[Intro][Frame drum and tagelharpa pulse under a low female vocal.]

[Verse 1 - Female Lead Valkyrie]
I bound my hair with iron wire,
I washed my hands in snow,
I took the helm from elder fire
Where only riders go.
The ravens dipped their ink-black heads,
The spear burned cold and blue,
I spoke the words the old ones said,
And every word was true.

[Pre-Chorus]
Bring the brave, leave the weak,
Do not bend, do not speak.
Raise the worthy from the clay,
Carry death the godward way.

[Chorus]
This is the Valkyrie’s Oath, by feather, frost and flame,
I will lift the chosen up and never lose a name.
This is the Valkyrie’s Oath, by saddle, sword and sky,
I will serve the One-Eyed Lord until the last men die.
But under my armor, under the gold,
A question keeps breathing in the cold.

[Verse 2 - Female Lead Valkyrie]
We rode above a frozen ford,
Where brothers split a field,
One had a ploughshare, one a sword,
Both had the same old shield.
The king cried glory from the ridge,
His banner cracked like bone,
The dead lay thick beside the bridge,
And none of them died alone.

[Pre-Chorus]
Bring the brave, leave the weak,
Do not bend, do not speak.
Raise the worthy from the clay,
Carry death the godward way.

[Chorus]
This is the Valkyrie’s Oath, by feather, frost and flame,
I will lift the chosen up and never lose a name.
This is the Valkyrie’s Oath, by saddle, sword and sky,
I will serve the One-Eyed Lord until the last men die.
But under my armor, under the gold,
A question keeps breathing in the cold.

[Instrumental Break][Tagelharpa plays the motif while guitars answer in short gallops.]

[Bridge]
One man smiled when I took his hand,
One man begged to stay.
One had sons on the river sand,
One had debts to pay.

[Bridge 2]
If honor is chosen, why did I choose?
If fate is written, who holds the clues?

[Breakdown]
I said the oath.
I swallowed the cry.
I carried the dead.
I did not ask why.

[Final Chorus]
This is the Valkyrie’s Oath, by feather, frost and flame,
I will lift the chosen up and never lose a name.
This is the Valkyrie’s Oath, by saddle, sword and sky,
I will serve the One-Eyed Lord until the last men die.
But under my armor, under the gold,
The question grows teeth in the cold.

[Female Lead Coda]
This is the Valkyrie’s Oath — and the oath grows old.

[Outro][Female voice holds the final line over low drums.]