A/N: This is a Skuld/Lind fan fiction, so, if you don't like the idea of two women sharing a romantic relationship, don't read it…it'll likely stray far left from cannon, since I don't believe Skuld/Lind is actually a very realistic pairing, even if my diminutive little mind wants it to be that way. I might do an actual, full length story for their paring one day, but for now, I just wanted to play with the idea a little bit, and see what I could come up with.

I don't own Ah! My Goddess.

Oath

"I am the goddess, Skuld. I swear allegiance to heaven's grace, heaven's council, and heaven's honor, upon which, I stake my life. Through the valor of the doublet, I will uphold the creed set forth by this blade, and the forbearers, who dictate that a life shall equal a life. I will uphold the sanctity of that agreement, and will not kill, knowing that if I were ever to shed needless blood in the name of heaven, I would also spill heaven's own. I am a warrior, guided by my betters, and my uniform grants me utmost protection. In return for this gift, I repay you with my servitude. I shall cast all of which I covet aside, to take the blade, and the barracks as my home."

It made Skuld laugh bitterly. "What a farce." She muttered, to herself. She could recall when she made that oath, the promise to all in heaven…now, it seemed stupidly simple to hate the oath, and the subsequent rules.

Romance on the battle field…it was never acceptable.

The barracks was in a haunting and uneasy harmony, riddled with whispers of transgression. They were best left stifled by something, or someone. Yet, no one would fall for the intimidation tactic. The gossip was too juicy, too tempting, too raw. Still, she could hear the echoes, and it was unbecoming of her status. She brought her fingers to her lips, as she gazed at herself in the mirror. Even the community bathroom was not free from the murmurs.

Skuld gave a shaky breath, wondering idly, if she was alone due to her unbecoming actions. In any case, it didn't matter. Skuld was sure that there was no going back…no reversing what she had done. No forgetting what she had tasted, what she had felt. No forgiving herself for being so weak. For not seeing it all before.

The white and blue heavenly uniform meant so little now, though it hugged her form in the same way that it always had.

Adorn with metals, and tested by hard battle, it had protected Skuld well over the years of servitude…alas, she feared those day were coming to a sinfully abrupt end. It was ironic, that war didn't bother her, that death didn't frighten her…and even an eternity sealed in a container, making useless inventions for the rest of her life, seemed much more preferable than being stripped of her rank…

Or failing that, losing the respect of her unit.

They were very lifeblood, after all. She felt as if she might not be able to breath without them. Her sisters to the core, brides of battle, in service to the almighty heavens, and the council that so governed the holy lands. She couldn't stay here any longer…she had to leave, because she was terrified of this rather odd pattering that drummed away in her heart. One that even she could admit, was unexpected…yet, not unwelcome. In times of great distress, there was only one place she could go. One home nestled on earth, that would ease her addled mind…

…not to mention, Belldandy understood this feeling, having grappled with its complexities in the past. She would know what to do, she was the obvious conclusion to Skuld's unanswered questions. The youngest sister didn't delay.

She was the Norn of the future, fated not be as beautiful as her sisters, her body would not age beyond a particular point…at least, not while Yggdrasil remained in proper working order. Still her mind, and her abilities would grow, just as any other goddess would. Skuld was not exempt from the laws all goddesses had to abide by, and yet, she would also struggle for her adulthood in ways, that regrettably, many others would never have to suffer. In many ways, it had worked to Skuld's advantage, but this odd pattering, was not such a case.

Skuld had grown, even if she hadn't appeared to be the adult that she knew, without a doubt that she was. Heaven was a strange place, with odd creatures, programs, and even ideology. Some gods and goddesses were born under very specific guidelines, and Skuld was among them. It made it difficult for her, and yet, she often didn't complain. There wasn't much she could really take issue with, not while creation enjoyed a quiet and peaceful time.

Having joined the valkyries, she was a warrior well respected. In her prime as both a fighter, and a woman…well, for her programming at any rate. Yet, no one cared to look at her. When they saw her, they took sight of a commanding officer, an intelligent, bright goddess, who could easily command her unit with a will of iron, and tactics that went unmatched by foes. Why shouldn't she be so skilled? She had been trained by one of the best, forged by the fighting goddess renown for her abilities, and her twin angles.

First class, special operations license, unlimited, the goddess Lind.

