CHAPTER 3:

ARCHER, LANCER, SABER

It wasn't until a couple of days later that things came to a head, with Arc going on her way peacefully. As they walked to school that morning with Taiga, Harry and Mordred suddenly froze as they entered the school grounds. To Mordred, it felt uncomfortably like some of the magecraft her mother used. Not the same signature or even malice, just that sense of wrongness.

Taiga noticed her wards halting, and turned to face them, a question on her lips, but Harry shook his head. They waited until they could get into an empty room in private before Taiga asked, "What's wrong?"

"A Bounded Field," Harry said grimly, and Mordred nodded her head in agreement. "A nasty one, too."

"Okay…so, a Bounded Field is like a field of magic," Taiga said, trying to recall her rudimentary knowledge of magecraft. "You can use it to detect stuff, protect stuff, conceal stuff…or do some nasty stuff within the area, right?"

"Right, and if the Grail War is happening, it might be something related to that," Mordred said. "I ain't a Magus, and Harry probably wouldn't be able to tell what it is without finding where the sigil is, but I can tell you this much: this ain't good. Though why you'd set up a Bounded Field this foul over a school…"

"In any case," Harry said, "there's no way the other Magi here haven't noticed something. We'll talk to Rin later."

"Why Rin?" Taiga asked.

"One, she's the Second Owner of Fuyuki, its magical caretaker. Second, I just know she'd get involved in the Grail War. Third, there's a slim chance she may have done this. I hope not, I get the feeling that Rin is less amoral than many Magi…but I have been wrong before," Harry concluded darkly...

Mordred's feelings for Harry were…well, they used to be complicated. In truth, she actually found them simple these days. She had to admit, she actually loved the scrawny wizard. She hadn't always felt that way, and to tell the truth, she found him irritating at first, especially considering he refused point blank to call her anything but a girl. But she got used to that, partly because he had accepted that she could be a warrior, a knight, and be a woman. Many in her time were not so kind. Her attitude, then, wasn't anything like what they called transsexuality these days, rather more of a psychological camouflage combined with a strong tomboyishness.

If anything, his uneasiness around her probably had more foundation in that she was infamous in this time as a traitor to her father than the fact that she was a girl who preferred to think of herself as a boy. Not that they understood. They didn't know her, what Arthur was truly like, that cold, distant king who had refused her any true acknowledgement, beyond her skills as a warrior. And even as Mordred died, run through with Rhongomyniad, Arthur would not comfort Mordred, turning away. And the thing was, Mordred both loved and despised Arthur. And Arthur's words, of not actually hating her, merely considering her unworthy to be king, both pierced her as much as Rhongomyniad, and yet…it felt like an abject apology, even if it was delivered in her father's usual cold tones. But all she wanted was to be embraced by her father, accepted, loved…and she never got that.

But Harry accepted her. All her life, she wanted true acceptance, and after some time, Harry gave it to her. So did Taiga. So did Sakura when she learned Mordred's true identity. An acceptance she never had in her original life.

Okay, so this era was pretty boring. Not enough fighting, and certainly not with swords. Guns were pretty cool, but there was something about using a sword that appealed to Mordred. And frankly, school was boring for the most part. Frankly, the Grail War would be a wonderful alleviation to her tedium, if it weren't for the fact that her friends would get involved.

And she would never be a housewife. Even in this modern era, women were still treated as inferiors. Not as much as they were in her time, but still, it was very much a patriarchal society. No, she needed to find a career that she could hold her head up high in. Maybe bodyguard work? Or maybe she could join the yakuza group of Taiga's gramps. His group was certainly one of the more honourable ones, and she'd willingly kill their rivals. Or maybe something else. Mercenary work, maybe? Working for Clock Tower as a freelance Enforcer? Harry was certainly thinking along similar lines. She reckoned that, given his tuition under Zelretch and his friendship with Arc, not to mention training under his mother and, of course, Mordred herself, meant he could take on quite a few dangerous Magi, not to mention Dead Apostles.

Still, if there was one regret that she had for this Grail War, it's that she would probably not participate as a Master. True, she had a few wishes…but the main one, to be granted the right to draw Caliburn from the stone, meant leaving behind this era, and if she couldn't take Harry back in the process, then it was not worth it. Sadly, the odds were against her father being summoned once more, otherwise, she'd confront her father with sword and tongue.

During lunch, they indicated for Rin to meet them on the roof. Mordred looked on as Harry and Rin faced each other down. Harry looked down at her hand, and Mordred's gaze followed his own. Three red marks, one smudged, like a tattoo. Command Seals. The mark of a Master, each giving them an ability to command a Servant absolutely, though the command had to be somewhat well-worded to be effective. "So, you're a Master already, Rin," Harry said, crossing his arms. "And you had to use a Command Seal already?"

After a moment, the dark-haired girl admitted, "I lost my temper with my Servant. Then again, I should've known an Archer would have an independent streak."

Mordred snorted. "You're usually so composed, Little Miss Tsundere."

