The Pawn and the King
Summary: Summoned to the realm of Camelot by Morgan Le Fay, Shirou has a plan to escape, but he must first use deception and trickery to gain the sorceress' trust, simply severing the contract wouldn't be enough, he would be her Trojan Horse, and nothing would keep him from saving Arturia, even if he had to play the joker to the King of Knights.
Death of the Round Table Arc
Author's Note: I got writers block on Path of the Broken Mage, I also think I'm horrible, I like turning Shirou into the woobie in time travel fiction, probably because in all the time travel stories I see, nothing particularly bad happens to him.
I also wanted to play with the idea of the Reverse Mole and Fake Defector going wrong; after all, Shirou is serving Morgan Le Fay who corrupted Mordred into evil. I'm really, really deconstructing Fake Defector though. And Foe Yay Shipping, must deconstruct Foe Yay Shipping!
I also want to deconstruct the Stealth Mentor trope that Archer has, and you know, since Archer is Shirou…
I also like the idea of Shirou slowly losing touch with reality and that any of this is "real", the idea that he sees this as a game will get warped and twisted into something horrible.
The Court Jester
He gazed upon the beautiful woman and wondered where he was. Shirou Emiya notes the woman's strong resemblance to her. But his beloved Saber is not a mage that she could summon him, so this must be…
Morgan Le Fay. I see, you intend to use me as your pawn in your glorified catfight with Artuiria do you? Well, I'll play your game. But you'll play by my rules.
"Hmm?" Shirou frowned; suddenly he winked, chuckling softly.
"Tell me, Spirit, what are you?" Le Fay asked.
"That's the first thing you say to me? Well, well, well, it looks like I was summoned by quite the Master," Shirou smirked. "No, wait; I must have drawn the shorter straw!"
"I am your Master, these Command Seals prove it, I have summoned you to fight for me against King Arthur!" Le Fay pointed her finger at him.
"Oh dear, do you really mean that Little Miss, That's not what I want to see, that token on your hand is meaningless," Shirou stood to his feet. "What I want to see is if you're someone worthy of my loyalty."
"I am worthy of your loyalty! I am the powerful sorceress, Morgan Le Fay!"
"I have not heard of you, Master, I am not a native of this country that I should know such things."
"I am the rightful heir to the throne of Camelot, but it was stolen from me by my half sister, Arturia Pendragon, the false king, the so-called King of Knights! You seem like an honorable fellow, restore Camelot's rightful ruler to the throne!"
Shrou wondered why Morgan Le Fay was being so "nice" to him, it was like some twisted version of himself and Saber, he'd treated her like she was a human and it was one of the things that caused her to fall in love with him. Well Le Fay did have a lover Accolon, so she had to act charming at some point.
"What's in this for me?" he asked, Shrou needed to appear to be cunning and ambitious, the sort of person who would join her in her cause.
"I shall give you, a heroic spirit, a permanent body," Morgan offered him.
She did not know that Shirou was a human being; apparently, her catalyst was something he carried on him, because it certainly wasn't something inside the backpack he wore.
"Very well, you are supplying me with an excellent mana supply, and having a physical body would please me greatly. Our contract is sealed, Master."
Shirou fully intended to break that contract, but he needed Le Fay to leave the room soon.
He could draw his swords, start a fight with her and escape to Arturia's side, but even he knew that wasn't going to happen if he tried that right now, Morgan Le Fay was at least as powerful as Caster, and she'd been mowed over by Gilgamesh, he could do the same if he tried, he'd discovered his Reality Marble after years of training, but he knew nothing about her powers and attacking her was suicide when he couldn't formulate a strategy to defeat her.
Destroying Le Fay from within was his first priority, then he would save Saber from her misguided idealism. But he couldn't do that as a hero.
No there was only one way to save Arturia, she'd been broken at the Battle of Camlann, her emotional state had been horrific, the Fourth War had done nothing but break her further, he'd discovered that, but if he kept that from happening, she would live out the life she should have had, even if they never met or fell in love.
He wanted to laugh, this story was ridiculous.
This was someone's bad fanfic about Arturia Pendragon, and Morgan Le Fay had summoned an original character to be her villainous minion. But the OC was also the writer and editor, and what do OCs do? Steal the spotlight from the main cast of course! The people the stories are supposed to be about!
