The Realm Eternal

Clark stared at the city in wonder. The city seemed to shine like pure gold, a jewel under the sun. Circulated around buildings, waterfalls glistened under the sunlight, with streams flowing through the green hills and the golden towers. The ocean under the Bifrost was bright and clear, reflecting the sky, and each step they took glowed with the colors of the rainbow. Countless islands were linked together through golden bridges, each one more beautiful than the one before.

The Rainbow Bridge made a straight line to the royal palace, a truly massive congregation of towers that rose to the sky, taller than any other building around as Thor carried Jane on his arms.

"I can walk, you know?" Jane complained, to Thor's great amusement.

"But why would you, when we can be joined like this?" he asked, kissing her forehead, making her blush. "I am really happy that you are here, Jane, despite the circumstances. I want to show you Asgard since I have met you."

Jane stared at him for a moment and then leaned to close the gap between them for a kiss.

"Come on, guys, I'm right here!" Clark cut in, and Jane immediately pulled away, mortified. "We have not even crossed half of the Bifrost yet and I already feel like a third wheel."

Thor frowned.

"I do not understand."

"You know, the extra, useless part that it's just there."

"Oh, you are not useless at all, my friend!" Thor said, smiling at him. "You were there for Jane when I wasn't and saved her life!" He looked back at Jane. "I could not bear the thought of losing you."

And they kissed again. Clark sighed, shaking his head.

Looking away from the loving couple, Clark tried to entertain himself by looking at the beautiful view. This was the first time since his birth that he stepped into another planet and Clark was giddy with excitement and curiosity. Of course, by the memories Zod had shown him, Krypton was as different from Asgard as two planets could possibly be, but the feeling of being somewhere alien was still there.

Asgard was something out of a myth. A legend, plain and simple, that took form right in front of his eyes. Yet it was easy to see how much Asgardian culture had influenced parts of Midgard's culture. The shape of the armors and weapons, the architecture of the buildings, the form of the ships. Obviously, what they had on Earth a thousand years ago was a poor replication of what they had here. The armors and weapons of Asgard were able to beat high-tech equipment on Earth, the building's architecture stood tall, reaching to the sky, and Asgardian ships could fly. Still, they had carved their mark on Earth, that much was clear.

The city soon appeared around them, separated because of the Bifrost, but Clark could easily watch the Asgardians living their lives. Aside from the fact that the city was something straight out of mythology, they were not that different from what he usually saw whenever he flew over New York. Apparently, gods went shopping as well, if the groceries they were carrying and the hyper kids were any indication.

He was so absorbed by the view that he only noticed they arrived at the palace when there were guards in front of the gate. Huge wasn't really the word to describe the palace in front of him, Clark thought as they crossed through the gate as the guards nodded at Thor. It was more like colossal and that wasn't even the main door to the palace, just some sort of back door to the Bifrost.

"This way," Thor said, entering a corridor that looked more like a city street than anything else.

They passed several Asgardians and every last one of them stopped what they were doing to look at them and bowed at Thor. Clark felt a lot of eyes following him and the whispers began to travel the palace, talking about the Kryptonian and Thor's Midgardian lover. Gods liked to gossip too, Clark thought.

It didn't take much longer for them to reach the room that Thor was looking for: the infirmary. Clark could only stare at what seemed to be a true combination of a Viking palace with high-tech alien equipment. The doctors, or healers as they called them, approached Thor and it took only a few words from him for them to start examining Jane.

"What's that?!" asked Jane in excitement when the machine made a replica of her body in a cloud of red particles.

"Be still," the healer said, focusing on her work.

Thor and Clark watched from the sidelines, worry etched on their faces.

"We do not know what it is," said one of the healers in a low voice. "But she will not survive the amount of energy surging within her."

Thor looked at Jane in solemn.

"We know what it is," he answered and turned to the healer. "We just need to know how to take it off her."

By the expression on her face, she was as clueless as they were.

Jane asked: "That's a quantum field generator, isn't it?"

The healer answered: "It's a soul forge."

Clark smiled. Different cultures, different names, but the same thing.