Now, it wasn't that heaven didn't have quite the plethora of oddities, because, frankly speaking, heaven was one large paradox after another. It was rather that such predicaments weren't spoken about, so, when valkyries were deployed, it was hushed. Spoken only in whispers, least that walls had ears perking at such delectable news. Skuld was lucky when it came to that. Belldandy would often be brought up in murmurs, jealous goddesses coveting what she had, and gods coveting the goddess herself. Urd was the talk of heaven on any given day, and it wasn't uncommon to hear the blather of the gossip mill.

Skuld was the lucky one. Fortunate enough not to come up in conversation…at least, not usually.

She very rarely visited earth anymore, but, as soon as her little secret slipped out, Skuld found herself quite terrified. Reverting to a comfort of her past, she cowered behind her older sisters, most notably, the first class goddess. "Do you hate me?" The youngest Norn asked, having been led to the table that had been armed with tea, cookies, and ice cream upon her arrival.

Belldandy swallowed hard, Skuld and Lind had committed a grave offense. "You should not have gone against the teachings." Belldandy said slowly. "You know the rule about romance among the ranks." Bluntly speaking, it was a crime punishable by a revocation of licenses. "When you joined the valkyries, you swore an oath to the heavens. Having sworn the oath with great honor and dignity, you must uphold that creed."

Skuld sighed. "That doesn't answer my question, big sis." The youngest Norn awaited distasteful remarks that didn't come forth. "You do hate me, don't you?"

The middle Norn merely shook her head, denying the claim with all of her heart. "No, Skuld, I could never hate you." Belldandy replied carefully, she was also awestruck at the news that had trickled into her ear. "There will be a harsh reprimand, I'm sure, but it is to be expected." Skuld was indeed the talk of heaven, but, not the good kind. "Things will return to normal eventually, I promise."

"Do you really think so?" As part of the valkyries, Skuld knew how just how word traveled, and how prone it was to continual stirring. "Do you really think everyone will just forget about it?" They themselves often spun tales best left unspoken, and far more gruesome than truth, merely to protect heaven from itself. Now a twisted tale was turning about herself, and, much to Skuld's dismay, it was entirely true.

"Well, Skuld, it isn't every day someone gets caught necking Lind." Urd said with a soft, understanding smile. "Things will cool down, but, for now you might want to lay low." As if a secondary thought snuck into place, she smirked. "I don't really mind one way, or the other…but is it true that you and Lind have been playing around?" Urd trailed off, leaving the question hanging in the air.

"Urd!" Belldandy scolded. "Please, use discretion."

"That was using discretion." Urd balked. "What? Did you want me to ask the juicy details, like if the carpet matched the drapes?"

"That isn't any of your business!" Belldandy fired back, her own idea of modesty getting the better of her. "We shouldn't talk like that." Belldandy said, her cheeks tinging pink. "It's uncouth." Urd loved to pry into such matters, but this was one thing that Belldandy desired to keep at arm's length.

"If they did do something like that together, they may face a charge that might include a few hundred years in a vessel." Urd crossed her arms, as Belldandy nodded. They all knew that was a common punishment. "So, Skuld did you sleep with her, or not?"

Skuld just sighed. "No, we haven't done anything like that." She mumbled bitterly, not entirely sure where that rumor came from. "We haven't had any time to ourselves. Besides, we're bunked four to a room. Even if we thought to try something like that, we wouldn't dare try." The mere lack of privacy alone made such an act impossible. "When I find out who said that…" Skuld could only bite her lower lip, it really didn't matter anymore.

"Lind is alright, isn't she?" Belldandy asked then, worried for her good friend.

"Father send her on deployment." Skuld said sadly. "I wanted to wait for her to come back, but, he told me not to wait for her return. It's almost as if he's trying to keep Lind away from me."

"I see." Belldandy said slowly, with a soft utterance that almost sounded like a chastisement of her father. "He mist have a good reason." She forced herself to say, finding that to be the only truth she could come to.

"You know, I almost feel bad for him." Urd said, even though she put her hands on Skuld's shoulder to soften the blow. "Misfortune always hangs over his head. Especially when we're involved."

"Whatever for? I didn't realize the star gave him any ill will." Belldandy asked, missing the point entirely. "Lind is a wonderful goddess, I'm sure their love must be pure. This must just be due to their personal transgression, and little more. Surely, they'll be forgiven." As much as the first class goddess wanted to have an open mind, it was clear in her voice. She was worried, and quite upset. "She wouldn't lead Skuld along…would she?" Belldandy was still trying to convince herself of that fact.