But he couldn't play the hero; it would mess up the timeline! He only had one option, role of nameless throwaway villain! He and Arturia were the OTP in the fanfic that was his life right now! But they couldn't be together, it wouldn't work out, but people loved Foe Yay, it was very popular in all sorts of media. Yes, it would be interesting, to play the villain, just for awhile and once he was magnificently defeated by the King of Knights, he would die in battle at her hands, and perhaps he would go back to his own time.
She might offer him mercy, she might not, he would have to prepare for either outcome.
Now the typical story cliché was that the OC would turn on the nasty villain, be immediately accepted by main heroes and warmly welcomed with open arms and everyone in awe of their overpowered skills, get the girl, etc, and all the things that made stories typical and uninteresting.
No, he would save the woman he loved, but he would have to do that as the anti-villain of this sad story, after all, King Arthur's life is a tragic story, so why wouldn't the life of her lover be tragic as well?
Shirou would break her psychologically, to make her a stronger person, and help her work through the issues he knew she had when it came to her ideals of kingship and selflessness, the twisted selflessness that killed her emotions. Who better to save the King than the Court Jester, the King of Knights needed a joker.
There was something he needed to do to gain Morgan Le Fay's trust, so that she would trust him implicitly, the white pawn would check the black queen eventually, but like an iguana he would change his skin to appear like a black piece first, it broke the rules, but it was necessary.
He would lead King Arthur through the Death of the Family, yes, yes; Scott Snyder's Batman story would do nicely for his plans. He'd always been fond of American superhero comics; he'd always wanted to be a superhero, a hero of justice. And he'd always loved Batman since he was a child, but when Scott Snyder had evoked Arthur and Arthurian lore, using the Joker as his foil, Shirou had about smiled from ear to ear, his favorite superhero had become reflection of the woman he loved.
But love had destroyed Arturia's kingdom, he would never be able to be with her in this era, no matter which side he was on, so he might as well save her from her twisted ideal since he could not love her as he had before.
"Who is that, the young man in the crystal ball's image?" Shirou lied, he could see Arturia's perfect image as a woman, but since everyone believed Arturia was a man, he needed to pretend he saw her as a man.
"That is Arturia, my sister who stole the throne from me!" she hissed.
"But I see only a man!" he exclaimed, feigning shock.
Le Fay uttered a spell he'd never heard and she told him to look again, he gasped, making it as dramatic as possible without going overboard.
"She's a woman! But I thought that only a man could call himself a king!"
"She's a lying hypocrite; we shall give her the painful death she deserves!"
Shirou glanced at her. "I need help to stop her."
"I have many familiars, but you are my most powerful."
"But you do not know my name," he noted.
"I don't need to, if I don't know it, she can't use it against me. You are Archer, and that's enough for me."
"So you will let me use your servants as I please?" Shirou asked, "In order to bring down the King of Knights, I will have to stage something…elaborate."
"I intend to butcher Arturia!" Morgan snarled. "Her death hardly need be elaborate!"
"Oh killing her is out of the question, Master, she'll become a martyr, and the people will tell stories about her for centuries! Before I kill her flesh, I will also kill her spirit."
The sorceress sighed, she knew her impudent Servant was right, the realm of Logres was enjoying peace and prosperity, for Arturia to die now would make the people love her more. She couldn't have that!
"Very well, use my servants as you please, as long as she suffers, I don't care what you do with them!"
"Very well, my King, I am at your disposal, as your Court Jester, I do hope to serve you well!" Shirou smiled, kissing her hand, oh he was having too much fun laying it on thick!
"Court Jester?" Morgan Le Fay asked, curiously, laughing a little.
"Because you look like someone who needs to be entertained."
"Very well, Archer, entertain me, make Arturia squirm!"
"Oh, I will, I will!"
Morgan Le Fay left him alone.
Once she was out of earshot, he traced Rule Breaker, "Now Trace On!"
He severed his contract with her, controlling the board was going to be challenging, but he intended to win this crazy chess match. And there wouldn't be two kings next to each other. There would only be one, his beloved King of Knights.