"Like you can talk, Artemis!" Rin snapped.

"So? At least I'm proud of it," Mordred retorted. "Anyway, you have anything you want to tell us?"

Rin looked at them both suspiciously, before going over to first Harry, and then Mordred, checking their hands for Command Seals, before nodding. "Right…I'm guessing this is about the Bounded Field we felt."

"Yeah. It doesn't feel good, whatever it is. Either we've got a particularly ruthless Magus setting something nasty up, or it could be a Servant's Noble Phantasm," Harry said. "Either way, the people here are in danger. And while neither of us are Masters, we don't want to see any bystanders killed. So, what's the plan?"

"I'm going to stay here until it's night, and try to remove the focus or foci of the Bounded Field," Rin said. "If you two are willing to help, that's fine. As long as you two aren't Masters, I'm glad for it."

"There's more," Mordred said. "Taiga, Shirou and Sakura were discussing what happened. Now that we know the Grail War's gonna happen again, we think the killings and the 'gas leaks' are linked to it. The killings may have been done by a Saber, a Lancer, or an Assassin. The 'gas leaks' may be a Caster or else a Magus."

"…I'd considered that," Rin admitted, "but I decided not to investigate until I had a Servant for protection, just in case. As it happens, you can strike a Saber Servant off the list for the killings. Kotomine told me Saber hasn't been summoned yet. Lancer might be more likely, in my opinion. Assassins would be used for scouts, and they wouldn't be detected thanks to Presence Concealment. It may be that the people killed were witnesses."

"Meaning Lancer's Master is particularly ruthless," Harry mused. "Great. Technically, you're meant to erase their memories, and killing them is a last resort." He looked over at Rin. "Right, we'll help you if we can…"

Taiga went home to get some dinner out, with Harry and Mordred getting a pizza before coming back to the school. With Rin, they began finding sigils throughout the school, the most ominous one on the roof. "I haven't seen writing like this before," Rin said. "What about you two?"

"All Greek to me, except it doesn't really look Greek," Harry said. Mordred nodded in agreement. She couldn't decipher what caused it.

Rin frowned. "…Actually, there's a few bits here and there that look almost like some Minoan lettering, from the same region, so you might be closer than you think. Still, this is bad. Now that I've come to examine it, while I can't decipher the text, the sigil's purpose is easy enough to decipher."

Harry nodded. "Converting the people here into raw mana, presumably as fuel for a Servant."

"Disgusting," Mordred said. 'If I were a Servant, I would avoid causing harm to subjects…I mean, civilians."

Rin noticed the slip-up, her lips pursing thoughtfully. "…You know, for some reason, Archer thinks you look familiar. I don't know why. Anyway, we should get to erasing this as soon as possible."

"Now, why would you go and do something like that?" drawled a voice from nearby, having a faint Irish lilt to it. The trio whirled to find a figure perched on the watertank, crouched down. He was dressed in what looked like a blue spandex bodysuit, and had a red, phallic spear over his shoulders. His hair was blue and pulled back in a ponytail, his eyes red and filled with mirth, set in a roguishly handsome face.

"A Lancer? Are you the one responsible for this?" Mordred snarled. "Or the deaths around town?"

"I'm not responsible for the sigil, girlie," the man said, not noticing or caring about Mordred's furious expression from the anger welling up within. "Dirty tricks are Magi's thing. The deaths though…well, my Master is a coward and, frankly, a bastard. And Command Seals are a bitch. Then again, a boy and two girls playing junior detective are not exactly…whoa!"

That last bit was in response to Mordred summoning Clarent, and rushing at him, using Reinforcement and Mana Burst to leap at him on the watertower, bringing Clarent down in a furious slash with a roar. Then again, he had called her 'girlie', a bit of a no-no. Lancer didn't bother dodging. Instead, he blocked Clarent with his spear, his eyes wide in surprise…and a little excitement. He kicked away Mordred, who summoned her armour, sans helmet, as she landed on her feet. "…Okay, what?"

"I agree…what," Rin said flatly.

"Underestimating me because of my looks will be your final mistake, Lancer," Mordred snarled. While her kneejerk reaction to being called a girl or woman had lessened over the years, she still got angry when people looked down on her like Lancer did, especially for her gender.

"A Saber? No, it can't be…" Lancer said, before frowning. "I know there's a Servant here, but it's not you. But that armour…that sword…" His mouth split into a vicious grin. "Well, girlie, you care to dance?"

"Art! Rin! Hold on to me!" Rin and Mordred dashed over and grabbed hold of Harry, before he Apparated, heading down to the sport's field for now. Lancer soon followed, plunging down, his spear ready to impale Mordred, who merely sneered, and turned the blow aside with Clarent, though she grimaced.

"Dammit!" she snarled quietly, shaking her gauntleted hand. The sheer impact had caused her hand to go numb from the vibrations. "Still not up to facing a Servant!"

