Author’s Notes: I sincerely apologize for my abrupt disappearance for the past two weeks. There was a whole bunch of drama with bill payments with my roommates and it was a whole thing. Unfortunately I can’t guarantee that this won’t happen again sometime in the distant future but at least for the time being it’s back to business as usual.

~O~

Before she came to Everguard or even the human realm itself Sigrdrífa was part of Epsilon, a battalion made up of the finest Valkyrie warriors Heaven had to offer. After making her mark on the battlefield and attaining the rank of lieutenant Sigrdrífa spent the last thousand years honing her skills, sparring with her contemporaries and training her subordinates. It became a droll routine she eventually grew tired of but there was nothing else she could do.

At least that was how it was until she was suddenly chosen to investigate a disturbance in the human world. Normally such a task would be delegated to one of their agents already outside heaven’s gates however this was different. The request came at the behest of one of the Seraphim, the highest authority in Heaven second only to the Goddess Erestia herself. It highlighted that the situation must be of the utmost importance and requires a warrior of her caliber to make a personal visit.

The Valkyrie was initially ecstatic to be receiving a mission like this. Not only was it a break away from the monotony that has been ongoing for centuries but it was also a mission of seemingly great importance. And so without further delay Sigrdrífa departed from Heaven arriving in the Kingdom colloquially known to humans as the ‘Order Capitol’ where she was received by the locals with all the pomp expected. She barely wasted time with pageantry only staying long enough to learn a few factoids about her destination, Wenia, and how to get there.

She would depart a week after her arrival with a suitably strong horse, relevant supplies and a single assistant/guide in the priestess Isobel to help her navigate the lands. Wenia was a considerable distance from the capitol but distance would be the least of their worries on this journey. What was supposed to be a two month journey ended becoming seven months as the two were forced to take detours along the projected path due to several obstacles and unforeseen circumstances that not only lengthened the time but caused complications.

Throughout all this Sigrdrífa was exposed to humanity and what it had to offer. Now not to say that Sigrdrífa was completely ignorant of them even if she did not have much experience with humans she was far from ignorant to their ways. It would be counterintuitive for those in Heaven not to be aware of the behavior of the people they are sworn to protect. Because of this a certain level of decorum was expected of her when interacting with humans something her superior encouraged her to do to an uncomfortable degree.

Because of this Sigrdrífa’s journey took her on a winding path through major cities, rural towns and even backwater villages. This often led to a number of detours from the main journey that would take days or even weeks to resolve. The experience was more than what she wanted and for better or worse Sigrdrífa was now intimately aware of the history, proclivities and politics of the humans in certain places of these lands. It did not endear humans to her as a race but that was fine since she was only there for a specific purpose and once done would return to her rightful place in Heaven.

That was the hope she had once she arrived in Everguard.

For the first time in weeks Sigrdrífa felt like she might be on to something as even before she stepped foot in the small town she felt something off with it. Or she was just that desperate to find something, anything to put an end to the mission. What she ended up finding was a powerful Demon hiding amongst the populace. She and Isobel would then spend the rest of the day investigating her, unearthing the damage said Demon may have caused to the town and acquiring allies that would aid them in defeating her.

Shockingly despite taking up residence in town for several years the Demon has not done much in the way of corruption. In fact out of everyone in the town only a single boy was marked with her influence, a boy whom she was known to have a close relationship with. It was a peculiar thing but it only made Sigrdrífa’s job easier and after procuring the cooperation of the town guard she launched an attack at the earliest convenience.

The boy’s presence was an easily solved inconvenience and while the reveal of the Demon’s identity of being a scion of one of the accursed greater demonic houses was unexpected in the end the will of the Goddess prevailed and the Demon was sent scurrying back into the abyss. The likelihood of her surviving direct and sustained contact with Heaven’s holy light was slim to none.

In any case a member of the possibility of a Demon from a powerful clan moving to take a kingdom under the Order seemed like a disturbance worthy of a Seraph’s attention and her intervention. With the Demon’s presence revealed and thwarted Sigrdrífa expected to be congratulated on a mission done and be given the order to return. Imagine her surprise when she was informed that it wasn’t the kingdom that had taken the Seraph’s attention but the boy whom the Demon had enthralled.

~O~

Sigrdrífa knelt in the small chapel with her hands clasped in prayer. Contrary to popular belief it was not a requirement for her to be on hallowed grounds to communicate with Heaven but she kept up the allusion of such as a means of acquiring privacy after all these communications often dealt with sensitive information not to be heard by human ears.

“{It is just as I suspected, that boy is of the ‘Heroic Bloodline’}”

Sigrdrífa could barely contain her shock at this news “I thought they were all already found.”

