She dreamed... she dreamed of... fire.
Fire everywhere.
"Ortlinde!"
The raised voice of her sister forced her to open her eyes.
Valkyrie Ortlinde scanned the room, as per her routine demanded.
White and grey walls, white sheets, white implements, a single TV with a videogame console.
Situation normal, state normal.
She then gained confirmation of the presence of her sisters, Hildr and Thrùd, who were looking at her with concerned gazes.
"Sisters…" she said, moving in her beam bag. With her routine ended, her mind felt looser. "... What happened?"
"You fell asleep," Hildr said, voice unusually tender. She was playing a game on their console.
"Thrùd… confirm?" She asked her elder sister.
"It is true," Thrùd said, nodding. Her eyes were hardened, as was usual when her sisters made a mistake. "We Valkyries do not require sleep, we must stay alert at all times. What happened? Are you malfunctioning, sister?"
The barrage of questions made her feel warm.
"I… do not know…" she said. Her mind felt loose, too loose. Her thoughts were scrambled, and her eyes heavy.
"You don't look too good. Should we ask for…?"
"It was just a dream," Ortlinde interjected.
"Share it with us, so we may help you," Ortlinde always obliged, but this time, she felt something else.
That dream had been foreign. Strange. Terrifying.
She had seen a boy, walking amongst cursed flames.
She didn't want her sisters to know she dreamed of such things.
Moreover, something pulled at her in her mind. A feeling.
Emiya. He had answers. This had to do with him, and herself.
"Sorry sister but… I cannot. Something tells me–"
"Absolutely not. We need to be in perfect condition for… for…" Thrúd's voice trailed off, the Valkyrie looking away with a blush.
In that moment, Hildr interjected with a devilish smile.
"Our return gift!" She said. At this, both Ortlinde and Thrúd tensed. The youngest sister even felt a burst of static on her mind that interrupted her thoughts.
Emiya gave them a Valentine's gift a few weeks back, which had shocked the three of them. To add to their confusion, the sisters had all received a different one, meaning he didn't see them as the pieces of a whole, but as individuals.
They were troubled, because none of them could analyze the reasons of why or how he could see them that way, but he did.
"T-that's correct," Thrúd said, eyes closed and with a quivering mouth. "He may not see us as different, but we all appreciate him the same, for he is a wondrous warrior."
At this, Hildr's expression turned neutral, as if annoyed.
"If you say so. But I think…" Hildr fidgeted in her seat, pouting a little. Thrúd immediately turned to her, rigid.
"What?" She asked.
"… I think I like something else in him. He is a great warrior, but…" Hildr looked away from her sister. Ortlinde expected Thrúd to lecture her, but instead, she simply sighed.
When she poked in their network for answers, she was met with understanding from the elder sister.
"You like his human side, don't you?" Thrúd asked Hildr. "You shared hints in the network, but I know you, I can deduce what you're thinking, sister."
Ortlinde looked away from her fellow Valkyries. She did have a fondness for Emiya as well, outside seeing him as a worthy warrior, but what attracted her was different than what drew Hildr to him. He was a hero, a hero unlike others she met in her time.
But she would tell him that later, when the time was right to convey her… feelings.
That word was enough to make her cheeks flush.
"I find him interesting for a different reason as well," Ortlinde stated, bringing attention back to her. She was about to say something else, but the pair of eyes on her froze her in the spot.
Thrúd opened her mouth to speak, and then there was a knock on the door.
Hildr was quick as a flash to answer.
"Name?" She asked into the small panel that operated their bedroom's door.
"Oh my. Don't you know it's rude to ask for a Servant's name? Especially one you called for assistance?" A sweet, haughty voice answered Hildr's question.
"We must ask all for identification, it's protocol, you see," Hildr said with a smile.
"Well–"
"Enough of this," Thrúd said, her graceful self back on action. "Hildr, let Miss Crane in."
With a sigh, Hildr complied. And so, the door opened and in entered the person they had asked for help, clad in white and black robes alongside a distinctive, wide hat with a shape that was likened to witchcraft users in Europe.
"Very good day you three," she said
"Good day to you as well, Miss Crane. We're thankful for your assistance," Ortlinde stated, levitating slightly from her previous resting place.
