11: Promises You Can't Keep

I gladly accept this duty. I accept the terms. I sacrifice everything except this single wish.

To see her again, even once, even for a while.


"You're bleeding." Brynhildr exposed Siegfried's back, when she noticed two traces of red on his shirt.

"I know," he answered simply, lost in his thoughts. "They're breaking through."

"It must hurt."

He only shrugged, ignoring the unpleasant sensation caused by the dragon wings growing from his back. It hurt as hell, but there's no need to complain of something you can't change, right?

What will grow next? Maybe a tail?

It might look that his collar wasn't working, but Siegfried knew that it's not true. Without it he would probably be changed even more already, both in body and in mind.

Brynhildr prepared a wet cloth to wash the blood away, but the crimson liquid burnt her fingers even through the material. She instinctively tried to lick the wound, but Siegfried grasped her hand and stopped it halfway.

"Careful, better don't do this," he explained with a warm smile. "You don't want to have even a drop of dragon's blood in your body, trust me."

She nodded and wiped her hand, then returned to cleaning his wounds. Siegfried endured this operation bravely as usual.

Brynhildr did not have to ask, she knew that he tried to summon that woman again last night. This is why his body is so damaged today, like many times before. He even managed to actually summon a Servant-like spirit twice, but not the one he intended to.

Brynhild was aware of the fact, that Siegfried is slowly destroying himself, but, honestly, how could she stop him? Yes, she was jealous, a little, but… First: they trusted each other and second: she wanted to see Siegfried truly happy, just once, so she honestly wished him luck with the summoning.

"Are you sure you want to fight in this war?" – he asked suddenly, bringing her back to reality. There was a suggestion to don't go in this seemingly innocent question.

"Of course. I was a valkyrie, remember? War was all I knew." She sighed, thinking of Mist, Thrud and other maidens. "I hope my sisters will be on our side, I don't want to force them to fight us."

"But you don't have to fight anymore."

"You're wrong, my love." Brynhildr shook her head. "It is my right and a duty to fight for my home, to make it a safe place for our daughter."

Siegfried did not argue with her, but a short, worried 'Hmm' was his only answer.

Brynhildr frowned.

"You saw something in my future?" It wasn't really a question.

Siegfried sighed, like it was nothing important, but he sounded extremely serious when he spoke.

"I've told you already, that I can't see facts, only… possibilities. So don't worry."

"I'm not worried, you are."

Brynhildr laughed and Siegfried held his breath, again amazed, how beautiful his wife is, when she's happy.

"We're like Beauty and the Beast, honestly." He gently stroke her cheek, remembering one of the stories he had heard from Rin and passed to Brynhildr and Aslaug later. "But there's no way I will turn into a handsome prince, so you should run while you still can."

"You're so stubborn and mean! First you wanted me to not follow you, now you want me to leave you…" She clung to him, ignoring his silent protest. "So annoying! And you're already freaky handsome, even more with these horns, so please stop complaining."

"I meant…"

"I know. Shut up."

He chuckled but obeyed. Brynhildr was right, they had a job to do, a job for a sword and spear, not for their tongues.

The army of king Lygni was marching forward like a flood, destroying one old lineage of kings after another, burning towns, enslaving the entire nations. There were some rumors, that the true reason behind this campaign is the grudge, which the old tyrant has against queen Hiordis - long ago she had rejected him and chosen much older king Sigmund.

She soon started to regret this decision – because it led to the war. With Sigmund fallen in battle, Hiordis was forced to seek shelter far away, on the court of king Alv. She spent the rest of her life in hiding, successfully until now…

Lygni's path led through the land of Burgundians, so their king, Gunther, decided to form an alliance with Alv and his other neighbors. Their united army soon came out to meet the enemy as soon as possible, to prevent further destruction. And no master of strategy was needed to predict, where the two forces will clash.

Siegfried and Brynhildr were already on their way to join this, probably final, battle. Siegfried heard the story of this strange royal love triangle long ago, as a child, and never blamed his mother for the visible aversion she has to him. He was like a walking reminder of her fall, a living consequence of her wrong choice. It was normal to him to be rejected, until Tohsaka told him that he's wrong.

Anyway, even if it was not completely a family matter, Siegfried's blood boiled at the thought of letting the tyrant – and the murderer of his father - do as he pleases.


"So, how do you intend to stop an entire army?" The mounted warrior, probably one of the commanders, gave them a skeptical and obviously mocking gaze. He did not seem intimidated by the unusual look of the two. "Just the two of you? No, one and a half, a woman doesn't even count as one."

The first ranks of the enemy army burst out laughing.

"I highly recommend you to apologize to the lady." Siegfried sighed and raised Balmung above his head, preparing his favorite attack. "And, honestly, there's no reason to kill you all, so please do as I asked and retreat."

