[Saber]
Collapsing onto the ground, the knight panted, gasping for breath. His sword, what was once a shining silver with a golden cross-guard, was now stained with blood. The most recent being the blood of the soldier he had just killed. The soldier who, at this very moment, still had a sword impaled through his stomach. The soldier with whom he had probably shed blood, sweat, and tears with. With whom he had probably survived countless battlefields with. Fought battles with. Battles that were fought for his king.
His armor, what was once a brilliant white with gold trimming was now covered in blood on top of obvious battle scars. Once more, the blood belonged to knights and soldiers whom he once called brothers. Brothers he would have gladly given his life for. Brothers he had drank with, celebrated with, and cried with. Now, however, some, if not all, of his brothers lay on this battlefield, their life taken from them far too soon. They may have had their differences in the past but one thing was clear to the young knight and it was the fact that all of them once served the same king.
The king who had fought alongside his own people, all for the sake of the country's prosperity. The king who rebels claimed to be 'too perfect', 'infallible' whenever asked for the reason why they would rebel against the king in the first place. The king who was so blindingly perfect that all the knights of the realm pledged undying loyalty to.
"-thur!" A small voice shouted in his head. Realizing he was shocked and his senses dulled from hours upon hours of fighting on this cursed battlefield of Camlann, the young knight squinted his eyes in an effort to focus on his surroundings.
"Arthur!" the voice was clearer now and the young knight realized that it was not a voice in his head rather, it came from quite a distance ahead of him. Looking up from his position, he saw that the shouting came from a lone figure in the distance. The lone figure stood amongst a mountain of bodies of armored soldiers, all of their lives having been extinguished, if the fact that none of them seemed to be moving were any indication.
All of a sudden, the young knight's heart was filled with rage. Pure unbridled rage at the figure in the distance. For he knew that the blame for this battlefield and the countless deaths that had occurred here rested solely upon that figure. That knight. That damn 'Knight of Treachery', some of the men had opted to call him before the battle began. Before their king led all of them into battle for quite possibly the last time.
Getting up, which was no easy feat in and of itself due to the fact that his right leg currently had an arrow sticking through it, the young knight dragged himself towards the lone figure in the distance.
"Arthur!" came another shout before a soldier in full body armor came charging at the figure from behind only for the soldier's efforts to be in vain as the intended attack had been parried with the figure's own attack before the figure cleaved the soldier in two. Seeing this, an even greater rage started seeping out of the young knight's heart. A rage that motivated the young knight to drag himself through the bodies below him. Every step he took, he heard a squelching sound as he either stepped upon the head of the deceased or one of their dismembered limbs. The young knight did not bother to look down for if he did, he would surely break down and scream at the Gods in the Heavens, asking for the reasons why this battle, this particular battle, had to happen.
The young knight was by no means inexperienced in the ways of battle. However young he was when compared to the rest of the knights, he was still fortunate, or unfortunate depending on who you ask, to have tasted the adrenaline and the rush of killing his opponents, whether that was on a battlefield similar to this one or in a life-and-death situation with his various enemies.
It took a few more minutes of the boy dragging himself across the field of bodies but eventually, he managed to reach a spot where he was a few feet away from the one responsible for all this.
"Show yourself, King Arthur!" the figure shouted once more, looking around frantically for their king.
"MORDREEEEED!" the young knight shouted, startling the figure in front of him. Turning around immediately, the figure raised the silver sword with a deadly intent. Recognizing the young knight, the figure lowered the weapon, guard dropping by just a tiny bit.
"Tch… It's just you, Arc" the figure replied, a tone of disappointment hidden beneath.
"Why?! Why did you do all this, Mordred?! You were once the most loyal of his knights. You would cut down every person who betrayed him. We bled together, fought together, laughed together, drank together, cried together. And yet… yet you have killed so many. You killed our brothers, you killed his people. For what reason?! Answer me!" the young knight screamed at Mordred, as he shook with rage.
"Hmph. You would not understand, Jaune Arc. You, who are called the Golden Knight, would never understand" Mordred spat and even though Jaune could not see the look of his face behind his helmet, Jaune knew that a look of disgust and hatred was etched across his face.
Seeing any attempts to talk to his former brother-in-arms lost, Jaune Arc raised his sword, Crocea Mors, as he prepared to do battle with Mordred, only to be met with a barking laughter "Hey, hey. You really intend to fight me? You're young but I never took you for an idiot, Arc. Tell me, have you ever beaten me?"