“{Not even we can keep track of all the descendants across the ages}” the stern angelic voice whispered “{there could still be quite a few scattered across the realm of man}.”

“Am I to escort him to the Capitol?”

“{Yes, the boy needs to be placed somewhere more secure. He will also need guidance.}”

Sigrdrífa felt a pit in her stomach form at the words bust asked nonetheless “what do you have in mind?”

“{You will take him under your tutelage and instruct him in the ways of combat}”

The Valkyrie’s hands clenched.

“{You find issue with this?}”

“N-no your eminence!”

“{Speak your mind Sigrdrífa}”

The Valkyrie pursed her lips “I feel I am unsuitable for this task.”

“{And why is that?}”

“My experience in the human world has been…tumultuous and I fear it may impact my ability to properly guide him.”

“{You feel uncomfortable with teaching him}”

Basically.

“Yes.”

“{I understand your worries}” whatever hope Sigrdrífa felt at those words were dashed in the next moment “{unfortunately I am afraid that we don’t have the luxury of a second option}”

“What do you mean?”

“{The Demon may yet still live}”

‘Impossible she was exposed directly to the holy light of heaven itself.’

{Do not underestimate these creatures Sigrdrífa. They may not be as beastly or vicious in appearance compared to previous iterations however the monsters of today are at their most powerful and resilient they have ever been.}”

Sigrdrífa scowled having experienced this resilience first hand. Sigrdrífa had fought many Demons in her time and once upon a time a Demon of Eveleena’s caliber would have been one of the Overlord’s generals commanding legions not some rogue traipsing about random towns. The thought brought unto the fact that if it weren’t for the holy spear containing essence of the Heaven’s light then Sigrdrífa might have actually lost that fight.

The thought brought a scowl to her face and a tremble to her hands as they gripped tightly in their clasp.

“{There is no doubt that this Demon is aware of the boy’s lineage.}”

Of course, why else would a Demon, an Astaroth for that matter bring special attention to a single boy?

“{Knowing her kind she may attempt to take the boy at the earliest convenience}”

“I will not allow that to happen.”

“{As you should for you are now placed in charge of nurturing him until he is ready. Do what you must to ensure his safety Sigrdrífa but above all else he must not be allowed to fall into the Demon’s hands}”

“By your command.”

~O~

Whenever Sigrdrífa found herself feeling upset, disappointed or any myriad of negative emotions she found that the only way to relieve these built up negative emotions was through physical labor. Her preferred method of stress relief revolves around combat or barring that a spar or even just intense exercise or training regimens. Unfortunately Sigrdrífa did not have the luxury of doing any of those at this time.

So in the days following she poured her time into investigating the Demon’s activities in Everguard whilst trying to gleam whatever plan she may have had for the Kingdom of Wenia. For this Sigrdrífa enlisted the aid of Commander Elias, whom had his men on high alert for suspicious individuals as well as closely monitoring those entering or leaving town, for an investigation into the Demon.

What was left of the Demon’s mansion was rendered off limits with a subtle spell of deterrence for any curious townsfolk. Sigrdrífa would have preferred to work alone however the commander’s resources and his knowledge were invaluable in piecing together the mystery surrounding the actions of the Demon during her time in Everguard.

To her surprise Elias was more capable and reliable than Sigrdrífa would have thought for someone stationed in a place like Everguard. Goddess knows she’s seen less capable people in higher positions at places much less peaceful. The commander had both a personal and professional stake in this investigation. Protecting Everguard was his duty, one he took very seriously and being tricked by a Demon was an insult he took personally.

Unfortunately even with his help they hardly managed to find anything among the Demon’s personal effects that would suggest some nefarious larger plan. That as to be expected since the Demon could just as easily store anything important in a personal pocket dimension of her own making.

In any case with that dead end Sigrdrífa was left with fortifying the town via holy enchantments placed around its entirety. These will not only deter any monsters from even attempting to enter Everguard but will also prevent any under their influence from entering as well. Once this was done Sigrdrífa found herself without much to do, having thought that between the investigation and fortifications she would be kept busy but that only lasted for two days, one for each.

She could have begun training Jacob or at the very least question him about his time with the Demon but she stayed her hand. Sigrdrífa had kept it out of her mind since it happened but her first encounter with Jacob had made the wrong kind of impression on her. She’d met a few Valkyries who had trained Heroes before and they have always spoken of how wonderful their time was with them, how good their relationship was and how proud they were of both the hero and themselves.

Sigrdrífa wouldn’t admit it but sometimes she felt just the tiniest bit of envy and it might be why she took up an instructor position in Heaven but regardless Sigrdrífa had expectations. The bar was already lowered due to the many encounters of humans during her travel and Jacob's borderline heretic rejection had shattered whatever optimism she had in training the boy.