"Does a soul forge transfer molecular energy from one place to another?" Jane asked.

The healer stopped what she was doing for the first time and looked at her.

"Yes," she answered, looking surprised that Jane actually knew what she was talking about.

Jane smiled and whispered at Thor: "Quantum field generator!"

Thor smiled back at her, his worry forgotten for a few seconds. Young love; could be annoying as hell to be around them, but it was a beautiful thing to see. It made him want to help Jane even more than he already wanted to.

"Kelex, can you tell us anything else?" Clark asked, watching it taking into drone form.

"Wow! And what is that?!" Jane asked, shocked.

She wasn't the only one shocked. The healers looked at Kelex with widened eyes for a second and then turned to Clark, their eyes sharpened. It seemed that doctors anywhere in the universe didn't like to be second guessed.

"The readings are consistent with the energy exhibited by an Infinity Stone," Kelex said, repeating what it had already told them. "And like all Infinity Stones, its power is taking a toll on her body."

Everybody in the room stopped what they were doing to look at Kelex, eyes wide. It seemed Infinity Stones were not exactly unknown in these parts.

"Do you know how we take it off her?" Thor asked.

Kelex remained still for a few seconds, like a computer using its processing power to search for something.

"Unknown," she finally answered. "My database does not contain any information about this particular Infinity Stone, only that it is an Infinity Stone."

"But ours does," said a woman approaching.

The healers in the room looked to the woman approaching and immediately bowed, opening a path for her to come through. If Clark had to define her in one word, it would be "noble". That's the first thing that crossed his mind when he looked at her, seeing the regal way she seemed to move, her magnificent green dress swaying at each step, and yet without appearing arrogant. She was blond, like Thor was, with blue eyes and a beautiful face. Of course Clark couldn't hope to calculate her age since she could very well be thousands of years old, but she looked to be, appearance wise, as old as his own mother.

Clark had no doubt in his mind as to who that was.

"Jane, Kal, meet my mother, Frigga, Queen of Asgard," Thor introduced as his mother smiled at them. "Do you know anything about this, Mother?"

Frigga didn't answer as she got close to Jane and scanned her body. Gently, she took Jane's arm and passed her hand over it; a red glow, like a flowing river made of ruby dust, appeared under her skin. The queen's expression turned serious.

"I do," she answered. "But your father knows more. We should go to him." She helped Jane get up and smiled kindly at her. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, my dear. Thor has been telling me about you nonstop since he came back."

Jane seemed flattered and embarrassed at the same time, so she settled with a smile and a small bow.

"You told your mother about me?" she whispered, and Clark almost rolled his eyes at her surprised and pleased tone.

He managed to resist the temptation though because as Frigga turned her gaze fell on him, she smiled brightly.

"Kal-El, the Kryptonian, savior of Midgard," she said. "I heard a lot about you too."

"Only good things, I hope," he answered, honestly feeling a little self-conscious as the Queen of Asgard smiled at him. What was the protocol here? Should he kneel? Should he bow?

It didn't seem to matter one way or the other to her.

"Of course! My son knows better than to speak ill of someone behind their backs," she answered. "Not that there was any ill to speak of about the man who saved the life of his beloved and Midgard itself."

"Beloved?!" Jane whispered, blushing and looking at Thor.

Frigga got closer and touched his shoulder, guiding them out of the room. On Clark's wrist, Kelex returned back as a watch.

"I must apologize, but we were only expecting your arrival a few days from now, so your reception will leave much to be desired, I'm afraid."

Reception?! Thor did not say anything about that. He was glad to get there a few days earlier if he was truly avoiding a big spectacle, and if there was one thing Clark didn't like, that would be being in the spotlight.

"Oh, don't worry about it, your Highness. You–"

"You may call me Frigga," she interrupted, looking at Jane as well. "And so can you, my dear. We do not stand on ceremony here in Asgard, at least when we do not absolutely have to."

They walked through a big hall, the ample windows allowing them to admire Asgard's beauty as they walked.

"So, Mother, what do you know about this?" Thor asked, while he helped Jane to walk.