The enemy soldiers laughed even louder. Siegfried sighed again; he truly did not want to end so many lives at once. Brynhildr gently touched his shoulder, showing some support.

"I'm really sorry." He concentrated. "Fill!"

The blue light gathering within the crystal alarmed the soldiers, who drew their weapons and stepped back. Unfortunately they were ordered to hold their positions. Siegfried's warning must have sounded not serious enough for their commanders.

How stupid of them.

"Balmung!"

The circle of energy came like a wave and washed away the first ranks. Panic spread throughout the enemy troops, along with the smell of blood and screams of wounded men and horses. Some of them tried to run away, others decided to fight back. But there was something more than destruction caused by this magical blade…

"This is the holy sword, the sword of a fallen king!" – someone shouted and an unexpected excitement raised on the battlefield. "The blade that was broken! The rightful king has returned to save us! It's exactly like in the prophecy!"

"What prophecy?" - Siegfried asked, but Brynhildr only shrugged and got ready to fight.

The enslaved warriors of the Völsung tribe in Lygni's troops initiated the rebellion and attacked the king's loyal forces from behind. The army of Gunther has just arrived and decided that this is the right moment to strike. Soon Brynhild and Siegfried found themselves in the centre of the bloodiest battle known on these lands so far. It was hell.

"Siegfried, look!" – Brynhild, wet with the blood of her enemies, shouted suddenly, truly terrified.

The man with a spear joined the army of king Lygni. He was easy to recognize for someone, who's met him before, the same with his weapon. Gungnir brings victory to the army on which side its owner fights, it's the undeniable truth. Kings Alv and Gunther were doomed…

But Siegfried was not scared at all. Staring at the spear, he tightened his grip on the Balmung's hilt and stepped forward.

"You can't!" Brynhildr tried to stop him with all her might. "It's just like back then with your father, Sigmund. I was there, on the battlefield, I saw the holy sword shattered under the blow of Odin's spear, I saw the king pierced by countless blades of his enemies! Don't let this story repeat itself!"

There were fear, desperation and love in her voice, but this warning had no visible effect on Siegfried. Something in his eyes, this cold blue light, told Brynhildr, that her husband has already decided and nothing will make him change his mind. Right now he seemed truly invincible. Unstoppable.

"I won't end like my father. There's no weapon here, that can kill me. Except this cursed spear."

Suddenly he just knew, what to do. The energy of the land was flowing through him freely… Maybe it was the reason of this sudden enlightenment? Or the dragon's wisdom just showed its true power? He just listened to the voice of Nature, which has finally spoken to its dear child, revealing the truth of the real purpose of his existence.

I gladly accept this duty. I accept the terms. I sacrifice everything except this single wish.

To see her again, even once, even for a while.

He needed a true power to end the story, so he grabbed his collar and destroyed it with one swift move.

"Siegfried, don't!" It was Brynhildr, somewhere behind his back, but her voice barely reached him, like it was coming from another dimension. From a distant, meaningless past.

I'm sorry Brynhildr. But you knew it would end this way, right?

His circuits started to shine with blue and golden light, gathering the energy for the next blow.

More, I need more.

The light was truly blinding when the two magnificent weapons clashed. And it was Gungnir, which shattered this time, closing the circle, ending once and for all the story of the curse of the Völsungs.

"It's done." Odin did not look surprised and he clearly did not regret the loss of his spear. "Finally you've proved yourself worthy, Child of Nature. And now you too know, that it had to be done, right?"

Siegfried did not answer, his opinion had no meaning anyway. The wandering god vanished with a thin smile and the situation on the battlefield has changed completely. The army of the tyrant Lygni dispersed, the king himself died, torn apart by his own men. The troops of Xanten and other enslaved lands gathered around Siegfried, some of them rushed to finish off the deserters.

And Siegfried leaned on his sword, trying to not fall on the ground after overusing his circuits again. He was exhausted, but also relieved, because the one thing in this chaos was certain.

The war was finally over.


Seeing Siegfried victorious, Brynhildr smiled and stepped back to let him enjoy this success for a while. She looked around and something strange in the distance caught her attention.

During their retreat, a group of scouts took advantage of the chaos around and attacked the poorly protected camp. Screams of women and children, traveling with soldiers and, until now, safe behind the front lines, were enough for Brynhildr to take action.

As fast as her mortal body can move, she rushed to their aid without a second thought, killing every assaulter on her way. Simply and deadly effective, she cleaned this mess up relatively quickly.

Not much has left from the camp, there were corpses lying around, destroyed tents and carts, some of them on fire... Brynhildr looked around to find the survivors. She noticed a move under the broken cart - a little boy hid there, his eyes wide open in shock and his face red from the blood.

