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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Twin Rose" data-source="post: 3021872" data-attributes="member: 2765">An end of all worlds was assumed to be inevitable--the final conflict on the horizon between the gods and their many enemies would be more than enough to wipe creation clean of all existence, but one man who grew weary of war decided to see if he could make a difference ...The Quest For Peacea literary serial by Saab LoftonEpisode TwoThe moment Vara left his side to try and gain an audience with Odin, Einheri found himself jumped by a couple of old enemies he had killed years ago. In Valhalla, the dead had a tendency to renew old rivalries--if anything, they were encouraged to since doing so was considered basic training for the upcoming Gotterdammerung.Warriors die with their weapons, so Einheri spied a vaguely familiar mace from the corner of his eye and managed to duck it in time--even though he'd instantly heal from whatever wound said mace might've inflicted just as all the other spirits in Valhalla would. In fact, Einheri continued to duck, flip and dodge each and every swing his two foes delivered. This was done with a superhuman ease that surprised Einheri at first until he internally reminded himself of his recent death and chalked up the increased speed to being a ghost.At first, avoiding their blows infuriated Einheri's adversaries and only served to make them try even harder to connect, but after a while, they lost interest and moved on to a target who'd put up more of a fight. By this point, Vara had returned and grinned a bit. "Having fun?" she asked."No, swordplay no longer thrills me as it once did. I'm seeing everything through new eyes. For instance, such beauty ..." Einheri looked around and pointed out the rainbow bridge leading from Earth to Asgard, home of the Aesir gods, once he saw it in the distance. "... mustn't be destroyed."Then Einheri really took notice of Vara for the first time since he passed on and found her breathtaking even though there was no longer any need for him to breathe. "Besides, it's been said that Valkyries have been to known to take men from Midgard [Earth] as mates ..." Einheri waited for Vara to react in some way, but her face showed no change in expression, so he finished his thought. "Well, it'd be a shame if there wasn't enough time to see if that was true because of the so-called Twilight of the Gods.""As soon as I find a Valkryie crazy enough to wed a mortal, I'll let you know," Vara sneered. "And as far as Odin is concerned, he ignored me and I don't know why. Maybe he's drunk--maybe I committed some offense that I'm not aware of, I don't know ..."At that moment, two rather large ravens caught Einheri's eye since the only other animals in Valhalla were being served on an endless banquet table. They seemed to be encircling their elderly master who was leaning on an enormous spear just as one would a cane. The ravens' master had iron gray hair and a long beard to match but was also strangely taller and more muscular than most of the young men fighting and partying amidst the chaos of Valhalla.  After being taught to hold the Aesir in such high regard all his life, Einheri found himself trembling as he approached Odin, the High Father of Asgard. Vara's whispered warnings to steer clear of the king of the gods became increasingly faint in Einheri's ears as he trepidatiously drew closer and closer to this ancient, armored warrior who--just as legend described--only had one eye.Except once Odin's good eye fell on him, Einheri felt as if he was back at his father's manor being scathingly scolded for having spilled something or holding a sword the wrong way. How could simply talking to someone be so much more frightening than going into battle, Einheri thought, but after summoning his courage, he finally began to stammer, "Odin, I was wondering ... is there any way Gotterdammerung could be avoided? I mean, there must be a better way for the gods to deal with their problems than to engage in a war that will destroy the universe and everyone in it ..?"At first, Einheri thought a storm was coming since he heard the distant rolling of thunder, but it was merely Odin opening his mouth to speak: "Who is this lump of clay speaking to me as if I needed his advice?""Hi-High Father," Vara nervously sprinted to where they were. "This is the warrior I was trying to tell you about; the one who wanted there to be peace among the worlds?"While his face turned red from rage, heat radiated from Odin as if he were a camp fire. "Warrior?! How is it that someone who wants to avoid a war standing in Valhalla; in my very presence, no less? Surely you must've made a mistake by flying him here, Vara; surely he needs to be cast down to the underworld with the rest of the cowards, doesn't he?""I'm not a coward," Einheri protested. "While I was alive, I--" Vara slapped a hand over Einheri's mouth before any more could be said and drug him past the gates of Valhalla--making sure she kept her head bowed the entire time."Shut up, mortal," Vara hissed in a hushed voice directly in Einheri's ear. "Do you want to get us both laid to waste?" She then raised her voice a few octaves and said to Odin, "I'll take him to the underworld at once, my lord!"Copyright © Saab Lofton, 2006</blockquote>

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