Part of the shield meets shield universe.
The prayer is taken from an extract of a funeral prayer I found online, I do not own the rights to it.
As usual I do not own any of the marvel of dc properties etc... I make no profit from this.
The Death Song of Kal-el
The procession had begun, the royal family moved as one followed by the nobles as the ranks of soldiers formed the honour guard. Their walk was slow and full of grief, the only sounds that of the steady footfall as they made their way to the great square but what await them lay heavy on their thoughts.
A great funeral pyre had been erected in the square in the days following the return of two of Asgard's princes; the days of grieving had been hard and long as those closest to the newest prince tried to find a way to process their grief.
The people of Asgard, had packed the city full; all waiting on the coming of their king and his family as they prepared to honour the fallen prince.
Odin had come among them as the procession ended the family standing on the assembled stage as the rest of the entourage took their places.
"My family, my friends, my people" called Odin as he stood before them all
"We are here to honour Kal-el Odinson, my son. Though he defied my orders, he stood tall, he stood strong, and he stood for the honour of peace and of love. He alongside his brothers took the war to our enemies, he sought to remove the threat to our realm and to that of all realms; he stood with courage, he fought with strength and he was armed with the love that shone in his heart."
The people watched on captivated by their kings words, these words were not just platitudes heaped on someone but words that came from the heart of a grieving father.
"My son goes to Valhalla this night, he shall stand tall again when Ragnorak comes; I ask all of you to stand with the strength of love in your hearts, the love of family, the love of country and the love of peace; we are Asgard and we will never go quietly into the dark!"
"To Kal-el, the Prince, the shield of our people"
The crowds roared with the words of their king and cried "FOR ASGARD!"
And as it came so do it go, as with the simple gesture of his hand silence descended once again; the people looked to the sky as the sun's light shone in the myriad of colours as it dipped over the horizon and at the setting of the sun, the twilight moment, arrows flew across the sky striking the funeral pyre; but there was no body, no form to grieve over, just familial tokens laid on the pyre to send to their loved one in death.
The bard of the court began to play as he sung the words of prayer.
"Lo, there do I see my Father" Odin bows his head, as a lone tear trails down his cheek; his son so new to him, already lost yet will be born anew with Ragnorak. Oh how he wishes to talk to his son, to match move against move on the chess board, the last game still unfinished.
"Lo, there do I see my Mother" Frigga stands tall, her strength returned but her hear crushed as she watches the fire take hold; her newest son who had already bore his way deep into heart; as the last of the pyre takes alight she bows her head and remembers the smile on his face as she listened to him talk of his adventures.
"Lo, there do I see my Brothers" Thor's eyes were glued to the pyre, his thoughts locked on the memory of his brother; the time spent sparring, the hunts and the drinks but most importantly the feeling of brotherhood. Their time as a family was short but Kal would affect their lives for centuries to come.
"Lo, there do I see the line of my people back to the beginning" Sif thought of the beginning of their family, the life that grew within her; Kal's last and greatest gift to them. Odin had proclaimed them married, no need for words, vows or deeds; he knew of the love that joined their souls. She dreamed at night of her love, the smile he had just for her, the worship he bestowed upon her and the simple truth of he loved her and her alone. Kon would grow strong; she vowed to make sure he knew of the strength of his father's love.
"Lo, they do call to me; they bid me take my place among them" The people of Asgard mourned their new prince, they honoured his sacrifice and he was loved for the deeds he had done in so short a time.
"In the halls of Valhalla, where the brave may live forever!" and as the prayer came to its end the Einherjar, Odin's guard struck the shields with blade, chanting a warrior's dirge as the beating of the drums hailed the welcome into the halls of their great heroes.
One man though stood both with his family and apart; Loki the dark prince, the lie smith, the silver-tongued watched on as the fire burned. His mind was plagued with the words his newest brother had said, the charge of guarding his nephew, to redeem himself and to find peace if he could.
He could not understand how Kal could trust him with his son, how could he trust one such as he with the life of a newborn, to help raise and guide him. His heart for the first time in years had began to thaw, the cold hold of his anger slowly giving way as the love of Kal-el settled onto him.
His mother looked at him and smiled, a smile mixed with tears and grief but a smile none the less. Maybe Kal was right after all...