"Impatient as always," Frigga reprehended with a smile, but then her expression became serious. "But I suppose the circumstances are not ideal." She walked a few more steps, thinking about her words. "What lies inside Jane's body is an Infinity Stone, as you already know, known as the Aether."

The name meant nothing to Clark, but Thor's face showed recognition and fear.

"The weapon of the Dark Elves?" he asked.

"Dark Elves?!" asked Jane, looking surprised. "They are real?"

"They were real," Thor corrected her. "Now they are no more than stories. 'Born of eternal night, the Dark Elves come to steal away the light'. Mother told it to us as children," he added, looking at Frigga. "A long, long time ago, my grandfather, Bor, defeated them and hid the Aether, somewhere it could not be found."

Not well enough, apparently.

"How did you come by it, Jane?" asked Clark. "I mean, I know you crossed a Convergence's rift, but not much else."

"I don't know," Jane said. "One minute I was there, the next something pulled me and I was by a cliff's edge, in another place entirely. There was something, some kind of stone block with a red stuff in it, and then… I don't remember. I woke up back at the factory and met Darcy and you and then Thor."

Frigga listened to her story and nodded.

"It's the nature of the Aether," she explained. "Unlike the other relics, the Aether is not a stone. It is fluid and ever changing, thus it needs a host to fully manifest itself, drawing strength from their life-force." Frigga looked at Jane. "It latched onto you because you were the only living being nearby. It was not your fault."

Jane seemed thankful at Frigga's attempt at comforting her despite the dire situation, but Thor didn't seem so relaxed.

"How do we take it out?" he asked again, agitated. "It's killing her!"

"We will find a way, Thor," Frigga said, soothing his anxiousness. "Your father knows more than me and I have several sorcery books to search. Do not despair."

Frigga's speech was meant to calm them, but Jane apparently only listened to a single word she said.

"Sorcery?" she repeated.

Thor didn't seem to understand the skeptical tone in her voice.

"Yes, mother is one of the greatest sorceresses in all Nine Realms," he said.

Again, he did not fully understand Jane's expression.

"Magic is just science that we do not understand yet," Jane quoted, turning to Frigga. "So that means you are a scientist, like me?"

Frigga smiled in understanding. Unlike Thor, Jane didn't believe in magic. The queen looked at Jane.

"What you said is true, but not in the way you understand," Frigga said. "Magic is science, in the sense that it obeys the laws of the universe, like anything else in existence. Like gravity and thermodynamics, it follows a set of rules. It is, like them, a force of nature." She smiled again, seeing Jane's focused attention. "It is a part of science, of course, but magic itself is very real."

"B-But that is impossible!" Jane exclaimed. "You mean that it seems magic, because it is so advanced? Like, like a plane would to cave men!"

"I mean it is magic," Frigga answered, opening her arms. "The language of the mystic arts is as old as civilization in the universe. We harness energy, drawn from other dimensions of the multiverse," she said, moving her arms and making red sparks appear several meters in front of them, "or from inside ourselves."

She snapped her fingers, making the sparks take the shape of a circle. "To make spells and illusions," she continued, pointing her opened hands towards the circle of red sparks, "to make magic!"

As Frigga said this, the inside of the circle seemed to disappear, as if an invisible window was opened; what before was the other half of the hall they were walking to, now it was another place entirely. The wind blowing had a different smell, the location they were looking at was completely different.

Frigga had just opened a portal in front of them.

Jane and Clark stared in wonder as they followed Frigga, looking around, trying to understand what had just happened. Clark knew magic was real. Krypton even had its own magic users once upon a time before the council deemed the practice was too dangerous and should be dropped. It was all well documented in his ship's archives.

But knowing it was real and seeing it right before his eyes were two very different things.

"This is amazing!" Clark said marveled, laughing like a child. Jane was in too much shock to speak. "What else can you do?"

Frigga smiled at her.

"I will show you another time. But I think my husband would like a word with you."

Clark quickly looked behind him as Frigga said that. He was so surprised at seeing Frigga's portal that he didn't even realized where the portal took them: right in front of the Allfather, Odin Borson, King of Asgard.