"That isn't what I mean." Urd shook her head, sipping on the sake she preferred, forgoing the tea. "Our father has three daughters, and not one of them are conventional. My origins aside, he hasn't had an easy time coming to terms with any of us." With a bitter smirk, she shook her head. "I dated a plum tree spirit, you're bedding a mortal, and little Skuld here chose a woman." It was almost funny…almost, but, not with Skuld so down. "None of us chose a proper god as a mate…you can't say that any of us share a normal, heavenly relationship. Being in love with a goddess, as a goddess, well it does have a few disadvantages when it comes to equipment…unless one of you decides to reform your basic structure to include the other set."

Skuld wasn't in the mindset to fight back with Urd, and merely colored a deep crimson, and ducked behind Belldandy. "No." Skuld sniffled. "We weren't planning on doing that."

"Must you be so crass?" Belldandy gaped, putting her hands to her face to avoid broadcasting her shock at the audacity of her sisters for continuing this topic. She leveled her eyes at Urd. "What are you going to do next, suggest that this shrine become a den of iniquity?"

"Now there's a thought." Urd jibbed, causing Belldandy to be further mortified. "You and Keiichi have had a bit of a dry spell recently, haven't you?"

"Oh for heaven's sake…" Belldandy muttered, suppressing the urge to cast a wind spell at Urd. "Would it do you any harm, any at all, to have a sense of propriety?" Just because immortals could alter their gender at will, and as often as they might desire, it didn't mean that it was widely discussed. "This is no time to be joking around." In fact, that was also a taboo topic among many circles.

"Lighten up, Belldandy." Urd said with a shrug. "You can't say this isn't a long time coming. If it hadn't been Lind, it would have been some other god or goddess." Then Urd scowled in an unhappy thought. "Or, even a demon."

Skuld hated to say it…hated to compare herself to her sisters, who were far more beautiful than she could ever hope to be. "What god would look at me, Urd?" Skuld asked, having reached her cutoff point. She was shorter than her sisters, her breasts smaller, her looks forever to hold youth…if she would glance around the earth, she looked about sixteen at best…and even that was pushing it. "My looks aside, I don't hold a candle to any of you…and, I uphold a dangerous job. No god within his right mind would want a woman who shares his battle field."

Urd and Belldandy sighed. They couldn't argue with Skuld's logic…she was seen as an official, a commander, a good friend, and maybe even a drinking buddy…but never a romantic interest.

"Don't put yourself down so much." Keiichi finally said, the graying man having heard enough of the banter to simply make him confused. "You're a goddess, right? That's enough, you don't need to change who you are." When three sets of eyes looked up at him, he shrugged. "People meet up and get married in the military. It happens on earth all the time."

"If only it were that easy. This is a little more complicated than that, I fear." Belldandy said tentatively.

"Isn't it always?" Keiichi asked as he grabbed a few more cookies from the center of the table. "If you love her, Skuld, then who cares what anyone else says about it."

"I would…anyone with half a brain would, for that matter." Urd said then. "Our father tends to be heavy handed."

"Don't remind me." Keiichi said, turning a little pale.

"You need to realize, heaven has a strict law." Urd explained to him. "Those who join up with the valkyries can't share a romance with other warriors within heaven's command. As a goddess, Skuld's powers comes from her feelings of love…so just imagine how powerful a warrior could be, if the person of her affections were hurt, sealed, or worse?" Urd shook her head. "It's for the safety of the unit that love doesn't get in the way…but Skuld isn't interested in a mere grunt…she's in love with Lind."

That entire idea left a foul taste in Belldandy's mouth. "Skuld, I must admit some reservation." Belldandy weighed her words carefully. "It isn't that I'm unhappy, but, to have chosen Lind…" Addled, she shook her head, trying to come to terms with this in the best way that she could. "Lind's a wonderful goddess, but, a warrior at heart. I wonder if she could ever settle down for long enough to stand by the side of anyone. God or goddess."

"We've heard the stories." Urd said, giving Belldandy a look to indicate that wasn't a helpful thing to say. "But, maybe you should tell us what actually happened up there."