"Oh, it's no issue. I'm always grateful for opportunities to dress people up. Now, let's see," her eyes darting between the three of them. Then, she closed them for a moment, face contorting slightly. "Ah, this is very good. You three are just… perfect!"
That shout made all three Valkyries stand straight up.
"P-p-perfect?" Ortlinde asked. She was a standard issue Valkyrie unit, not exceptional and not exceeding in any parameter. In fact, Hildr and Thrúd, and Gunnr and Geirdriful, were stronger than her.
"Yes, yes," Miss Crane said, head swinging forwards and backwards. "You have the potential to dazzle, all in your own way as well! I'd love to see you perform on stage, but you didn't call me for that, did you?"
"N-no. We just need some standard street clothes for–"
"No," Miss Crane said, interrupting Thrúd. Or more like, cutting her off like a warrior would cut down a hated opponent, and with the frown to accompany it.
"No?" Ortlinde asked in shock.
"I will not settle for standard. No matter if it's casual or elegant, on the battlefield or on the street, you will dazzle! For yourselves and nobody else," she declared, then her her darted away, voice turning into a whisper. "And maybe for me as well…"
Ortlinde paid that no mind. "C-confirmed. We'll dazzle, as you said."
"If that's what it takes!" Hildr said, cheeks slightly flushed.
"We Valkyries accomplish our task with pride," Thrúd said.
"Perfect! Now then, what is it you need clothes for?" Miss Crane asked, clapping her hands together.
The conversation that followed was an awkward one, full of embarrassment.
Ortlinde took a deep breath.
It was time.
She walked through a dense forest towards a clearing, which would give view to a lake.
Without her Mystic Code, she could neither fly nor float. It was awkward at times, but nothing else. If she wasn't able to stand on her two feet, she would be ashamed of herself, Valkyrie or not.
As twigs and leaves broke beneath her feet, she took time to assess the air.
Yet, her thoughts became interrupted by a voice.
"Ortlinde?" She turned her head to the left. There, the terrain lowered, revealing some tree's thick roots.
In this small crevice, Emiya stared at her.
"Emiya. Your presence was expected further up," she said, hands sliding to fiddle together, since her plan was in shambles from the onset.
"Y-yes, but Fujimaru kind of… left me on my lonesome for some reason, so I got worried," he said, eyes never straying off from her own, yet his expression remained neutral and aloof, as if he were one of her late sisters.
"I… I see. Well, at least you're here," she said. At this, Emiya raised an eyebrow.
"So you planned this?" He asked. Ortlinde nodded.
"Affirmative. Come, please," without a word, Emiya followed her closely.
They left the forest, and soon were face to face with a grassy field and a rocky shore a few meters ahead of it. The shire gave way to a lake, which extended a few kilometers ahead of them and was flanked by two mountains, forming a fjord.
Although it had changed, the location was clear in Ortlinde's memory, mostly thanks to her backup data banks.
Yes, there was no other reason for it.
"This place is…" Shirou said, going to her side and taking in the view. He was dressed as always, with his black vest, combat pants and white swan Mystic Code, which consisted of a capelet and waist cape.
It reminded her of the Red Archer, and also of the Valkyries themselves.
"... Lake Jølstravatn. Humans call it beautiful since the Age of the Gods," she said.
"I see. You seem to appreciate it as well," he said, looking her in the eye with a soft expression. However, as soon as she reciprocated, he looked away.
She blushed at the notion of evaluating the lake for artistic merits. "N-nonsense. I'm just stating one of the many reasons battles took place here. Kings and Queens, heroes and warriors, even phantasmals battled for the right to gaze upon this lake and to take it's resources. Thus, us Valkyries came here many times in search of worthy souls," she explained.
"I see. Despite being a battlefield, it became beautiful," he said.
"Yes. Well… this is just a simulation, done at my request. I have no first hand experience of what it would look like on this day," she said, hands fidgeting with the hem of her new outfit.
Shirou turned to her, face neutral. "So why here?"
She blushed, thinking of the reason. "I'll explain it to you. But first, we must have a meal. Or so those novels Murasaki shared with me say," she said. In her hand, a simple basket materialized, put together by Lady Ophelia, who wad much more in tune with Emiya's tastes.
"Oh. But I could have cooked something. It's the least I could-!"