Darcy looked around the holding cell, her muscles tensed, evaluating the possible scenarios of her imminent death. Two hookers were chatting in one corner, wearing skimpy clothes and lots of makeup. They obviously had some kind of improvised hidden weapon and experience in using it, Darcy was sure of it, so she was better off far away from them. On the other side was a drunken woman covered in vomit and dirt, sleeping on the dingy floor. Darcy suspected that she might be a threat of the highest levels. Sitting by her side was a gigantic woman, someone who could crush her head with a single hand it she wanted to.

She was doomed. She was going to die here.

Protection, that was what she needed. Maybe some of them would be open to some sort of trade. She still had her hat, that would buy her at least a day of safety, wouldn't it? But what if it wasn't enough?! She looked around again, her eyes fell upon the gigantic woman who looked back at her. It wouldn't be enough, she realized. She would want more.

No, no, no, Darcy would rather die! She would not become a toyin a prison, someone to be passed around. She refused!

"Hey!" the woman called.

"Do whatever you want with me, just let me live!" Darcy yelled, closing her eyes. The whole room fell into silence.

There was no answer and Darcy could only imagine what the woman had in store for her. What kind of torments? Would she hurt her? Did she like that sort of thing? Maybe she would want more than just a toy, Darcy considered with her eyes still closed. Maybe she wanted a partner, a Bonnie to her Clyde. Could Darcy do this? Become her partner in crime?

A queen of crime... That could be interesting.

"HEY! There is someone waiting for you!" the woman called again, raising her voice loud enough to make Darcy to look at the direction she was pointing.

Natasha Romanoff was watching her from the other side of the bars with a single eyebrow raised. Darcy blushed and took a look at the woman, rushing out of the holding cell.

"Oh, thank you so much for saving me!" Darcy almost yelled when she got out. "I didn't think I could survive much longer with those criminals."

The Black Widow didn't answer immediately, looking at the holding cell.

"Which ones?" she asked. "The prostitutes who were taken in to get out of the cold, the drunk, or is it her sister, the nun, who volunteered to keep an eye on her?"

Darcy did a double take. "Clyde" was a nun?! Huh, who would've thought?

"So, why are you here?" Darcy asked.

Natasha guided her out of the hall so they could speak with a bit more privacy.

"I received a call that Dr. Foster had disappeared, only to learn that she reappeared in the same place 5 hours later, and then disappear again, this time via the Bifrost with Superman and Thor." She looked at Darcy. "I want to know what happened."

Darcy sighed.

"Me too," she said. "Look, I know as much as you do. Probably less!"

"Why were you there?" Natasha asked.

"Okay, Selvig called Jane and asked her to move here, saying that he needed her help with something," Darcy explained, leaning on the wall. "We came here and he just vanished, just like that!" She snapped her fingers. "So Jane started studying his papers and found out he was trying to understand something called Conversion–"

"Convergence," Natasha corrected.

"So you know about it!"

"Only what a little birdy called Superman told me on the phone."

"OH MY GOD, you have Superman's phone?! How is–"

"Focus!" Miss Romanoff interrupted again.

Well, that was rude.

"Okay, listen, I don't know anything about it. Thor said it has something to do with the worlds aligning themselves and I saw things disappearing in the factory when we tossed them and a flying truck! But, really, if you want a scientific explanation, you'll have to ask Selvig, because I have no idea. Problem is, I don't know where he is either."

Natasha took out her phone, typed something on the screen and showed Darcy the beginning of a video.

"Jesus, why is Selvig running around naked in Stonehenge?!" She looked at Natasha, horrified. "Why did you show this to me? It isn't even blurred! I won't be able to look at him ever again!"

Darcy could be wrong, but she thought she saw a small smile on Natasha's lips. Before she could ask, the SHIELD agent began to guide her out.

"We are going to pick him up and then find out what is happening. You are coming with me."

Well, that didn't leave Darcy much of a choice. Suddenly, she remembered something.

"My intern!" she said. "You have to take him out of the cell too!"

She thought Natasha would complain, but apparently she was in a hurry, because she just nodded.