A long suffering sigh slipped from Skuld's lips. She knew what Belldandy was saying, and had even come to the same conclusion herself. Even so, her heart was a hard thing to convince of mere logic. With Urd looking at her expectantly, she decided to answer her question. "We were deployed for a few weeks on a rescue mission, but…" Skuld sighed again. "Guys, I don't know how it happened, but I know it did." Skuld looked away from her older sisters, finding the rings on the table amusing to look at. "We just started talking more often about silly little things. Eventually, it just ended up that we…were in the corner of the barracks…"

Belldandy didn't want to hear any more, and Skuld couldn't seem to say it clearly. "Alright, I suppose this can't be helped. If you love her, you love her. That's a truth that cannot, and should not be denied." Belldandy said, her voice a gentle severity, the way it always seemed to get when trying to guide the youngest Norn. "Stay here for a while, Skuld." Belldandy instructed a bit uneasily. "Let things in heaven cool down. I'm sure that whatever chatter is going around isn't meant to be spiteful, but, it is quite a shock."

A large gust of wind beat harshly upon the house, as the sound of deft feat hit the ground. It wasn't a moment later that the door slid open. "Skuld." Lind greeted, her stoic eyes offering a withdrawn kindness that she didn't often possess. "You've been well, I hope." Lind looked haggard, and frayed…as if she hadn't slept well, and had faced harsh battle.

"No, I haven't." Skuld didn't hide her pain, nor her eagerness to hide herself within Lind's embrace. "It's been horrible up in heaven." She lunged for the warrior before her, clinging on, as if life depended on it.

"So I've heard." Lind's voice was soft, methodical as always. She took pride in always being two steps ahead. "Tyr's unhappy, and the counsel disapproves." She might have seemed cold when compared to other, much more flighty goddesses, but Lind was solid and unwavering. She closed her eyes, her fate had been placed before her on a platter of detached yet distinct sadness. "He's threatening to restrict my license."

"He must be quite angry then…" Belldandy said with a deep frown.

"I'd say he's taking this rather well." Urd shrugged mildly. "He could do worse."

"Don't jinx it." Keiichi muttered.

"He can't do that to you." Skuld replied.

"He can, our liaison breaks regulations." Lind explained coolly, running her fingers through Skuld's dark mane of hair. "Protocol states that we're not supposed to trouble ourselves in romantic affairs." Reporting it so casually might have made her seem uncaring, but her actions crushed the tone of her words. "You can see how this would be an inconvenience." Then Lind addressed the elder sisters in the room. "It troubles the council more that Skuld hides down here, away from the scrutiny. Tyr's also in a mess of trouble for keeping her in hiding, I'm afraid."

"It won't be the first time we've gotten him into trouble. Our family is known for it." Urd said mildly. "If anyone asks, I'll just take responsibility about it too, say that I demanded Skuld come here for a visit. They're used to my antics."

Lind held up her hand. "No need." Skuld had calmed down, but had not let go of her, truthfully, Lind didn't want her to. "I've already taken in the matter on my shoulders. I was the goddess who trained Skuld, I will be the goddess who takes the blame for any of her transgressions."

"You can't do that!" Skuld said, alarm in her voice.

Lind only offered the younger woman a sad smile in return. "May we talk?" She asked gently.

"Yeah." Skuld said, a bit nervously with a tinge of pink on her cheeks. "Come on, my room is this way."

It was when Skuld was finally out of sight that Belldandy's shoulders slumped in defeat. With a deep breath, she put her elbows onto the table, giving her a place to rest her head in her hands. "I know that first class goddesses can't tell a lie." Belldandy said to her eldest sister. "Yet, even so, I desired the wish to be true. I was hoping that Peorth was just confused…or, maybe just seeing something that looked off, somehow."

"Is it that big of a shock?" Urd asked, not particularly bothered one way or the other. "Your own love life isn't exactly normal either, you know." At the look of Belldandy's discomfort, Urd bit her lip. "Is it because Lind's a woman?"

"It's because she's a warrior." Belldandy said with a sigh. "It's because Skuld has chosen to be with someone that, as she well knows, lives a dangerous life." She felt tired, and bothered in more ways than one. "I don't mind that Skuld might be inclined to be with the fairer gender, but, if that's the case, why not find a nice domestic goddess?"

"You mean, find someone like you." Urd said, understanding her sister's lament.

"When you say it like that, it sounds completely out of context!" Belldandy didn't even have words for the trouble thought that it brought, so she merely shivered. "Lind is in a line of work that faces many challenges. She may get sealed, or worse on any given day. She even risks death, because she's in the special operations category."

"A domestic goddess would not suit Skuld." Urd said knowingly. "Though, I don't know if Lind can fill that role either, I'm not about to go sticking my nose into that relationship."