Oh Sigrdrífa would still do it as it was an order however as for establishing a good rapport with the boy, she might not be capable of this. She would never admit this but Sigrdrífa was at a loss as to how she should even approach training the boy and was in desperate need of advice. Contacting Heaven was out of the picture, Sigrdrífa could not stand to bother her superior for such a trivial matter. On the other hand there happened to be a whole host of Angels and Valkyries residing in the Order Capitol.

Alternatively her journey with the boy could prove to be the deciding factor of whether or not their relationship could be salvaged, after all it would be weeks before they arrived at their destination and a lot could happen in that time. Until then Sigrdrífa would continue her investigations and give Jacob the necessary time and space to reconcile with his parents.

~O~

When she wasn’t busy with the investigation or fortification of the town Sigrdrífa would isolate herself in the surrounding forest of Lord Brimsey’s estate in order to practice with her holy lance. If a human were to witness her in this moment then they would have likened each swing, thrust, twirl of her spear to poetry in motion, her elegant movement and footwork akin to an elaborate dance and many other artistic descriptions that the Valkyrie herself would not care for.

Time seemed an abstract concept during her training and so when she sensed Isobel’s approach she didn’t exactly know long she had been at it.

“Lady Sigrdrífa.”

“You sound troubled Isobel” she noted “what is it?”

“I was just informed that last night a few of the guards got drunk at a tavern and told the patrons of your battle with the Demon.”

Sigrdrífa frowned “what is the extent of their knowledge?”

“The town is now aware of your presence and Jacob’s involvement with the Demon.”

Sigrdrífa was not really surprised by this. She was actually more surprised that they were able to hold their tongues for so long, yet another point in favor or Commander Elias’ leadership.

“Then it is no longer necessary for me to keep hidden then.”

If Sigrdrífa was being frank despite not craving attention she has grown weary of constantly hiding herself, hiding who she was and that is not even mentioning how boring it was. So really, those guards did her a favor by leaking her existence to the public.

“They shouldn’t have been at that tavern in the first place” Isobel huffed.

In contrast to Sigrdrífa’s mood and thoughts on the guards, Isobel was more critical of them. It appears that their backing down from the Demon at the start had lowered their standing in her eyes. Sigrdrífa has come to respect the priestess in their time spent together, so much so that she sometimes forget that for all that she was competent in combat Isobel was no warrior. And while Sigrdrífa appreciated her devotion to the Goddess and zeal in the eradication of monsters the fact that she couldn’t tell a strategic retreat from cowardice does not bode well for her future.

“It’s fine, at least now I won’t have to hide myself anymore” she admitted freely.

“Is that alright?” Isobel questioned knowing that the Valkyrie had a mild aversion towards making contact with humans.

“Yes, in fact I think I will pay a visit to the town and confirm these rumors” before she could do this however a thought entered her mind “what of Jacob?”

“Nothing significant has happened to him” he priestess dutifully reported “though I can’t imagine that he will be left in peace after the rumors of involvement spread.”

Sigrdrífa hummed “unavoidable but have a few guards keep an eye on him nonetheless.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

~O~

Unlike the Gods their servants are not significantly affected by faith and worship, their powers are drawn from the realm in which they belong to rather than from mortal faith. Despite this they are able to judge the validity of that faith if they focus their senses and as far as Sigrdrífa can tell the people of Everguard have genuine faith in the Goddess Erestia. Something that Sigrdrífa has come to realize was that not all faith and worship are equal and just as there are humans who are disingenuous, so too does it reflect in their faith.

The people here, when they pray in her presence she could faintly feel a tingle resonate within her through her connection to Heaven. It is for this reason why Sigrdrífa found interacting with a majority of Everguard’s residents to be not so bad, even downright enjoyable if she was being honest.

These were simple, devoted and pious folk who kept their noses clean, something that the Valkyrie can get behind. There was no hidden agenda, no trying to curry favor with her as if she has the ability or inclination to absolve them of their sins and most importantly there was no fear or propaganda to distort her image and the reason for her presence. It disgusted her to know that some humans within the Order had tried to use her presence as a means of fear mongering and to advance their agendas.

Speaking of, some of the worst interactions with humans actually came from members of the church and the Order itself. It filled her with rage to know that those people were supposed to be part of the mortal army fighting on behalf of her Goddess. Some of them were no better than the scum they fought and others were of a different sort of scum. Regardless, despite her upset Sigrdrífa was forbidden from interfering with human politics and so she held herself from smiting the offenders.