"What's his name?"

Darcy's mind froze.

"Intern?"

Malekith looked around the ship, watching his soldiers preparing themselves. The time had come: the Aether had called for them. Turning around, he looked at the big screens of his ship, seeing the mapping of the Nine Realms nearly in a straight line.

"The worlds are nearly aligned," said Algrim, his best warrior and second-in-command, brother in all but blood.

He nodded, without moving his eyes from the screens. This was the only chance they had. The last chance to save their people from the tyranny of the light. Malekith couldn't possibly name all that his people had lost since the end of their universe. Pain and suffering were constants in their lives now, the very composition of this universe eating them little by little.

The Dark Elves were once such a beautiful and prideful race, full of hope and dreams, masters of their destiny. Now, most of them covered their faces behind masks, too disgusted with the deformities the light caused them, devouring their faces bit by bit.

The Aether could end that suffering, bringing the never-ending night again and ensuring the survival of his race. But first they had to get it.

Malekith knew where it was. Every Dark Elf could feel it, but he had a connection with it that surpassed all beings, from this universe and the last. The Aether was a piece of their home, a stone remnant of their universe that he had personally crafted into the ever changing Aether. It called to them as they called to it. And right now the Aether was in the hands of their old enemies, the Asgardians.

Once upon a time, Malekith could have marched upon Asgard and turned it into dust with his armies, but that time was long gone. The light had killed his people, the constant battles against the new life forms of this accursed universe had weakened them further and Bor had finished the job when he stole the Aether from them, right when the Convergence had reached its peak.

And now they would take it back.

Unsheathing his knife, Malekith turned away from the screen and walked to his friend. Algrim was the best warrior he had ever met, but they needed more than a warrior now, they needed a living weapon.

"You will be the last of the Kursed," Malekith said, looking into his eyes.

Algrim didn't even flinch.

"Let my life be sacrificed," he said. "It is no less than our people did. Or you have done."

Malekith looked at his brother one last time, touching his shoulder. He hesitated for a second, but in the end he pierced him with his knife. Algrim groaned in pain and he touched his forehead with his own as one of his soldiers opened a box.

"You will become darkness, cursed to this existence until it consumes you," Malekith said, knowing that he would feel the agony and despair of losing his friend. He picked up the burning stone his soldier gave him and put it inside Algrim's wound. "Until then, no power our enemies possess can stop you."

Algrim breathed hard for a moment, until his wound healed itself over the stone. He looked up at Malekith.

"I will tear down their defenses and ensure your return to a universe reborn."

Clark forgot all about Frigga's magic at the moment as he looked toward Odin, seeing the King of Asgard for the first time. His appearance pretty much matched the stories, Clark decided, with hair grayed with age and long beard, the right eye covered by an eye patch. Clad in full armor, Odin was the very picture of a warrior god, with thousands of years of training and experience behind him.

Before his eyes was one of the most powerful beings in the universe.

Odin was studying Clark with his one eye, as if judging his worth. He had to admit: it was unnerving. He was in silence for what seemed to be minutes without blinking once, and then he finally turned and his gaze fell upon Jane.

"I told you to bring back one and instead you bring one and a half?" he said, his voice powerful, looking from Jane to Thor.

That was harsh. Frigga stepped over and touched Jane's arm.

"Actually, my husband, Thor brought back three," she announced, forcing the Aether to appear behind her skin one more time.

Odin didn't say anything for a long time, his expression barely changed but Clark could tell he was surprised. He approached them in quick steps, picking Jane's arm without saying anything and repeated the same gesture Frigga had done. The result was the same.

"Impossible," he whispered. "The Aether was supposed to be hidden. How did you come by it?"

Jane opened her mouth to say something, but Thor answered first: "The Convergence, father. Jane crossed one of its passages by accident and found herself in the Aether's hiding place."

The King didn't say anything in response, letting Jane's hand fall down again and turning his back.

"I told them you knew more about the Aether than I do," Frigga said. "Care to share that knowledge?"