King Arthur walked a group of nobles, they were hunting together, not many of the Knights of the Round Table were with them.
He came without warning, a red haired demon, a mage of great power, Le Fay's greatest Servant.
One minute she'd been speaking to one of her men, the next minute, his head had unceremoniously dropped the ground, and she'd barely managed to block a vicious attack.
She expertly dodged his blows, and shattered one of his short swords. She was surprised when she saw another appear out of thin air.
It must be his magecraft. Interesting, she thought.
"Let's chat, old friend, it's been so long since I've seen you!" Shirou greeted her, projecting his swords. He didn't move.
You're a loony, what in the world are you prattling on about?
"I am not your friend!" Arthur shouted. "No friend of mine would butcher my men and attack me!"
"But I mean so much to you; you just don't know it yet!" Shirou slashed at her, she parried easily, but he was dangerous, her instincts told her that, and he was holding back.
"You're one of Morgan Le Fay's mad Servants, she has many," Arthur snarled at him. "The madness in your speech is proof of that."
"You wish to engage in honorable combat, don't you?"
"Ambushing my men and decapitating them is hardly honorable."
"I am a Servant of the archer class, and as such, could you please call me Archer?"
"Your manners are impeccable, and you irritate me," Arthur scowled.
"You were always so courteous when I knew you," Archer replied.
"I don't know you, and neither do I wish to!"
"But I know you, in the best ways possible!"
She went red with anger, oh yes; she'd gotten that one through her thick skull.
Shirou recalled how often Archer had teased Rin, and it amused him to do so to her.
Shirou smiled as they crossed swords again, "Seeing you again brings back so many memories. Memories can be vile. Repulsive little brutes, like children I suppose. But can we live without them? Memories are what our reason is based upon. If we can't face them, we deny reason itself! Although, why not? We aren't contractually tied down to rationality. There is no sanity clause. So when you find yourself locked down in an unpleasant train of thought, heading for the places in your past where the screaming is unbearable, remember: There's always madness. You can just step outside and close the door, and all those dreadful things that happened, you can lock them away. Madness... is an emergency exit."
"Your mindless prattle will have no effect on me!" Arthur snapped. She shattered another one of his swords.
"Indeed, but I wasn't lying when I told you that I want to talk, so we'll talk on my terms."
He had something in his hand, she couldn't see what it was, she had no idea what a remote control was, but suddenly ropes shot out to try to wrap themselves around her. Slashing with Excalibur, she cut some of them down, but they wouldn't stop coming and secured themselves around her entire body. It secured her to the nearby trees; she was forced to kneel before him.
"See, now we can chat, old friend," Shirou smiled, he steepled his hands, pleased his device had functioned as he'd imagined it would, he'd built a prototype, tracing the successful device so he wouldn't actually have to carry it out with him.
He discovered that in the modern era, most mages relied on magic so much that they underestimated modern technology, and he'd long since utilized that against them, this was no different, Arturia relied on magic and did indeed underestimate people who would use other means to fight her.
"You're nothing to me but—" Arthur snarled, her eyes blazed with fury.
He leaned in an stroked her cheek affectionately, with no mockery, he quickly nullified it with a delicious smirk. He'd wanted her attention, and he'd make sure she'd keep it on him. His entire plan hinged on the fact that he would be the main villain antagonist of this story. So far, he was off to a good start.
"Shhh," he hushed her gently. "Don't do that. Don't pretend. Not to me, your faithful Court Jester. Because yes, it's the Jester's job to entertain, but he has another job, a deeper job, And that's to deliver bad news to the King. The worst news of the Kingdom. The Fleet has holes. The Army's turned pacifist! The children's hands have rotted off and they can't clap for the fairies!"
"And that's all I'm trying to do for you Wart, bring you the worst news of your own heart, so that you might survive it, laugh at it even, and become strong."
He leaned in as if to whisper in her ear, "And boy, do I have some news for you tonight, old friend!"
"So let's cue the music, and the lights—ahem, ahem, and I'll clear my throat and speak as loudly as I can, so all your little pawns can hear me, you English Kinnigits—"
He leaned back and screamed at the top of his lungs, "I KNOW WHO YOU ARE!"