It is the reason why Sigrdrífa seldom reveals herself to the public and especially the Order. Everguard on the other hand was one of the few places where she felt genuinely comfortable being herself. So for the next few days she would venture across the town, interacting with the people, performing miracles, asking about the Demon and so on. She even went on to ‘punish’ the guards for leaking her presence by overseeing training and administering advice to Commander Elias about instilling proper discipline.

After a week in Everguard Sigrdrífa had actually calmed down quite a bit and with the preparations for her transport nearing completion Sigrdrífa was content. Unfortunately this could not last and it was with a bit of hesitance that she announced her departure to Isobel whom would pass the message to Jacob. As much as Sigrdrífa was grateful for the peace she still had her duties. Not to mention when word eventually gets out about her presence to the outside then it may give the local lords ideas of ‘inviting’ her to parties or try to curry favor with her.

Plus the sooner they could go on the road the sooner she could begin Jacob’s training.

The day before Sigrdrífa was in the middle of training with her lance when she felt it, a disturbance. It did not come from the wards she placed around Everguard but from something else that was much more significant. This feeling she received only persisted and grew worse as time went on.

“What is this?” her brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to figure out exactly what was happening.

Then it happened.

One moment he was there and the next, he was gone and it was then she realized from where that feeling she had stemmed. The moment she was ordered to train Jacob Sigrdrífa had done the required rites all Valkyries did when taking humans under their guidance and established a connection with the boy unbeknownst to him. This connection is a special brand inherent to celestials and cannot be easily severed by space, time or most brands of magic.

It was through this connection that helped her keep track of Jacob’s whereabouts in Everguard without being anywhere near him and just now he had just vanished.

She couldn’t sense him!

“No…no-no-no-no-no” as the situation began to sink in the Valkyrie fell to her knees “w-what have I done?”

There was no mistaken why Jacob was taken from under her nose so easily. She wasn’t there. The moment she was given charge of Jacob’s training Sigrdrífa should have taken him out of Everguard instead of wasting time investigating the Demon. At this moment he would have been undergoing body conditioning and education under her and Isobel’s care and protection.

Now he was Goddess knows where!

Sigrdrífa began to hyperventilate. Never before had she blundered so horribly and now they’ve lost one with the Heroic Bloodline.

‘And it’s all my fault…’

“ENOUGH!” she shouted to herself, forcibly calming herself down and clearing her mind of all but one thing.

‘I may still be able to find him.’

Desperately she poured all her faculties into concentrating on her established bond with the boy.

“…!”

Faintly she sensed him at the very edge of her awareness.

‘I can barely sense him’ she thought in alarm before her expression became determined ‘but I can and that is all that matters.’

As she stood up her armor materialized around her in a flash of golden light. Her next course of action was to seek out Isobel inside the manor. Upon noticing her expression and choice of clothing the priestess straitened her posture ready to receive orders.

“Is everything alright Lady Sigrdrífa?”

 “No, Jacob was taken” she informed.

Isobel recoiled at the news “wha-how?”

“Somehow agents of the Demon managed to get by the wards and abscond with him” the Valkyrie went on “Jacob is no longer in Everguard” this news drew a gasp from the priestess however the Valkyrie held a hand up stonewalling any questions “he is quite a distance away but I can still sense him, hope is not lost. I will go after him, alone.”

Understanding her desire the priestess nodded “what will you have me do?”

“Prepare for our departure as planned and get whatever necessities of Jacob from his parents. If I don’t return by the end of the day you are to leave and venture to Stonehaven as we planned. Wait two days, if you don’t see us by then continue en route and wait for no more than two days at every major destination until you arrive at the Luviel Port. If you don’t see us by the time the next ship to Druvia departs then take it as confirmation that we will likely not meet again and head straight to the Capitol understand?”

“I…”

Sigrdrífa grasped her by the shoulder “am I understood Isobel?”

The priestess stiffened before nodding “y-yes, Lady Sigrdrífa.”

“Good, now go.”

The single worded command had the priestess rush away to make the preparations while Sigrdrífa went back outside at a brisk pace. While her outward reaction had settled into a calm her mind still raced as her senses desperately clung to her connection with Jacob. Once outside the Valkyrie spread her four wings and took to the sky in a burst of speed fueled by magic.

As she flew using the Valkyrie’s Bond as a guide to his location Sigrdrífa could not help but feel the shame begin to creep in. How she failed her charge, how she ignored him and wasted the time she could have used to get to know him to instead gallivant around the town. Yet despite these negative emotions threatening to swallow her psyche Sigrdrífa kept them at bay with a spark-turned-raging-inferno of determination.

The determination to rescue Jacob, deliver righteous fury on the harlots who took him and most importantly the determination to do better.

~To be Continued~

As always you can read up to four chapters ahead on my Patreon at: www.Patreon.com/Streggaeworks.