Imperceptibly, Odin nodded, walking to the center of the room. The room was big, darker as if it was night time, beautifully crafted like every other place in the palace he had seen. What was impressive about this room, however, was the projection of the Yggdrasil in the center.

The Tree of Life rose from the center of the room, reaching all the way to the very high ceiling, its branches spreading to the whole extension of the place. In where it connected to the branches were the representations of the Nine Realms, each glowing with a different color.

It was one of the most beautiful things Clark had ever seen.

Odin crossed through the Yggdrasil reflection and arrived at a pedestal. With one gesture of his hand, a bright light glowed and a book formed itself on top of it.

"There are relics that pre-date the universe itself. What lies within her appears to be one of them," Odin spoke, opening the golden book. "The Nine Realms, like us, are not eternal. They had a dawn as they will have a dusk. But before that dawn, the dark forces, the Dark Elves, reigned absolute and unchallenged."

The book showed a moving image of a Dark Elf and, as Odin touched it, the reflection of the Yggdrasil disappeared, replaced by an entirely different thing. It was like they weren't in the room anymore but on a different world. A dark world with clouds shrouded in shadow and a ground that seemed to be made of ashes. They could see a tall cliff where two Dark Elves stood, right in front of a huge block of stone.

"That's the block of stone where the Aether was!" exclaimed Jane, pointing at it.

Odin nodded.

"The Aether was used as weapon by their leader, Malekith, forged from the darkness of the old universe," Odin continued. "The Aether is capable of changing matter into dark matter, seeking out host-bodies, drawing strength from their life forces. Malekith sought to use the Aether's power to return the universe to one of darkness. But, after eternities of bloodshed, my father Bor finally triumphed, ushering in a peace that lasted thousands of years."

"What happened?" Jane asked.

The King looked at her with a smile that would make a Viking warlord proud.

"He killed them all." And Odin touched the book once again.

As he did it, the images around the room shifted, showing them the memories written on those pages. The memories of the Battle of Svartalfheim. Clark watched openly as the hordes of Asgardians advanced upon an equally massive army of Dark Elves, their steps making the ashes on the ground rise. The troops of Asgardian Einherjar raised their shields, defending themselves against the energy weapons of the Dark Elves until they could arrive close enough to unleash chaos upon them with their swords and spears.

In the sky above them, hundreds of ships battled as well, tower like ships that belonged to the Dark Elves and the Asgardian ships, that looked like a bigger version of the Viking's long ships. It was like watching a naval battle fought in the air as the big ships fired upon each other with little concern about dodging, leaving the maneuver to the smaller crafts that seemed to fly everywhere in great speed. Every once in a while, a ship would take too much damage and just fall upon the soldiers fighting down there.

It was war in a scale Clark hoped that he would never see, but he couldn't stop looking at the scenes of the brutal battle.

"Send in the Kursed!" yelled Malekith.

Losing foothold, the Dark Elves in the back lines crushed some weird glowing rock in their hands. Instantly, their bodies seemed to catch on fire, growing into a huge horned monstrosity. The Kursed jumped over their fellow companions, falling on top of the Asgardians, slaughtering them in ways that Clark couldn't believe, moving through them as if the Asgardian weapons couldn't hurt them at all.

It was at that moment that the Bifrost glowed in the middle of the battleground, transporting a group of elite Einherjar and leading them was King Bor, carrying a spear that fired powerful bursts of energy beams that disintegrated everything in his way. They advanced upon the Kursed without hesitation, the battle suddenly becoming much more brutal then before.

The whole battle, however, had only one purpose: to delay the Asgardian forces until the moment of the Convergence. And that moment was happening.

Clark looked up as did Malekith, watching the Nine Realms completely aligned, the boundaries between them ceasing to exist at all. It was like looking at eight consecutive big, round portals.

Turning his back to the battle, Malekith approached the Aether Chamber and raised his hand. The red substance reacted to him, beginning to flow in his direction.

In the moment before the Aether was about to touch his hand, the Bifrost glowed, right upon the Aether Chamber, taking it away. Clark saw the hopelessness that Malekith had in his eyes as he stared at the marking on the ground, right in the place that the Aether was a second ago.

