flipped over on the ground, eyes brimming with tears, and roared at Hela with raw, unwilling fury.
Looking at the Valkyrie like this, Hela shook her head, deeply disappointed.
She strode forward without the slightest concern, passing straight through the three men — Stakar and the others — and came to a stop before the Valkyrie, who knelt weeping on the floor.
Extending her left hand, the one not holding the sword, Hela grasped Valkyrie's chin without ceremony and sighed softly.
"Before you returned, I had wanted to rebuild the Valkyrior. I have always felt remorse for the slaughter I committed back then. But now that you have returned, I no longer think that way. If every Valkyrie were like you, I fear I would be too ashamed to face Asgard's new All-Father! How would I ever explain to him that his elite legion is filled with nothing but cowards like you?"
She laughed dryly.
"Heh…"
THUD!!!
Hela backhanded Valkyrie's head against the floor. Cracks spiderwebbed instantly across the stone, and Valkyrie let out a strangled groan of pain.
Behind them, Stakar surged forward, only to be held back desperately by Yondu.
Hearing the commotion at her back, Hela did not even bother to turn her head. She simply spoke in a low voice.
"This is a general of Asgard disciplining a soldier who once fled the battlefield. This is not a matter you may casually interfere in. Stand aside obediently and wait. Asgard will grant you what you desire!"
Her words fell, and Hela's left hand tightened around Valkyrie's jaw, dragging the woman — her face twisted with unwillingness yet utterly powerless to resist — right up to her face. And the Necrosword hovered perilously close to the Valkyrie's throat.
"Valkyrie!"
Hela exhaled and continued.
"My father the King is dead. I did not become your queen. The one qualified to pass judgment on you is not me — it is His Majesty Hesenberg! I truly want to kill you, because I truly do not want the Valkyrior I am about to rebuild to see their predecessor in this wretched, cowardly state! But I want even more for you to see them — to see the Valkyrior reborn under the leadership of His Majesty and myself, a legion in which not a single soul will ever retreat as you did! So…"
As she spoke, Hela seized Valkyrie's head and hoisted the woman's entire body into the air.
Then, without ceremony, she hurled Valkyrie towards the nearby guards.
"Take her away! Throw her in the dungeon! Await His Majesty's judgment upon his return!"
CRASH!!!
As Hela's command rang out, Valkyrie slammed to the ground. The guards at her sides seized her arms and hauled her up. She did not react at all.
After the guards dragged away the utterly devastated Valkyrie, Hela sheathed her Necrosword and turned back to face Yondu and the four others, each of their expressions a different shade of conflict.
Noticing Hela's gaze upon him, Yondu stepped out from the group, his back slightly hunched as he addressed her.
"You… no — Your Grace!"
Thinking of Quill, still locked in that cell, Yondu's back bent even lower.
He lowered his head, gathered himself for a moment. When he raised his head again, his face wore an ingratiating, fawning smile.
"Your Highness Hela, my boy Peter Quill — he truly has no intention of harming Asgard. Would it be possible to, perhaps…"
"Yes. Indeed."
Hela nodded crisply.
Her response made Yondu's heart seize tight. His face lit up with hope; he was about to press further. But Hela opposite him merely smiled with regret and shook her head.
"As I said — I am not the one who sits upon that throne. I have no right to make decisions in his stead. His command is that Quill's father, that damned Celestial Ego, must come in person to take Quill away. Yet Ego has not come — he sent only you."
At this, Hela laughed coldly, her voice dripping with contempt.
"Does he think the soil of Asgard is unworthy of his royal presence? Damned wretch!"
"No, no, no! You misunderstand — truly, you misunderstand!!!"
Yondu's desperation was written all over his face, impossible to hide. The increasingly pathetic sight of him was seared into the eyes of Stakar and the others behind him, and seeing their old friend like this made them more and more heartsick with every passing second.
In that moment, watching Yondu — a man willing to lower himself into the dirt for Quill's sake — Stakar felt, for the very first time, the stirrings of forgiveness.
And Yondu — this blue-skinned man — was on the verge of prostrating himself before Hela. He bowed deeply, and with utter abasement, he explained.
"I am not Ego's man. I did not come here for him. It's only that the boy was raised by my hand since childhood. I am not his father — but I cannot live without him. Peter Quill is just a foolish kid. He is not worth the trouble of your armies, nor does he have the power to bring loss upon an ancient realm like Asgard. All I want is to bring him back to my side. Whatever I must pay for that — I will pay it. I must pay it."
At this, Yondu — still bowed, still looking up — felt his hoarse voice tremble again and again.
A moment later, he lowered his head once more and said softly,
"Please… Your Highness Hela…"
In that brief instant, Hela was overcome by a flood of tangled emotions. Standing before her was no blue-skinned pirate. He was, unmistakably, another old father ready to sacrifice everything for his child.
She could not help but think of Odin. She thought of the stories between him and her, all those years ago. She had to admit — in this moment, she felt a stirring of pity.
So she gently helped the man bowing before her back to his feet, her expression turning helpless.
"It is His Majesty's decree. No one may defy his command. But I admire you, Yondu Udonta. If you wish, you may stay for a short while in Asgard. I grant the five of you permission to live temporarily upon Asgard's soil. I also grant you permission to visit Quill. When His Majesty returns, I will speak kindly of you before him. This is the only thing I can do."
At this, Hela's expression gradually turned cold again. She withdrew her longsword and returned to the distant throne. From that high seat, she looked down and issued her stern command.
"Guards! Escort Yondu and his party to a guest courtyard. Grant him two hours each day to visit Peter Quill!"
"This…?!"
Hearing Hela's decree, Yondu was both stunned and overjoyed.
Stunned, because he had finally witnessed the sheer imperiousness of Asgard — a kingdom that never deigned to negotiate. Its decrees were as unassailable as the laws of heaven, the very embodiment of a great power's majesty. And overjoyed, because…
Quill was safe. And he could stay by his side!
…
At the same time, within the dungeons — Brunnhilde, once a Valkyrie of Asgard, now a slave hunter — was finally thrown into a cell.
Staring at the familiar glow of the energy barrier before her, then at the retreating figures of the golden-armored guards in the distance, she suddenly clenched her fists and hammered them against the floor.
Bang!
She collapsed, weeping, her head crashing to the ground. Her tears spilled across the stone, and her lips kept murmuring over and over,
"Why…?!"
She was asking — not anyone else, but herself.
"Why didn't I die in the past? Why didn't I die alongside them?! I am so weak… I was truly so weak! It was not my fault — but it is my sin. I'm sorry."
/-\
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