Gritting his teeth, Jaune could only stare at the person standing in front of him with eyes full of determination and hatred "Even so, I cannot let you go any further. I cannot let you disgrace the name of King Arthur any longer"
Jaune then charged, his sword held high above him as he placed all his power behind his sword and aimed for a downward slash, only for it to be met with Mordred's own sword, Clarent. Stopping it with seemingly no effort at all, Mordred then delivered a devastating punch to Jaune's gut, leaving him gasping for air.
"Give up, Arc. Even if you were part of the Round Table, you never could hold a candle to me. I've never really hated you so, I guess I'll spare your life." Mordred spat, before turning around. A few moments later, Jaune got up once more, for if there was anything he was experienced in, it was getting back up after getting kicked down.
Not willing to surrender, Jaune charged once more and this time, he aimed for Mordred's body with a thrust, only for the knight to easily swat his attack away, Crocea Mors leaving his hands. Not giving him a chance to react, Mordred immediately drove a sword through the young knight's body.
"Hmph. If it's any consolation, I don't enjoy killing you. I considered you one of my true friends" Mordred said, as he looked down at the dying knight and though Jaune could not see it, there was sorrow in Mordred's eyes as Jaune's body fell to the ground.
"No… Mordred… Why?" Jaune whispered, tears in his eyes as he could feel his lifeforce leaving him. The last image he saw was that of his king, the King of Knights, standing above them, Excalibur in hand, as he readied himself to battle Mordred.
"King… Arthur…" Jaune whispered once more. And then, darkness.
[Archer]
The girl awoke with a jolt, having been rudely awoken from a bird landing atop of her head. Checking her surroundings upon immediately woken up, she looked up to the sky above her and past the towering trees to see that the sun was high up and still in the middle of the sky, indicating that she did not miss her deadline. Her bow and arrows were neatly placed on her back while her personal weapon of choice, a scythe, was resting on her lap.
Sighing in relief, she sat up on the tree branch that she had chosen as a hiding spot, seeing whether or not her prey for today was close.
Fortunately for the girl, in the distance she could hear the distinct sounds of a carriage making its way through the forest, its wheels bumping loudly against the rocky forest road. Pulling her red hood over her face, the girl took out her red bow before nocking an arrow. However, seeing as it was too soon, she did not dare pull it back yet for fear of accidentally releasing it. However talented she was, she was still prone to making mistakes.
As the seconds passed by, the girl waited patiently among the trees, scanning her prey and took note of every little movement they made. It seems her information was a bit off as to the side of the carriage were two horses and saddled on top of each horse was a man, at least she assumed it was a man, in leather armor. Clicking her teeth, the girl reminded herself to ask for a refund the next time she met the person who sold her the bad information.
Aiming carefully for the chink in one of the soldiers' armor, the girl pulled back the string on her bow and after a few moments, released. The steel-tipped arrow sailed through the air without any resistance and finally, it struck one of the soldiers on his right arm, causing him to wail and fall down to the ground in pain as the horse he was on previously immediately ran away for safety.
In an attempt to stop the carriage from continuing on its journey, the girl shot the driver of the carriage in the arms before she refocused her attention on the soldiers. Seeing his comrade hurt, the other soldier immediately got off his own horse as he made to inspect his fallen comrade.
"Heh… Big mistake" the girl thought to herself, a sly grin on her face as she nocked and released, all done within the span of a second, another arrow, this time at the second soldier. The arrow hit its mark dead center on the soldier's right shoulder, as he collapsed to the ground, howling in pain and clutching his now bloodied shoulder. The first shoulder, having shaken off the pain from the arrow, got up and immediately scanned the surroundings for his attacker. Before he was able to, however, another arrow came sailing and this time, it went for his left arm.
Before any one of the soldiers could process what happened, another arrow was released but this time, it sailed passed him and hit his comrade in the legs. Seeing no other option, the first soldier then attempted to drag his comrade behind carriage, in an effort to shield themselves from the surprise attacks.
"You're wide open. Another mistake" the girl mused to herself once more, as she released one last arrow aimed at one of the soldier's legs, a deliberate attempt to immobilize him. When her attack struck true, she pulled her red hood even lower and another piece of clothing to cover half of her face. Slinging her bow on her back, she picked up her beloved scythe, Crescent Rose, and swiftly jumped from tree to tree until she was directly above the carriage.