The battle was lost. At each minute the Asgardians advanced more, destroying the Dark Elves in their path, running in Malekith's direction. But before they could get to him, all the Dark Elves ships plunged to the ground, crashing against the battlefield in a last blaze of glory.

The images disappeared and they were once again back in the room with the Yggdrasil.

"Could the Dark Elves have survived this?" Thor asked. "The Aether was supposed to be hidden forever, but here it is."

Odin looked at Thor with certainty.

"The Dark Elves are dead."

Though Odin was certain, Clark couldn't help but wonder.

Jane approached, glancing at the golden book.

"Does your book happens to mention how to get it out of me?" she asked.

The King snapped the book shut, allowing it to disappear back to where it came from.

"It does not."

Clark sighed, seeing Thor's worry increase.

"We will find a way," Frigga said. "Do not worry."

"Frigga, take the mortal to her chambers, it seems she will have to stay. For now." Odin turned to Thor and Clark. "You two, stay."

With one last look at Thor, Jane turned to follow Frigga, leaving him and Thor behind with Odin. Clark had to control himself not to bolt behind them. He wasn't exactly afraid of Odin, and he had no reason to be, but that didn't mean he felt comfortable around the severe King of Asgard.

Nobody spoke anything for a whole minute after the door closed. Odin seemed to be evaluating Clark the whole time.

"Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton, protector of Midgard," Odin said, looking at him without blinking. "It seems I owe you gratitude for protecting the Nine Realms from General Zod."

Whatever Clark was expecting from this meeting, this wasn't it. He waited a few seconds, but Odin didn't say anything anymore.

"You don't have to thank me, your Majesty," Clark said, respectfully. "I fought to protect my home and the people in it, no more than that."

"Yes, a Kryptonian battling other Kryptonians to protect mortals," he said. "Not something I would ever expect from your race."

What? Was that an observation or an insult? Thor seemed to think it was the latter, because he approached.

"Kal knows nothing of Krypton, father. Judging him for their mistakes would be the same as judging us for Loki's."

That seemed to bring a reaction to Odin's expression, even if a small one.

"I do not judge, but I am surprised," Odin said. "Tell me, Kal-El, what do you know of your history?"

Clark shook his head.

"Nothing much, only what I could learn from my ship's archives. In hindsight, Kryptonians would not be exactly impartial when talking about themselves."

Odin, surprisingly, smiled.

"That is true for us all, I'm afraid. Vanity is a curse that afflicts every being in the universe." Saying this, Odin got up and turned. "Come with me, I want to show you something."

Curiously, Clark and Thor followed Odin out of the room, walking through the corridors until they arrived in a small library. The place was empty of people, but the whole room filled with stacks of books, from the ground to the ceiling. That was probably Odin's private selection. Looking around for a second, Odin grabbed an old book from the bookstand and opened it over the table.

Like the golden book from before, this one also glowed and moved, more like a computer screen than an actual book. What surprised Clark, however, wasn't the fact that the picture was moving, it was the picture itself: the symbol of the House of El. Stunned, he looked from the book to Odin.

"This book was given to me by my father when I was but a child," Odin explained, turning the book so Clark could see it better. "Everything we learned about the Kryptonians is in here, all our interactions with them, all our battles, all the wars we fought together. Asgardians and Kryptonians have interacted since before the Age of Kings."

Taking the book in his hand, Odin closed it and gave it to Clark.

"It is yours."

The words to express what he was feeling now escaped Clark as he reached and took the book from Odin. To someone who didn't have a home anymore, his people, any piece of history about his home world was incredibly precious.

"Thank you," he said, looking Odin in the eye.

Odin just nodded.

"I know you did not fight for the sake of the Nine Realms or Asgard, but you did guard the Realms and at great personal cost," Odin said. "Honor, duty, sacrifice. These are the qualities of every good warrior and you possess them in great amount."

"That is certainly true!" Thor added, smacking his back with a laugh.

Clark only nodded, thanking the compliment.

"I appreciate the kind words, but I am not a warrior," he said. "I fought Zod because I had to, no other reason."