"That's a first." Keiichi muttered under his breath.

"Well, if you want Lind chasing you around with that weapon of hers, be my guest. I like having myself put together in one piece." Urd replied, to which Keiichi just quietly sipped his tea, her point duly noted. Urd went back to tending to Belldandy's worries. "Belldandy, you had to have felt it…Lind was different, but in a good way."

"Lind is very protective of Skuld." Belldandy agreed. "I could sense it in her very being, and it reflected deeply in her eyes."

"Then, that's all that matters." Urd said, standing from her place.

"I suppose you're right." Belldandy agreed, though she couldn't chase away her vexation.

…

Their relationship wasn't something many had easily taken notice of. In fact, most of heaven had foreseen it as a young apprentice worshiping her tutor, as was customary for a pupil to do. At first, even the others in the division noticed only that Lind seemed to soften around Skuld, and that the young goddess seemed to blush under scrutiny…and, as most in the division knew…it was not easy to undergo Lind's gaze.

They thought little of it…they had no need to ponder.

For the two lovers in question however, they recalled things quite differently. Like their first encounter with the rather discomforting feelings. It had been in an empty training yard, after a day of combat drills all but sapped the life from them. Skuld could still recall the bed of gravel that she had crashed in, and the soft eyes that loomed over her in a quiet study. It was those selfsame eyes that could become as cold as steel, or as hot as fire…but, at that time, they remained only cool and calculative.

The second time was several years later, in a grassy knoll after an assignment. The doublet system had almost taken them both, as a bloody battle got out of hand. The bath in the stream to wash of the remnants of the fight, did nothing to soothe the pain within their souls. Without really meaning to, they found themselves tangled in an unsure and hesitant embrace. Fighting their way through awkward kisses and barely there confessions. That was alright for the both of them, because if they were being honest, they had no intention of promising anything more than that.

They would gift no more than the occasional sideways glance, or the impromptu kiss when no one was looking. They wanted warmth, not a commitment…it went against their oath after all, and they had their pride, if nothing else.

Their third encounter with bizarre feelings came several years after that, an argument and a heated kiss grasping the better of them during a rather trying case within the special operations unit. It was that kiss that announced them. It made Lind's attraction apparent, and Skuld's love far more than merely a student fawning over her teacher. It was also the one occurrence that got them into trouble, but, since they were already toying with fire, Lind saw fit to set the embers ablaze into an inferno.

The council would not be happy to know that she arrived on earth, instead of the barracks.

"My sisters are close by." Skuld forewarned, collecting herself after the kiss that Lind had surprised her with not moments before. She sighed when Lind wrapped her arms around her.

Lind nodded, her knees buckling as they both fell to the floor in a crushing hug just as sought after, as the soft lips that could make Lind feel at peace…and she dearly wanted peace. Her mind was done with fighting, done with another mission that was threatening to mentally destroy her. Lind cast a dull look to the door at her back. "So they are." She agreed with little more than a passing interest. "This bothers you?"

Skuld colored pink at that, looking away shyly. "Urd has a really bad habit of barging in on people without warning."

Lind gave a mild scowl at that, casting a barrier about the room that was defensive enough to keep people from simply walking through the door. "Better?" Lind asked, cupping Skuld's cheek tenderly.

It was a tiny nod, but there all the same. "I missed you, Lind." Skuld murmured, leaning in to kiss the woman again, melting into the older goddess's stoic, but loyal embrace. It was quiet for once, there were no whispers here, no prying eyes, or rules to govern them. It was a comfort given to them on stolen time, and Skuld pulled away, trying to calm her uneven breath and quell her racing mind. "What are we going to do?"

"I am going to do the same thing I always do." Lind replied without missing a beat. "I'm going to protect heaven with my very life. If the council has a problem with that, then there isn't much I can do about it." She leaned in again, offering a small smile. "I can't force you to do the same." Lind said then, hopeful, but not forceful. "Skuld, I…I don't want to let go of my license. I don't want to stop being in the special operations, but the rules say that lovers can't join on the battle field, or share the same certification."

"Then I'll relinquish mine." Skuld said, unhappy about the idea, but willing to do so.

Lind shook her head. "No." She was unwilling to hear Skuld speak of such things. "You've worked too hard, come too far. You have a unit you have to look after Skuld, that's got to come before anything else." Lind swallowed, hard. "Even us."