From what she could see, the soldiers were now writhing on the ground as the both of them attempted to get behind cover. Fortunately for them, the girl had turned all her attention on her original prey, which was the people inside the carriage below her. Dropping down to the ground without making any noise, she placed her Crescent Rose against the carriage and nocked one more arrow on her bow before opening the carriage door.
Inside, she saw exactly what she expected to see. A plump man dressed in robes of nobility, albeit one of the lower nobles, cowering in fear as he clutched a leather bag close to his chest. A leather bag that sounded like it was full of gold coins.
"Give me the bag and I won't hurt you" the girl said to the man. Seeing the man did not comply, the girl scowled before she released an arrow to a spot just a few inches next to the man's head "That was on purpose. Next time, I won't miss"
Sweating profusely out of fear, the man immediately handed his attacker the pouch full of money. Opening it and seeing the contents filled to the brim with gold coins, the girl looked at the man once more and gave a mock bow "Ruby Hood, at your service" The girl then grabbed hold of her scythe and ran into the forest behind her as she made her escape.
[/]
After a few minutes of running, Ruby glanced behind her to make sure that nobody was chasing her. Seeing nobody behind her, the girl breathed a sigh of relief as she transitioned to a slow walk. Humming a slow tune to herself, she could not help but smile at today's haul before a slight scowl formed on her face.
"I said Ruby Hood, right? I'm pretty sure that man heard my name correctly. In fact, I'm sure every time I introduce myself, I say it clearly enough for them to hear. So why is it that people call me Robin Hood and not Ruby Hood. Who the heck is Robin, for that matter?" the girl muttered to herself. Sighing in defeat, Ruby finally arrived at her destination, the small village of Patch located in the outskirts of Sherwood Forest. Pulling her hood down and revealing her face, she stepped into the village grounds to be swarmed by a number of children, excited expressions on their faces.
"Ruby, Ruby!" one of the kids, a boy, shouted "Did you bring us anything today?!"
"Yeah, Ruby!" a girl this time "What'd you bring us? Show us!"
Chuckling, Ruby ruffled the heads of the kids in front of her "Not today, kids. Sorry" Ruby replied, much to the kids disappointed moans "I promise I'll bring you something next time"
Smiling brightly at the kids, Ruby made her way deeper into the village. She made it a point to fish out two or three gold coins from the bag in her hands and gave it to the villagers she passed by while she made her way deeper into the village. Young or old, man or woman, it did not matter to Ruby, everyone received an equal share of her haul and by the time she reached her own house, which was on the very edge of Patch, the bag in her hand was almost empty, with only one piece of gold coin remaining. Deciding to keep that for herself, she placed it in the pocket of her robes before entering her home.
"I'm home" the girl announced as she stepped through the door, although, as expected, no reply came from the house's interior. Placing her bow and arrows on a table and leaning Crescent Rose against her bed, she made for the backyard of her house. Once outside, she plucked a rose out of the garden bed she had taken care of all by herself, and made her way to a tombstone that was on right on the border of the village of Patch and forest before her.
On the tombstone, the letters engraved were:
Here Lies Summer Rose.
Beloved Mother To All.
Sitting down in front of the grave with a rose in hand, Ruby spoke, a hint of sadness as well as joy in her voice "Hey, mom. So, I went out again today. I know you never approved of me doing this but… I can't just do nothing. That's what you taught me, right? To always do good. To help people. Well, I'm helping people. I hope you're proud of me. Today, there were two guards so, that was unexpected. Heh… I came out pretty much fine, though, so there's no need to worry. I'm getting much better with the scythe, like you taught me. I know people say it's supposed to be a gardening tool and I'd be better off practicing with a sword but a scythe just… feels right. I don't know how to explain it. It just feels like the weapon I should be wielding"
A few seconds of silence passed as Ruby just sat there, staring at the grave in front of her, before she placed the rose on top of the tombstone "I have to go now. It'll be nighttime soon and I have to prepare dinner. Bye, mom" The girl said one last time as she wiped one lone tear from her face, before she got up and left for her house.
[Lancer]
There once was a girl -no, a warrior- whose hair was red like fire. Born during the summer months to a common man and to a divine mother, she was left in the wilderness to fend for herself, having been abandoned by her mortal father. Though, it was not out of choice that her father abandoned her, no, it was more a stroke of bad luck as her father was killed by a wild beast.
And so, it was that the child, with the final burst of strength from her father, was left within the trunk of a tree. Miraculously, the child managed to survive for seven days and seven nights and by the time her savior found her on the eighth day, the child was without even the slightest scratch. Amazed by the child's strength, her savior, one named Penthesilea, decided to raise her as her own, bringing her to her home of female warriors. To Themiscyra, home of the Amazons.
