Fate/Grand Order © TYPE-MOON
"We have no rights to be talking about this, but I feel like we need to."
"That much, I agree."
Two Servants—two Kings of Knights, were sitting in a lounge inside Chaldea, facing each other. They rarely made time for little talks like this, for their priority lied with assisting their Master to save the future of mankind, but this time was an exception.
"I know you have noticed this, Arturia."
"That I believe you have too, Arthur."
Their emerald eyes were strictly fixated on each other, with a concerned glow in both pairs. A heartbeat later, they said in unison.
"Mordred."
It all begun with a minor mission. Ritsuka was about to go to a farming spree, and according to the information they got from Dr. Romani, their destination had Lancer-class and Rider-class enemies, so Ritsuka picked her best Sabers and Assassins to accompany her and Mashu. Arturia was chosen along with Mordred—the latter hadn't been too pleased, but opted to stay silent anyway.
However, when Ritsuka announced she'd bring Henry Jekyll with them, Arturia noticed a slight change in the—she bitterly thought—Knight of Treason's eyes. The usually bored emerald glowed with excitement, which lasted only a few seconds. An act of reserve, Arturia assumed, and she was not wrong. Mordred would prefer not to show any kind of mundane emotions aside from pure enjoyment of battles, and as a knight, to refrain oneself from showing too much emotions on the battlefield was a wise choice. Yet, Mordred still let a tiny bit of her personal emotion came out.
On instinct, Arturia kept an eye on her offspring—it was still weird and bitter for her to remember of Mordred's origins, after all—and something really unexpected caught her attention.
Mordred's eyes almost never left Jekyll.
"You are pale again today." Was her reason every single time Jekyll asked if something was on his face.
"I was born with this kind of skin, Sabe—"
"Cut the crap, Doc. There are two Sabers here, in case your brilliant mind forgets."
Jekyll sighed, "Alright, Mordred. My bad."
Mordred had grinned at that time, a trait not unusual from her, Arturia noted, but somehow it was filled with more satisfaction.
"Parenting? Watching your kid grow?" Semiramis, as another Assassin that tagged along, had asked that time, but her smile gave a sense of mischievousness that almost reminded Arturia of that golden walking pile of arrogance. "Does the thought of your own child having a close friend do well enough to make you wary?
"I'm merely curious." Arturia replied. "While I am aware that Mordred would never show such a pleasant expression towards myself, it puzzles me as to what makes Doctor Jekyll so special."
Semiramis gave a stifled laugh, "My, you are hopelessly dense for a parent."
Arturia almost took offense at the Empress' remark, but she knew she couldn't. Semiramis was right, after all.
"But you tell me, King of Knights." Arturia was almost surprised to hear Semiramis even attempted to prolong a conversation with her, "I too have never seen such a mirthful expression on her face. Not even when she was ready to hit an enemy with her Noble Phantasm. This pleasant expression resembles contentment more than excitement."
The Empress of Assyria turned her head slightly, with her everlasting smirk on her lips. "It's a good opportunity for you to watch over her."
The mission had gone smoothly, and Arturia, as a sub-member of the team, had the best chance to observe—Jekyll never let any Riders lay a finger on Mordred, and Mordred did the same against the Lancers.
"If they are getting along and charging through the enemies that well, we may not even be needed here." Semiramis commented.
"Substitutions are needed as an emergency measure, right, Senpai?" Mashu replied, and Ritsuka nodded.
"There's that, but I guess it's only fair for Arturia to find out a bit more about what's been going on." Arturia raised her eyebrows while Mashu stared at her with a confused look. Only Semiramis seemed to know what their Master meant, and suppressed another laugh.
What Arthur had experienced was different from Arturia, but had its similarities. He was walking around Chaldea, looking for something to snack on in the middle of the night—the habit that assure everyone else that he and Arturia were really of one origin—and found something unexpected instead.
Deep in the quiet dining room of Chaldea, Arthur's eyes came across a sight so peaceful, so solemn, that even he didn't feel like intruding.
Mordred and Jekyll were sitting across each other, in the middle of the night, illuminated by the dim lights. From where he stood—or hide—Arthur couldn't hear their conversation in details, but he could guess that it was something pleasing.
Jekyll's side of table had books and papers scattered, his hand holding a pen as he constantly scribbled on his papers, while Mordred had her chin on her palms, responding to everything Jekyll said with a wide grin. Arthur was so mesmerized by the sight—the usually meek Jekyll was speaking enthusiastically, and Mordred showed the same amount, if not more, interest on her face. Arthur had this impression that there was little to no things that were included in the things that they shared mutual interest with, but that night, he thought he might be proven wrong.
"—it's already late, Saber. Go to sleep." Arthur had carefully stridden closer now, still concealing his presence—the reason he still didn't back down despite knowing how unpleasant Mordred would be if she found out he was there was he still needed that snack—but he could now hear most of their conversation. "I heard Master will go on another mission. She might ask you to come along, you'll need a rest."
"Nah, no chance." Mordred rested her arms behind her head, closing her eyes. "Said they are going to farm for Archers tomorrow. No chance a Saber like me is included in the team."
Jekyll smiled thoughtfully. "Yet, you still need a rest."
"And you don't, Doc?" She opened an eye, only to find Jekyll smiling sheepishly.
"I still need to go through a few things. Sorry if this bores you."
What Arthur saw was the sincerest smile Mordred had ever shown to anyone in Chaldea. "Spending time with you has never caused me boredom, Doc."