Ortlinde raised a hand towards him. "That is not necessary. This is part of my return gift to you," when she said that Shirou winced.
She set the basket down, and materialized a small blanket. "Come now. Let's feast, great hero," what would have been a great honor to any self-respecting warrior turned into a wince in Shirou's face.
Still, he sat at her side, and soon both of them began esting in silence with only the sound of the river and wind to dull it out.
Despite everything going according to plan, as Ortlinde ate her sandwich at appropriate pace, she could not help but feel uneasy.
Not only because she wasn't used to her new clothes, which was a dress with a shirt underneath, thights, shoes and a beret with space for her communication wings.
Shirou simply stared at the river that stretched to the horizon, head never turning in her direction and not a word coming her way. It almost seemed intentional.
This wasn't going well, and asking her sisters for assistance was out of the question. This was her own time with Emiya.
She wondered for a second where that came from, but decided to focus on the present.
"Emiya," she said, putting down her meal. He turned to her, eyeing her with a blank stare, breath turning into vapor.
"What is it?" He asked.
"I…" a burst of static came, an interruption in her thought processes. She shook it off. "... I want to give you my return gift."
"Oh," was all he said, looking away from her. "Y-yeah, go ahead," he added while turning his sights back to her.
Ortlinde reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a smooth, small piece of paper. Inside was a text, written in Shirou's language, a courtesy of Murasaki.
Emiya's eyes widened as she sat on her knees to face him. She had some embarrassment, but she fought it down.
This was not only a gift after all; it was a declaration of not only her… feelings… towards him as a person, but also as a hero.
"O-ortlinde… that is-"
"A p-poem. Lady Murasaki helped me write some, but we Valkyries used to sing in Valhalla, so composing ln the spot is not a problem," she said.
Although, to tell the truth, they composed songs of stories, to celebrate heroes. Showing her feelings was another matter entirely, but a Valkyrie was proud and steadfast.
She could do this.
Emiya frowned for a split second.
"A poem huh? I mean, I'm thankful and all," he said, scratching the back of his head. "But why?"
That was hard to answer, cutting through her heart. She took a small, deep breath to steel herself. "Because I want you to be remembered," she said. "Because you are a hero to me, like every single human that crossed this battlefield" she said, gesturing to the lake, the beach and the fjord.
"But I'm not that kind of hero. I don't seek glory, I don't fight for loyalty, I just want to fulfill my ideal, to save everyone I can," he stated, looking her in the eye. His neutral expression had turned into one of determination and hardiness.
It made her heart skip a beat.
"Yes. You are different," she said. "By Valkyrie standards, you may not be a hero. However, to me… us…" she hesitated for a second, a pang of fear holding her words back. "... You are showing us that maybe there are more qualities to worthy warriors than we thought. And I would like to keep learning more."
She looked down, and then, she held a hand to her chest, fixing Shirou with an equally hard stare. "That's why I think you have a place among them! That's why you should be remembered, like them! And so…" she said, lowering her voice again. "... I made this, about you."
Shirou looked down, eyes strained. "Stop…" it was but a whisper. She paid it no mind as she tried to open the paper.
She opened her mouth. "A lonely…"
"Stop! Please…" he said, his sudden cry making her stop dead in her tracks. She looked at him, and his face seemed to be contorted in anguish.
A cold feeling, a horrible chill that spread from her chest ran through her.
"Emiya?" She asked, putting the small poem down.
"I… I don't deserve this…" he said, looking away. One of his hands gripped the blanket under them.
"D-deserve?" She asked, confusion taking over.
He looked at her in shock, as if his actions had been an uncontrollable outburst. Then, as she was about to speak again, he swallowed and let out a breath.
In a second he was back to being himself, a neutral and pleasant expression on his face.
Ortlinde pursed her lips. The cold feeling surged again in her chest.
"Sorry. I… never mind that. Thanks for all of this. Go on ahead," he said, motioning to the poem.
Ortlinde gripped it, hard.
"Emiya," she said, voice harsh, looking at him as if trying to bore a hole in his soul. "I may not know much about human emotions, but I am able to take notice of hidden thoughts. So please, I urge you to share, if only to ease your pain."
Shirou winced again, face contorting in anguish again as he bit his lip. For some reason, his usual facade of calmness was falling.