"I will always put my unit before anything else." Skuld said with a quiet heat in her tone. "Even before my own life. I would die for my division." Skuld believed that with all of her heart, but, deep down, she also knew the truth. "But Lind, I would live for you." Skuld pulled out her license, her thumb conjuring just enough fire to set the maddening thing ablaze. "I won't put my unit at risk." Skuld said. "I won't let my mind get clouded by worries that I can't prevent."

The card was ash in her hands, and it slipped through her fingers. "I'll do what's best for my unit, and also what's best for us. I swear by that."

"I understand." Lind said with a nod of her own. One that had been a long time coming. She had been unwilling to admit it, but she cared deeply for Skuld. A goddess of war that she was, such a feeling was rather new to her, and her inexperience intimidated her. "I have been summoned. I will beg for the forgiveness required, and pray that they grant me my own form of happiness." Lind was hard pressed to allow herself to think of the worst possibility, but she forced herself to consider such complexities. "You will stay with your sisters." Lind said softly in the form of an order. "The only way I can keep you safe in my absence, is to place faith within them."

…

She was unsettled by the domestic ways of the mortal realm, the earth was not a place she took comfort in. Yet, here she stayed regardless, sleeping in a sitting positing, right outside of Skuld's door, her weapon embraced in her palms, ready to strike. Battle was her comfort, the barracks was her world, and Lind found her sleep unrestful, and instead nightmarish. On the blue planet, she found no solace.

Lind could tell, that unlike Skuld, she could find no rest here…even if she did have lifelong friends she could draw comfort from.

That thought made her sigh, and she could tell by the soft breath that she could sense in the area, that another occupant was just as unsettled. "I've no intention to abandon her." Lind said, knowing it was only a first class goddess who could conceal her form so perfectly. That Belldandy seemed like merely the element of air, in and of itself, was pure skill.

"You are a combat goddess." Belldandy said, materializing her form out of thin air. "There will be times you will be unable to stand at her side, times when she will be forced to wait for your return. She even risks a day when you will not."

"We all share that possible fate." Lind replied quietly. "Even your own mortal, Keiichi, is little more than a mere question of such time. It ticks away, without reluctance, nor with the care of how depraved it really is." The war goddess licked her lips, faintly recalling how many times she'd tasted blood upon them. "It is fitting this way." Be it her own, or that of an enemy, she could still taste the iron and salt. "If my end does come, she will not have to watch me die."

"I can't possibly condone that." Belldandy said sadly.

"I will count on you, and Urd, to look after her in my steed." Lind replied, her eyes stony with the truths of her reality. "Skuld is strong, and I've no doubts, that one day she would have surpassed my skill level." Lind even thought that Skuld could still become so powerful, one day long from now. "However, I do not trust her skill to keep her whole. Combat is nothing without comrades."

"What will become of the two of you?" Belldandy murmured, a distant, angry glance in her eyes.

"Who knows?" Lind replied quietly, taking her weapon in hand. "I'm due back to the heavens, so I will do as I am told. I can only pray I'm given mercy for ignoring the vow I made."

"Do you love her?" Belldandy asked.

Lind stood quietly, unable to find words. "I'm a goddess of war." She finally managed to mutter, conflicted by saying even that.

"Do you love Skuld?" Belldandy pressed on. "Please, Lind, say that you do."

Wordlessly she frowned and called out her angels. She wasn't sure if she could appease Belldandy or not, but, she surely didn't want to provoke the ire of the Norn. When Spear Mint and Cool Mint began floating at her side, Lind took a feather from each one, tying them together, freezing them into pure ice. It was a spell that would never allow the feathers to melt, not even in the hottest inferno.

"I am the goddess, Lind. I swear allegiance to heaven's grace, heaven's council, and heaven's honor, upon which, I stake my life. Through the valor of the doublet, I will uphold the creed set forth by this blade, and the forbearers, who dictate that a life shall equal a life. I will uphold the sanctity of that agreement, and will not kill, knowing that if I were ever to shed needless blood in the name of heaven, I would also spill heaven's own. I am a warrior, guided by my betters, and my uniform grants me utmost protection. In return for this gift, I repay them with my servitude." She put the ring into Belldandy's hand.

"You missed a line, Lind." The first class goddess said quietly.

Lind shook her head. "No, I didn't...I won't cast Skuld aside." Lind said with a small bow. "No matter what may come of it, you have my word. I will return to her side one day."