"Are you all right?" With a warm smile, full of compassion, Brynhildr reached out her hand to the child. "Come, let's go and find your mother."

He nodded hesitantly and accepted her help, but then squealed horribly and hid again.

And Brynhildr could feel a sharp pain in her chest, when someone has pierced her from behind with a javelin.

My lungs… It's a mortal wound, for sure. There's no hope for me.

But she wasn't a fragile woman to give up so easily. She managed to stay proudly on her feet, turn around and face the one, who had attacked her so cowardly in the back.

The bearded warrior was visibly surprised, that his victim still lives. He raised the sword to finish her, but his powerful blow did not reach the target. Brynhildr's spear pierced the man's heart and literally nailed him to the ground.

"It's a really pathetic way to die," Brynhildr whispered, spitting blood, and fell on her knees. "Forgive me, my love."

And her consciousness sank into darkness.


"Father, send me back, please!"

Brynhildr found herself in the palace of her father, who apparently wanted to see his favorite fallen valkyrie before her soul will go to the land of eternal mist, ruled by the goddess Hel. There her lone spirit will wander through the wastelands until Ragnarök come or all the nine worlds collapse.

"Why should I do such thing?"

"Because I promised to never leave him alone!"

There were tears in her eyes and Odin had to admit, that he had never seen his daughter so desperate before. He sighed heavily.

"It's your fault to make promises you can't keep, child."

"Father, please… I have never wanted anything from you. Just this once, have mercy on me!" She kneeled before him, lowering her head.

"Brynhildr, I have no power over the realm of the dead."

"I've died in battle, so you can choose me and take me to Valhalla." She looked Odin in the eyes and noticed, that he likes this idea. "As a fallen warrior, one of the best on these lands, I belong to you, so you can do as you please. Send me back, I beg you!"

"It's too much to wish for, even for you, my dear child." The Allfather sounded unmoved, but an obvious hesitation in his gaze gave Brynhildr hope.

"Then just let me say goodbye to him and ask his forgiveness," she whispered after a short pause. "I swear to be your most loyal servant in return."

Odin shook his head, truly amazed.

"You really love him this much? Even knowing, that you was only a replacement for that woman?"

"It's not true, father." Her eyes were shining with affection, when she tried to explain her feelings. "Even if only a tiny part of his heart belongs to me, I know that this little bit of love is real, honest and only mine. It's still more than many women could really get in their lives."

Such words of faith were like poetry to the deity, who respected wisdom above all else. Odin just couldn't ignore them.

"Go, child. One short conversation, nothing more."

Brynhildr gave him a truly beautiful smile and returned to her wounded body.

She was in Siegfried's arms. His tears on her cheek should have saddened her, but they made her happy instead. It was the ultimate proof, that all she said Odin a moment ago, is true.

"I should say you to not cry, but it seems that I'm an awful woman." She wiped away his tears and smiled. "Because it means that I was important to you."

"Of course you were." He did not look surprised, he must have already predicted her temporary return. "And you'll always be. I'm sorry I wasn't able to give you more."

"It was more than enough, my love," she whispered with a smile and stole the last kiss from him. "Find Aslaug. She will grant your wish. And… if you'll ever be near Valhalla, please come and see me."

People around kept shouting his name, call him a savior king and a hero, but he couldn't really hear them. He stayed on his knees, with Brynhild's dead body in his arms, swallowing the first bitter consequence of his decision.


"You've summoned me just to show me this?"

Rin was still shaken after the discovery, what's hidden under the castle. She was sitting in the private room of the queen, resting near the fireplace and sipping wine.

"I've summoned you because I promised." Aslaug smiled, caressing the head of her tamed wolf. Well, it seemed that keeping promises and petting a very big canines is in the blood of the Völsung family. "And I showed you this because…"

She stared into the fire for a while, searching for the best words to describe her motives.

"You're the one, who travels through time and space, so, if there is even a single timeline, in which this not happens… please, don't let him choose this path."

Tohsaka nodded slowly.

"I would try even if you did not ask me to. I do care about him, even if it has no real meaning now. "

"It has, believe me." Aslaug smiled, probably remembering something. "I'm really glad that we've met, Miss Tohsaka. It may sound strange, but you were always a part of my family. I've thought that, maybe if he feels your presence…" She sighed. "Well, too bad it's not that simple."

"Actually, we should pray that he'll never wake up."

Although Rin's words might seem just too cruel, both women could only agree with them in heavy silence.


It was a really strange feeling for Siegfried – to reside, even for a while, in the hall of his father. He has never met king Sigmund, yet he could feel his presence in every corner of the main room.