It was here where the girl was given the name Pyrrha Nikos, in honor of the Goddess of Victory herself, and went on to become one of the finest warriors the Amazons had ever produced. Considered to be among the best and trained by Penthesilea herself, she mastered the ways of the bow, the ways of the sword, the ways of the spear, the ways of unarmed combat, and even the ways of chariot riding. Truly, she was a warrior in every sense of the word.
While being one of the most skilled of her sisters, she also had an unquenchable thirst within her to help those in need, like how she was saved by Penthesilea all those years ago. And so, it was with conviction in her heart that she left her home and performed countless heroic deeds, from killing the terrorizing Chimera to helping to prepare medicine for the sick and elderly. In doing so, Pyrrha Nikos was able to etch her name into the history books.
She was also the most loyal of Amazons, following the orders of her mother and queen without any hesitation. That was why, when she heard that her mother made the decision to aid the Trojans in the aptly named Trojan War, Pyrrha did not hesitate to offer up her own life for her queen. And so, it was decided that Pyrrha, along with her Amazonian sisters, would accompany their queen into war.
And so it was that on this day, when the Greeks were successful in breaching the walls of Troy after nearly a decade of war, that she stood. Her red and bronze armor at the ready and with her javelin and shield, Milo and Akouo, in hand, she prepared herself for the battle to come. The bodies of her sisters and the people of Troy alike were now engaged in combat with the Greek invaders, as is Pyrrha.
In front of her, three Greek warriors, each of them a sword in hand and a shield in the other, came charging towards her. Swiftly dodging their attacks by sliding below them, Pyrrha turned around and stabbed her javelin into one of the soldier's heels before bringing her shield up to block the oncoming attack of another soldier. In a stalemate, Pyrrha then delivered a kick to the soldier's midsection that sent the man flying back a few feet before she followed up by throwing her javelin straight through the fallen enemy.
Not taking a moment to celebrate, the Amazon quickly rolled forward, narrowly dodging the overhead strike of the third soldier. Pulling out her javelin, she stared down the last two soldiers before she charged at the injured one from earlier. As if expecting this, the injured soldier leapt back as his comrade went in with a thrust towards Pyrrha's head. However, the redheaded Amazon expected this and swiftly dodged the strike as she got into the soldier's guard before proceeding to deliver an uppercut that sent the man staggering back. Pyrrha then finished her onslaught by instantly decapitating the man in front of her before turning her attention back towards the wounded enemy. Fear in his eyes, the soldier simply turned back and fled from Pyrrha.
Before the Amazon could give chase, however, she was stopped in her tracks as another soldier stood in her path, a spear of his own in his hand. The man had light blonde hair and wore plate armor on his body as well as on his feet. Staring at Pyrrha right in the eye, the man smirked. It was from that small gesture alone that Pyrrha understood that if arrogance were to be given form, it would surely take the form of the man in front of her.
"I saw what you did to the three soldiers earlier. Well, two seeing as the last one escaped but hey, you can't win them all" the man joked, as Pyrrha did not take her eyes off of him for even a second "I'd be impressed with how swiftly you handle a spear, you know, if there weren't so many wasted movements"
That statement got a reaction from the red headed Amazon as she spoke, her voice full of malice and murderous intent "What?!"
"Oh, it's true. Well, maybe they weren't wasted to you but to someones such as I-" the man was cut off before he could finish voicing his thoughts as Pyrrha attack with a thrust of Milo at the man's head. At the last moment, however, the man dodged her attack as she stepped to the side before he pointed his own spear at Pyrrha's gut. Sensing the imminent death that would follow, Pyrrha instantly leapt back a few feet away from her opponent, only barely dodging the attack.
"Oh-ho, you're pretty good. Most people would already find themselves with a hole in their stomach. I guess the Amazons really are something else, huh?" the man chuckled but even as he did so, Pyrrha noticed that he did not let his guard down one bit. Moving with much more caution this time, Pyrrha lunged at the man, only for him to parry the strike away. Expecting such a reaction, Pyrrha counterattacked by moving into his guard and attacking the man with a bash of her shield to the man's face, which sent him staggering back a few feet.