After a tense minute spent in the cold ambience of the grassy field, Shirou sighed, face relaxing.
"Alright. I... guess you deserve to know," he said, making eye contact with her. She saw something in his eyes, an attempt to hold something back.
"I am ready," she said, steeling herself.
"Ok… so… what do you know about the Scandinavian Lostbelt?"
That question was easily answered, as she knew little. Those reports were not yet available to them, for reasons unknown.
And with that, he told her everything, from how they entered, to their fight with Sigurd, his meeting of alternate Valkyries, the queen Scatach-Skadi, Napoleon's sacrifice and Ophelia's heroism. Emiya wasn't the best storyteller, but he still kept her attentive and on edge.
As he progressed in his tale, and when he mentioned the Valkyries, his face twisted a little, as if being hurt.
It made her chest ache, to see him like that. It seemed like a pain that could not be relieved.
When he reached the last stretch, where he explained how the other Ortlinde had been defeated and left behind, he was exhausted.
"... When I tried to reach to her, she cursed my name. And it was right to do so. I killed them," he said, pursing his lips. He then looked her straight in the eye. "I killed you for no good reason. I made you suffer. I… I left you three behind. What kind of hero, old or new does that, and for a goal as impossible as bringing back a dead world?" He asked, voice growing bitter, tone now reminiscent of a certain Red Archer.
She didn't know what to say. To hear of the fate of her alternate self, her alternate sisters… it pulled at her… her core. It made her want to cry in anguish.
Shirou had done wrong. He had, in a way, sealed her fate.
Yet, he had only wanted to save her.
She felt cold.
Shirou remained there, looking at the ground.
As a Valkyrie, she didn't have a guideline to follow in this situation. Warrior maidens did not clear warriors of sorrow of regret.
So she did what Ortlinde would do, pointless and misguided as it was.
She reached out, and interlaced his hand with hers. Shirou flinched at the contact, but did not fight back otherwise. His hand was hard and cold.
"I… it was a harsh battle. I can tell," she said, looking away. "I can't forgive you in her stead, I can't change her fate or yours. But…"
She closed her eyes, and Shirou looked at her.
She thought back to her sisters, to their counterparts in the Lostbelts.
They weren't her sisters, but all the same, a part of her mourned for their loss, for what they had to suffer.
The feelings poured into her like a dam, her chest a storm of anger, sadness, grief, denial and conflict.
The flame inside her wanted to lash out at Emiya.
But she did not.
She couldn't.
Even if her anger was rational, she couldn't lash out at him.
Because…
"... I don't hate you," she said, looking into his eyes, before dropping her head. "Even if you did all of that, to me you're still my… a hero, no matter how far you fall."
She lowered her head, out of embarrassment for saying something like that, and out of exhaustion from containing the storm of feelings in her chest.
"Ortlinde…" Shirou whispered, voice cracking.
He lowered his head as well.
Their foreheads touched, each holding the other aloft while she her hand still held his. Everything was warm now, and feeling him so close made the whirlpool of feelings settle.
Now, only a warm flame remained inside her, one she wanted to prolong.
They remained like that for a while, embraced by the cold winds.
A/N: Hi everyone! It's been a while, I think. Sorry for that. If you are wondering why, it's because...
My life has been very different lately, I've been finding my thoughts all over the place and I've been mostly doing a simple routine. Go to work, return home, laze about, and go to sleep. No writing involved in that, no tips asked for, no assistance requested, no imagination happening. Zilch.
Just recently I got back inspiration to write, and knowing I had left the return gifts hanging, I figured I might as well make them.
Still, even if it hasn't been long, I kind of feel out of practice. Still did my best tho.
Anyway, in this one episode, I decided to deal with Shirou and Ortlinde's relationship a little bit, and close that one thing both he and her shared that wasn't present with the other Valkyries.
Next up should be Thrúd I guess, then Hildr, then back to Immortal Decline. For that last one I have most of the next chapter written, so it should not take too long.
Also, also, I failed to get Okitan, so that's a bummer.
Also, also, also, Olympus was amazing. So amazing. I really liked it save for some stuff, but I think I still prefer Atlantis over it. Tell me what you guys thought about those two!
Anyway, that's all for now. No pipeline cause… my headspace is chaos right now. Sorry.
See you next chapter!