The locals treated him like a king, but he kept repeating that he's only their guest. His declarations of not becoming the new lord of Xanten seemed to be ignored by literally everyone and soon even a messenger from king Gunther - his trusted man, Hagen - came to see Siegfried and offer an alliance.

"I know it's still too soon after your loss, but my king want to propose you a pact. Your marriage with his sister, Kremhild, could connect our kingdoms in more than only political way. After all, there cannot be a better way to show a mutual trust between monarchs than mixing the blood, forming a sacred bond of a marriage."

Siegfried let him finish this speech, but then only laughed out loud at this ridiculous idea.

"Interesting! So king Gunther is a kind of person, who's willing to sacrifice his own sister and sell her to the dragon to gain more power and land?"

Hagen's eyebrows raised suddenly. He didn't predict this kind of an answer and was clearly surprised by the different point of view.

"Well, I'm not trying to justify it, but politics needs sacrifices…"

"True. But if the king wants to achieve something, he must sacrifice himself first, not demand it only from his family and subjects. This is what people should do, not make the others do their job."

Hagen was thinking hard, not sure how to react. He visibly agreed with Siegfried in this matter, yet tried to remain loyal to his king and fulfill the task, which had been given to him.

"Don't get me wrong," Siegfried said to explain himself; it sounded a little more diplomatic at last. "I have nothing against giving those lands to king Gunther, really. What? I may look like a mindless mountain of muscles, I know, but I use my brain sometimes. I'm aware of his goal, don't be so surprised. But I'm not the right person to decide."

"What? Why?"

"These lands belong to queen Hiordis and her second son, not to me, so you should advice your king to make an alliance with her. I'm not in charge here."

"You're wrong." Hagen shook his head. "People will follow you. You've seen how they reacted to your return. You may gather an army at will, you're their savior, their rightful king, their hero…"

Surprisingly, Siegfried laughed again.

"This is so funny! King Gunther is really afraid of me, possibly raising an army to conquer his lands?" He needed a moment to calm down and offered Hagen a drink. Their cups clinked against each other. "I won't do such thing, my path leads elsewhere. I could give him an assurance, written in my blood and sealed with a spell, but I'm afraid that my blood would burn the paper." He chuckled. "Besides, no one will follow a monster, their affection is temporary and will later turn into hatred. They may be happy now, but soon they would send a dragon slayer to get rid of me. And if I disappear now, they will quickly forget about me, this is how it works."

He said it so honestly, that Hagen could only respect him, thinking, that Siegfried could be a really great king. It seemed that he truly cared for people and did not want to cause them any problems.

"I see." Hagen drank from his cup. "I will explain your decision to king Gunther. May I ask where do you intend to go now?"

"Of course, it's not a secret. I'll go North, I must sail to Norway and get my daughter back."

Hagen stared at him for a while. His horns and wings aside, even Siegfried's eyes started to change, making him look almost like a reptile. There was more, he had some green scales on his face and arms… After a short conversation, Hagen could tell that Siegfried is surprisingly calm, good-hearted and kind, but his appearance suggests something completely different. People can be afraid of him and there's a high possibility, that no one will want to take this guy on a ship.

"No offence, it may be difficult for you to get there. Unless you can use these" – he pointed the wings – "to cross the sea."

"You're right… and they're rather useless." Siegfried smiled, but something was visibly bothering him. "I must try anyway."

"I can help you with this task and organize a ship for you." Hagen gave him a thin smile. "But it will be a favor for a favor."

"Oh? Tell me more about it."

"King Gunther seeks allies, brave and skilled warriors, to help him clean these lands. There are trolls, werewolves, wyverns, bandits and other scum, spreading like a plague during the war. I'll lead a quest to get rid of them. If you join us, I'll give you a ship with my loyal crew, ready to take you to Norway or even to the end of the world."

Siegfried remained silent for a while, thinking. It would be good to join such quest and save not only people, but also a lot of innocent creatures, which otherwise would be slaughtered without mercy by humans… But there's also a risk, that it's only a trick to keep Siegfried dependent on Gunther, use him and bind to Burgundians.

I'm not so naïve anymore and I can predict their moves… This path will lead me to my little princess, so I must take it.

"Fine, Hagen, you have my sword."

"Oh, and I suppose that there will be some feasts and parties involved, they will certainly want to meet you."

"You mean take a closer look at me, like at an exotic animal in a cage?" Siegfried winked and Hagen responded with a meaningful smile. "I will endure it somehow, it's still a good price for your help. I accept it."

They confirmed the agreement by a firm handshake and Hagen prepared to leave the town. Siegfried watched him over his shoulder and smiled, thinking, that in another timeline, under different circumstances, they could become a really good friends.


Thank You for reading! The next chapter will be the last, so… If You have any ideas, requests or comments, please let me know.