"A great warrior does not seek war," Thor said, looking down. "I had to be banished to learn that. It is a good thing that you already do."

"My son speaks the truth," Odin said, looking at Clark. "I wanted to meet you so I could know what kind of man you truly were, to know if you were another mistake I needed to fix. And yet you proved yourself, not through battle, but through humility. I have seen, through Heimdall, your feats in Midgard." He pointed at Thor's hammer. "Mjölnir's power has no equal, as a weapon to destroy or as a tool to build. That was a lesson I taught Thor a long time ago, one which I had to remind him of recently. It is not about the power you have, but what you do with it."

Odin sat down behind the table.

"Now I will ask you to leave me, for I have research to do. The feasts cooked for the Convergence will serve for your welcoming, Kal-El, since apparently we have bigger issues at hand right now."

"Oh, you don't have to worry abo–"

"It is going to be incredible, Kal!" Thor said, smacking his back again. "We will eat like kings and drink like boars!" He looked at his father, smiling. "Or is it the other way around, father?"

Odin raised his one eye, looking menacing at Thor, but Clark could tell he was far from offended because Thor laughed.

"Thank you again for the gift, your Maj–"

"Call me Odin," he cut in, then he added, "One other thing, be careful with the Aether, you especially, Kal-El."

Clark stopped and turned to look at Odin, frowning.

"Why?"

The King of Asgard pointed at the book in his hands.

"You will find out when you read this book that the Asgardians weren't the only enemies of the Dark Elves. The Kryptonians fought them for thousands of years as well. The last battle led by my father was but the last step in a very long walk. The Kryptonians fought together with the Asgardians every step of the way until the Dark Elves were driven back at their Dark World and finally defeated."

Odin looked at him pointedly.

"The Dark Elves had a special distaste for Kryptonians," he said. "They are made from darkness as much as you are made from light. Your kind is the highest form of heresy to them and the Aether will sense that. Keep that in mind."

Frigga led Jane through the palace halls, delighted in knowing the woman her son was so in love with. Odin might not approve, but Frigga could see how much Thor cared about her and how much she cared about him. Love was love, you couldn't and shouldn't fight it, no matter what other people might think about it.

"So, about your portal," started Jane and Frigga could barely contain her smile. The girl was truly shocked about magic. "You broke every single law of physics when you did that!"

The queen looked at Jane.

"Every law you know of," she said mysteriously. "It doesn't mean the laws you follow are completely right or that there aren't other laws at work."

"But–"

She threw her head back, laughing.

"My dear, I promise I will tell you all about it. If you'd like, I can even teach you some."

"Really?" she asked, her eyes lightened up. "Can anyone do that?"

"Any person can sing, but it doesn't mean they can sing well. We'll see where your talents lie. At worst you can at least learn how it works. But not right now," she said, gesturing at the servants. "Now you are going to clean yourself, put on a dress and prepare yourself for the feast."

"Like a welcoming feast?"

"No, a common feast," she corrected, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "Now go! We will speak again later."

Leaving Jane in her servant's capable hands, Frigga turned around and went to her own room, opening a portal to reach her chambers. Without sparing a glance around the room, Frigga looked at the mirror for a second.

Today had been a busy day, but it's a good one. Her son had brought his beloved and a new friend, a Kryptonian! She would have to teach him all about the old sorcerers of Krypton and the ancient tales, he would love that. There was only one thing missing in her day to make it perfect.

Her other son.

She sighed, knowing Loki wouldn't walk the halls of the palace unchained ever again. She missed him so much her heart hurt and it killed her to keep him in the cells with the other criminals. But liking it or not, that was what he was. And he didn't show any regret for what he did.

Frigga had no illusions that she and Odin, and even Thor, hadn't committed any mistakes. She knew they all did. But what Loki did in retaliation was unforgivable. Knowing that, however, did nothing to alleviate her pain. Only one thing would.

Closing her eyes, Frigga concentrated, feeling her mind slip out of her body and appearing in somewhere else.

"Hello, mother," Loki greeted without looking at her as her astral form appeared in the middle of his cell. He turned and smiled at her; a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I heard we have new guests."