The Heart of the Valkyrie
Taken too soon from the lives we loved
A misery I cannot explain
Only when we feel your presence
Are we sure we did not die in vain
The fire remains in our hearts
All of our dreams made new
Etched in the flames of freedom
Are these words, oh so true
We're living on through you
We're the Shadow Soldiers, laid to rest standing tall
Shadow Soldiers, in freedom you live
That's why we've given it all
Accept – "Shadow Soldiers"
Secrets of the heart –
You can take them all
To heaven
Dio – "Lord of the Last Day"
Dec. 20th, 2019 ~ August 23rd, 2020.
Foreword:
Well, it turns out now I write lesbian erotica, too... fanfic creation's been a slippery slope. :) Anyway, I'm continuing on the path of exploring the Diablo II universe. I was always fascinated by the Valkyries and so I chose to explore the origin and path of one from a slightly unusual perspective. It could have been a hetero love story but I decided to make it a bit unorthodox after thinking of what the interactions between an Amazon and a Rogue might have been like. The Amazons' propensity for same-sex romance appears a common motif in other D2 fanfics (and is lampshaded as such), being pretty plausible given the inherent references (Amazons... Ancient Greece... and whatnot). Besides, I thought it looked sweeter this way, with both sides having their mellow moments that wouldn't rhyme if one of them was male, and come on, a brutal Desert merc just wouldn't evoke the same level of empathy and compassion a cute Rogue girl does. :)
Jacqueline is the name of my primary Diablo II character, the Amazon (duh) of level 89, and Fiona is the name of her Rogue merc. The specific gameplay effects described in the story are from the runewords they equip: the Delirium diadem on the 'zon and the Faith bow used by the Rogue.
Those who have been reading other Diablo II stories may have noticed a thread of similarity to CaptJoe213's story called "Life and Death", and for good reason. I have rather unashamedly modeled the Valkyrie protagonist and her story on the character of that fanfic, the one that had set the narrative in motion, even though the actual heroine of "Life and Death" is only hinted at. So credit where it's due and hats off – that story deeply touched me when I read it, and may've pushed me towards writing this one.
I.
Those who say that the Valkyries are the spirits of the greatest champions of the Askari nation are right... with an important reservation. While, indeed, the origin of these beautiful yet deadly creatures lies with the heroes of the archipelago's past, one cannot expect them to be the same as they were in life. For a start, none of them seem to have preserved their memories of earthly existence, or even a name. All that distinguished them in life is replaced by the purpose of serving and aiding those who are carrying the oriflamme of the Amazon nation. Some would have undoubtedly called it a fate worse than death. Some have – but none of these people were of the Askari anyway. For an islander, there is no higher glory.
The Valkyries will walk into fire, brimstone and certain death to aid their champions – unto circumstances that would give pause to even the mightiest (or the most insane) mortal fighters – if the champion's purpose is aligned with that of the Askari collective. At the same time, they are also not the ones to question the personality of the one who called on them. If she had the power to do this, then she was worthy, and renegade or depraved Amazons were almost unheard of anyway.
Even with all that in mind, the particular Valkyrie who answered the call of one battlemaiden Jacqueline – and became her companion for an extended campaign fraught with unimaginable dangers – had no reasons for doubts in her destined champion. Jacqueline's combat prowess, honor or devotion to the cause of the Askari were all beyond questioning; on the field of battle, the mortal woman was as stalwart a warrior as one could be, relentless as a hunter of demons, tenacious as a soldier of light, and judicious as a head of a war party. In other words, she was the true leader that many – mortals and immortals alike – would have seen as an honor to follow unto Hell.
Out of combat, she was a story with a slightly different flavor. The Amazon was flamboyant, energetic to the point of being boisterous and had the self-esteem bordering on vanity – yet never really crossed the line where this could impact the business side of things, just barely treading on it. She insisted on wearing no helm, only an enchanted diadem that emphasized her flawlessly beautiful face and lush fair hair, the hallmarks of a pure-blooded Askari, and for armor she preferred leather outfits, accentuating her curves almost to – but again a hair short of – the point of openly flaunting her femininity. However, there was a method at least to some of this extravagancy that nobody well familiar with Jacqueline's ways of war would deny: all of her outwardly inadequate protection was of the most elite quality, richly enhanced with runes and wards that granted the wearer safety beyond what many full plate armor pieces could have given. Besides, the archer woman claimed – not without reason, either – that the leather armor helped her retain superior mobility, more important in her tactics than outright defensive capability. "The good Amazon is the one that never gets caught", she was saying.
Still, the Valkyrie was aware of the effect her champion was having on those around her, and at times wondered absentmindedly to what extent she was aware of it, and if she was causing it on purpose – to cause mischief or to affirm her attractiveness. Then there was also a question of whether this was a sensible long-time strategy. Hell's minions could not care less, although how many of them could and would have made the Amazon's fate even more gruesome should she have fallen before them was open to debate. And Jacqueline was leaving a trail of deeply divided human individuals behind her, as most men in the towns they were passing through were eyeing her with adulation and lust, most women with envy bordering on irritation. More than a few of the females fell to the other extreme, though.
That thought brought the spirit soldier, now idly contemplative, to the next point. Fiona was dutifully trotting in formation alongside her combat comrades as they set out to sweep another of the highland reaches and flush out the demons remaining there. The red-haired Rogue archer was slightly shorter and stockier than her more glamorous sister in arms; her gentle, freckled face would be called handsome yet not outright classically beautiful like Jacqueline's. Her outfit was also a lot more practical – and modest, there was no denying it, not accentuating the wearer's form quite as obviously, even though the Sister of the Sightless Eye was not in the least lacking in shapeliness. Her whole image was like the moon to the Amazon's sun, but the ginger-headed girl seemed to be not at all perturbed by this. And the Valkyrie knew the exact reason for her lack of envy or jealousy, even though such feelings would have been wholly appropriate for the one so obviously eclipsed by her comrade in arms.
It was not true that the Askari (or the Sisterhood, for that matter) had invented romance, love and passion shared between women. They were widely talked about as the nation openly espousing – or even preferring – such mores (sometimes with scorn, sometimes with barely concealed envy, and not entirely justifiably), but it wasn't even the result of the inevitable propensity for this kind of recreation among a military force comprised mostly of females. It was just that people close to each other have more chances to appreciate those in their immediate surroundings... and cross the line into heartfelt affection. Not out of the lack of options, but of their own volition.
"The good Amazon is the one that never gets caught", Jacqueline was saying. However, there was a humorous extension to that motto: "...caught raiding the noble daughters' bedchambers". When the Askari beauty heard a fellow warrior say that, she denied nothing – instead smiling and rolling her eyes coyly.
The Valkyrie – who was the unspoken third full member of the war party, albeit a nameless one as she, like all of her kin, did not remember her earthly appellation – witnessed how the relationship between the two battlemaidens evolved from cautious interest befitting two chance comrades in war to friendship... and then beyond. That happened one night in Harrogath when, as she knew, the Amazon and the Rogue first became intimate not just in the soul, but in flesh as well...