Asgard's cold is as deep as it is ancient; the wind that sways the treetops of the Forbidden Forest seems to be blown by the ancient Gods of the North. They freeze the bones and freeze the soul of anyone who ventures through the streets of Asgard, the snowy plains or the slopes of the mountain where the Valhalla Palace once stood.
At the top of the building, in a huge open courtyard, Hilda was standing on a platform facing an abyss; and across the chasm rose the Colossus of Odin, holding a sword over the keel of a split ship. A statue commissioned to the ancient giants of the region and worshiped for millennia. She caressed the gold ring she wore on her finger, a gift from that ancient God. Behind him, as always, was the most faithful of Valhalla's Counselors, the God Warrior Siegfried.
"I can't believe Bud betrayed me." said Hilda, anger in her voice. "I will never forgive her. Once this is done, she will be hunted down and thrown into the dungeons, which should be the place of any and all traitors of Odin."
Siegfried listened quietly to Hilda's anger, sinking deep into his heart, as he had someone very dear to him thrown into the dungeons.
"Trusting that woman might not have been very wise." he mused, diverting his own attention. "She was only a Shadow and not a true Goddess Warrior. She was never real."
Hilda turned to him.
"Tell me something, Siegfried. Will you be able to protect Valhalla and God Odin?"
"I will protect you with my life, Divine Hilda."
"I hope you never forget these words."
And again he turned to face the light blizzard that was falling to look into Odin's stony eyes.
When Bud's silhouette disappeared through the entrance of the Valhalla Palace, the only thing heard among those Athena Saints was Shun's tears. He was crying profusely. His hands on his knees enduring the pain of his sadness.
"It could have been us." he repeated, sobbing. "Why!?"
Shun asked himself, torned, how far those battles would go. How long would he need to push away that enormous sadness. He felt responsible for having divided those brothers, without having the slightest idea of the tragic history that had separated them since they were children and created that terrible pain. He did not know. If he knew maybe he could try something different.
"I can't take it anymore, Ikki." he confessed, looking at his sister, who had never seen the boy so moved. "It could have been you. I can't imagine the pain Bud must have felt when she realized that her brother's death was going to hurt her so much. Perhaps, maybe, it was best if she still hated him."
"Don't say that, Shun." tried Ikki.
"We came to this land in peace. In search of peace." Shun lamented. "If I close my eyes I can still see the sadness of the people in search of food in the square. A place that suffers day after day from a terrible cold. Míme's tragedy." he said, seeking Geist's gaze further away. "And now these two brothers that life prevented from loving each other. And we killed them!"
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Saint Seiya: The Legend of Seiya
FanfictionThe novelization of Saint Seiya. The story of Seiya reimagined, written and told with some important alterations on the story. Cover Artwork: Tiago Fernandes (@tfernandes)