Arthur was stunned, that couldn't be possible, he couldn't know about her gender.
"You're lying! You know nothing! You're nothing—but degenerate filth!" Arthur screamed at him. She kept struggling against the ropes, but apparently, they were fused with magic and were much harder to break than she'd anticipated. If she could get her wrist at a better angle, she could cut the ropes and free herself.
"I so love it when you talk dirty!" he smirked, oh she'd never been good with innuendo, but he'd enjoy being salacious with her, she was too easy to rile up.
He was so amused when his words went right over her head.
He smiled at her, "Now today I've been toying with you, Wart, but you all, the Round Table, I'm coming for you, all of you one by one, because you're the real bad ones, the true villains. The one's who've ruined my dear King! You can't even cut down a lone Mage, a lowly minion of Morgan Le Fay!"
"These men you've butchered weren't members of the Round Table, but they were still my men! I'll kill you!"
"Oh, you can't do that, I'm the protagonist of this story, the antagonist can't kill the protagonist until the end of the tragic tale! Besides, if you kill me, how will you rescue your finest Knight of the Round Table?"
He held up a crystal ball, he showed her the image of a man chained up somewhere.
Arthur rushed him in a fury, using her sword to slash the ropes after she'd found the angle she needed to cut herself free, she hacked away at him, she was faster than even he remembered her ever being in the Fifth Holy Grail War and she'd disarmed him, gripping him by his throat with one hand. Apparently, her magic gave her the strength of a man, her rage might have had something to do with that though.
"Leave him out of this; this is between you and me!"
Shirou smirked, "Yes, let's draw the curtains shall we? Tie a sock on the door."
She did get that salacious remark and screamed, "Silence! Where is Sir Lancelot Du Lac? Tell me and I'll only hurt you a lot!"
"He's away, far away! Part of a special dinner for us! Part of a celebration for you, me and your little Round Table! You'll thank me when you see it, Wart! You might even kiss my hand! Just as I've kissed yours, My Lord!"
Arthur stopped, something was wrong with her hand; she couldn't move it or her entire body! What sorcery was this? Shirou had used a toxin on her utilizing the Fugu fish he'd accidentally brought with him, since the fish could kill you if improperly prepared, he'd weaponized the poison; he'd been hiding it in his mouth. The paralysis would be temporary, but she'd recover. He would provide the antidote with a note to taunt the great Sir Bedivere, a man known for his vast knowledge.
"See, old friend! My kiss captivates you! Stops you in your tracks! It's full of love!"
He pulled himself from her grasp.
"Besides, there's no way I'd let you ruin the celebration I planned for you, after all the work I put in! All the blood and tears shed to make it happen—shed by others, of course, but that's beside the point!"
"It'll be spectacular! Here, let me give you your invite!" he kicked her hard, sending her flying into a tree, he placed the antidote beside her, Shirou could hear the sound of hoof beats nearby, his mission was a success.
He had Arturia's attention, and Le Fay's, it was exactly what he wanted.
Morgan Le Fay saw her Servant come and kneel before her, she was in awe, how did this man have such an intimate knowledge of Arturia?
"Were you entertained, Master?" Shirou asked.
Le Fay was laughing, "That was exquisite, the so called perfect, emotionless King, raging and frothing! It was delightful! I didn't think you could be eloquent, but what you said, ah yes, "The Fleet has holes. The Army's turned pacifist! The children's hands have rotted off and they can't clap for the fairies!" That was brilliant, where did you come up with something like that?"
"I got it from a book, one of my favorites actually," Shirou admitted.
"I can hardly wait to see what you'll do to her next; I will aid you in this if it means I can see the horrified expression she had on her face today."
"I have something spectacular planned, but it requires something…special I have already had one made," he picked up a plate covered by a silver lid, "Tell me, Master, have the Knights of the Round Table ever seen their own face?"
"I don't understand what you mean," Morgan Le Fay laughed.
"How about a little sneak peek of what's to come at my celebration for Arturia?" he pulled the lid up.
She gasped, she didn't think she could be surprised, but she was.
"You've got to be joking!"
"I'm quite serious," Shirou looked at her.
"I can hardly wait to see the look on her face!"