Arthur almost felt embarrassed from watching them.
But his stomach would growl in any second, so he decided to come out of his hiding, acting naturally as if he had just arrived. Arthur was about to casually greet both Mordred and Jekyll when he noticed that Mordred's figure was slightly slumped, and that her poor excuse of a clothing—in Arthur's opinion, anyway, since it barely covered anything—was covered by a coat that definitely belonged to Jekyll. The said young man was staring at his sleeping companion with an amount of affection that made even Arthur blush.
It was not long after that Arthur decided to make his presence known and finally greeted Jekyll, surprising the latter.
"We were—are —not the best examples of parents, both of us…"
"I agree…"
Arthur ruffled his hair in frustration. "Yet this feeling of protectiveness suddenly arose! I mean, I know Doctor Jekyll is a wonderful gentleman, and that Mordred doesn't care of what I—we—think, but still…"
Arturia put down the cup of tea she had in her hand. "Calm down, Arthur. I understand that feeling perfectly. However, we must think about this thoroughly. While we can barely call ourselves her 'parents', it is no doubt that we both want the best for Mordred."
"…and she might turn into a Berserker if she finds out about us meddling in her personal relationship with others…"
"…I have not thought of that possibility, but I think Semiramis once mentioned that Mordred does have the tendencies of a Berserker, so perhaps that is not completely impossible."
Both Kings of Knights sighed.
"…I think we're two of those overprotective dads that won't let their daughters go on a date until they're fifty." Arthur's statement made Arturia sigh even more.
"We just…need to make sure Doctor Jekyll does not do harm."
The Kings of Knights had their doubt repulsed.
Arturia witnessed how unthinkable that Jekyll would bring any harm to Mordred—because even Hyde didn't do so.
It had been a mistake on their part. The terrain was tricky, and they were at a geographical disadvantage with the surrounding cliffs and huge trees. The enemy could be anywhere, and before they realized an arrow flew in their direction—particularly, Jekyll's.
Before they knew it, Mordred had taken the hit for herself.
The arrow pierced through her armor, stabbing her shoulder. Mashu had been quick, giving everyone a defense enhancement and Ritsuka immediately used a healing spell on Mordred, but someone else had already acted even quicker.
Jekyll flew towards the direction of where the arrow came from, and Arturia's eyes didn't miss an empty bottle on the ground.
Jekyll had used his Noble Phantasm—Dangerous Game.
Arturia had once seen Jekyll transform, and even as someone who had seen countless of atrocities, she had to admit that Hyde was indeed an evil being.
This time, though, the killing intent was overflowing from Hyde's body, and she was sure their enemies stopped in their tracks due to fear.
Needless to say, every enemy of theirs had been slaughtered solely by Hyde, and when he returned to the team, he wasn't spouting his usual killing nonsense. Instead, he approached Ritsuka and an injured Mordred, while still wordless, offered his back to Mordred. That was when Arturia noticed Hyde's red eyes slowly turned into gentle green of Jekyll's.
"You may stay stubborn and say it's not a big wound, but it still pierced through your armor and flesh. I don't care what you want to say, I will carry you." Jekyll's usual gentleness was replaced by a novel strictness.
"Worrywart." Mordred had replied, but she still complied. Ritsuka decided that it was enough for the day, and they returned to Chaldea shortly after.
Mordred's wound wasn't severe, but now Arturia had seen how concerned Jekyll—and Hyde, in a way—were.
"We may not have a room to worry, after all." Arturia concluded, while a still slightly anxious Arthur was sipping his tea. Ever since this issue regarding Mordred was brought up, the Kings of Knights often had some tea drinking session together, and this was dubbed as 'bonding sessions with myself' by Ritsuka.
"…I still need to do something."
Sensing something unusual from Arthur's tone, Arturia frowned. "What do you mean—"
Before Arturia could finish, Arthur had already gotten up from his seat and hastily made his way to God knew where, and Arturia followed closely behind with a puzzled look. "Hey, Arthur!?"
Mordred was enjoying another relatively peaceful day in Chaldea, stretching her stiff muscles while having a stroll. Jekyll was in another mission, and it wasn't like she always had to be by Jekyll's side twenty-four hours a day…right?
"Mordred."
A sudden voice startled her, but upon recognizing the owner of the voice, she frowned. "Is there something you may need me for, King of Knights?"
There stood Arthur, basked in his glorified armor, his eyes piercing hers with a weird gaze she couldn't name. "There is something I have to ask you."
Without any second to waste, Arthur firmly grabbed Mordred's shoulders and stared at her right in the eyes.
"Please date responsibly!"
Mordred was dumbfounded, and Arturia, who was following closely behind, slapped her own forehead.
"Don't do dangerous things! His Noble Phantasm might be called Dangerous Game, but you don't have to follow it! Don't drink alcohol alone with him, don't just follow him wherever he goes—ouch, Arturia!?"
Arturia had grabbed Arthur in the arm, "That's enough, Arthur. You need to cool your head down."
"Hey—"
"…and Mordred?" Arturia's tone, calming as ever, got Mordred's attention. "…you know we're wishing for your happiness."
With that, Arturia dragged Arthur away, the latter still complaining, while Mordred was left stunned for a few seconds.
Then, a realization hit her.
"…is it that obvious?" She murmured, trying not to blush.
She needed to improve her pretending game.
A/N: this was done in a rush after 84 years not writing a story with an actual plot so I apologize for any mistakes found and OOCness that ensues.