Not willing to relent her attack, Pyrrha gripped Milo tight in her hands and made to stab the man in the heart. Unfortunately for her, however, he managed to dodge at the final moment before contact as Pyrrha's javelin made contact with the man's shoulder, drawing first blood, before she pulled it out and was about to follow up with another stab to the man's body but for the man leaping back to a safe distance.
"Impressive. Most impressive. You truly are worthy of praise for being able to injure me" the man said, as he clutched the wounded shoulder. The arrogant look in his eyes, however, still had not disappeared ever since the start of the battle "I honestly cannot remember the last time I was wounded in battle, much less when I lost. Beautiful on top of being a skilled fighter. Truly, you are one in a million. Tell me, would you accept if I offered you a chance to side with the Greeks? No? A true shame. A true shame, indeed"
"But, enough with the jokes. Seeing as you have managed to draw first blood, I will give you the honor of knowing who it is that will cut you down this day: You are facing Achilles, son of the Goddes Thetis and the hero Peleus and trained by Chiron himself. Know that it is with great honor that you should die by my blade on this day of battle"
"My name is Pyrrha Nikos, daughter of Penthesilea, queen of the Amazons. Know that it is with great pleasure that I cut you down on this day, Achilles" Pyrrha answered after a few moments of tense silence.
"Splendid, splendid. Then, let us do battle, Pyrrha Nikos" Achilles exclaimed, as he charged at Pyrrha, twirling his spear in one hand before the two of them clashed. However, as Pyrrha would quickly find out, she was grossly outmatched as she was quickly put into the defensive and from the fact that it took every ounce of her power to keep up with the man's strikes while Achilles seemed to not even break a sweat with every blow he dealt.
Slashing down hard at an opening Achilles left, Pyrrha found out too late that it was bait to lure her in as he dodged the Amazon's attack before he followed up with a strike of his spear on Pyrrha's side, sending the girl sprawling to the ground.
"Too bad, Pyrrha Nikos. You're nowhere close to my level" Achilles said, as he looked down at her.
Gritting her teeth, Pyrrha could feel rage filling her heart. Pyrrha was never one for pride as she always felt it best to be humble while living her life, something she learned early on from her mother. She was thought never to let the praise of her peers to make her overconfident, lest it make her complacent and ultimately cost her life when it would matter the most.
However, deep down, Pyrrha knew that she felt pride, however small it was, at her abilities, at how fast she was able to learn new skills. And right now, this man in front of her was trampling all over her and what was more insulting was that it seemed like he wasn't even facing her seriously. Tightening the grip she had on her javelin and shield, Pyrrha Nikos stood up, an expression of determination on her face as she glared at Achilles, Milo pointed at her enemy.
"Hmm… I commend your tenacity and will to fight, at least. You deserve my respect, Pyrrha Nikos. Where most would cower and flee at the vast difference of abilities, you chose to stand up and face me" Achilles said, before he raised his own spear at her "Very well, Pyrrha Nikos. I shall no longer hold back. Instead, I shall crush you with everything I have"
Once more, the two warriors clashed. However, it was ultimately futile. Every attack Pyrrha delivered, Achilles had a counter for it. Every opening she showed, Achilles exploited it. Every weakness, Achilles took full advantage of it. In the end, Pyrrha Nikos, who was perhaps the greatest of the Amazons, was defeated as she fell the her knees, her spear now broken in two as her own enemy's spear was pressed against her neck even as the battle around the both of them seemed to be nearing its end.
"One last chance to surrender, Pyrrha Nikos. What say you?" the man before her asked, as he looked down at her.
"Never" the girl spat, the fire in her eyes never once showing signs of defeat even as she lay moments before her death.
"I thought as much. You should be proud, Pyrrha Nikos, for you have gained the respect of Achilles" Pyrrha saw the truth behind the words of this man. Closing her eyes, she thought back to all the moments that had led her here. From her birth to being found by her queen to training to become the warrior that she is today to travelling the world, helping those in need, and finally, to her final battle against Achilles. Truly, she had lived a long and fulfilling life. One moment, she was alive and the next, her life was taken from her.
[Prologue One END]
A/N: And there you have it. The opening chapter to Remnants of Fate. A Story where the masters from the Fate universe summon servants in the form of the Beacon students. I hope you guys like this one.
I enjoyed writing the Saber and Lancer prologue but not so much the Archer prologue. Wasn't exactly sure how to fit Ruby in here and after a lot of thinking, just decided to gender bend Robin Hood.
The next prologue will see the appearance of Rider, Assassin, and Caster. I wonder who is whom? Stay tuned to find out.
No XIV Signing Off