"Allow me," said a low, weary voice, as a new figure appeared. Tall, dressed in dark armour and trousers, with a red jacket or mantle over the top. His skin was tanned, his hair white, his eyes a metallic grey, like steel rather than silver.

"You must be Archer," Mordred said.

Archer looked her up and down, his gaze piercing into her very soul. But when he looked at her sword, at Clarent, his eyes widened briefly. In recognition. And then, he looked at her. "…Her child…impossible…"

And that sent a chill down her spine. Had he recognised her somehow? Was Archer someone from her time? She didn't recognise him, though.

"Oi, Archer, is it?" Lancer asked, looking impatient. "Are you going to fight me or what?"

"As you wish," Archer said, before he Projected an elaborate curved sabre. "Stand well back."

Mordred took his advice reluctantly. As much as she wanted to run Lancer through for his insolence, she'd be in the way here, and she'd be better off protecting Harry and Rin. So she went over, keeping the armour on, along with Clarent.

Rin, obviously, went straight for the jugular. "What is that armour and that sword?" Rin hissed. "I knew you could use Reinforcement and Mana Burst…but what is…?"

"They say a good magician never reveals their tricks, and a good Magus doubly so," Mordred snarked. "The armour is a keepsake from my mother. That's all I'm telling you. Now shut up and enjoy the show."

And what a show it was. Lancer and Archer clashed, and she had to admit, she was loving the battle. They moved at speeds few dared dream of. She found it odd that Archer was quite a skilled swordfighter, especially as, when his sabres were shattered, he Projected more, even duel-wielding. Lancer was, to her delight, getting more and more frustrated at being bested by an Archer who was wielding a pair of sabres. However, she found her instincts jangling, and not thanks to the threat of Lancer. Someone was watching.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar mop of red hair. Shirou! "Harry," she hissed quietly, indicating Shirou with her eyes.

Harry and Rin followed her gaze, and blanched. Harry then said to Rin, "Art and I will get him home. Can you handle Mr Compensating for Something with Archer?"

Mordred snorted quietly to herself, despite the situation, at Harry's snark. And Rin even chuckled quietly. "I'll do my best."

Suddenly, like a loud gunshot, the sound of Shirou stepping on a twig echoed through the air, and Lancer whirled to see Shirou. "Who's that?!"

"Shit!" Harry yelled, and with Mordred clinging to him, he Apparated hurriedly over to Shirou. "Hold on!" Shirou needed no other incentive, and clung to him, just as Lancer charged…

…And then, they were elsewhere. Namely, back at Shirou's house. Harry, almost immediately, cast a Patronus. "Rin," he said, his wand at his throat. "If you're still okay, call me at Shirou's house. I presume you can use a payphone or something."

The ghostly stag trotted off, ready to deliver its message. "What the hell was that?" Shirou asked after some time had passed. "I mean, those two guys who were fighting!"

"Those," Mordred said, delighting in giving the redhaired boy a feral grin, "were Servants. Lancer and Archer, specifically."

"…The red guy was an Archer? But he was fighting using swords!"

Mordred scoffed. "And? He was also using Projection to make them. He could have been a really weird Caster too. Harry, I think Archer recognised me…well, he recognised Clarent. I think he knew who I was."

"That could be a problem. You don't have that great a reputation these days," Harry said, before wincing, realising he'd said too much in front of Shirou.

"What does he mean?" Shirou asked.

"Something we'll have to explain later, when we're sure we're not still in trouble," Mordred said with a scowl. "Lancer seems to be killing any witnesses, he didn't hesitate in attacking you when he realised you were there. If we're lucky, he'll give up and fuck off. Then again, he's probably a persistent dog."

Suddenly, the phone in the house trilled, and Harry hurried over to it, picking it up. "Hello, Emiya Residence…Rin, you're all right? Okay, got it. I appreciate the help. We'll try to hold him off until you get here. Thanks. Bye." He looked at them. "That was Rin, of course. Lancer decided to pursue us. He seemed to have a general idea of where we are, suggesting he can track us somehow."

"That's all we need!" Mordred snarled.

Suddenly, Shirou, who was sitting down in exhaustion, seemed to sense something, and rolled out of the way to avoid getting turned into a shish-kebab. Mordred sympathised: having been nearly killed by a spear herself at Camlann, she could understand his own reluctance. "Dammit, kid, you're not making this easy for me. Then again, I like a challenge. My Master wants the three of you dead. For the record, I'm not really liking this. The three of you are interesting for normal humans, and I hate what my Master's doing to me."

"Fuck you too," Mordred snarled, before swinging her sword at him, knowing she probably couldn't do anything more than distract him. As Clarent ground against the spear, she growled, "You do NOT harm subjects like that, dog!"

The insult struck closer to home than she intended, his red eyes narrowing. "A dog, you say? Do you know who I am then, girlie?"

The taunt very nearly stopped her from thinking about that, but then, her mind thought back to some of the legends she read of. She once, on Hermione's suggestion, reluctantly read stories of the myths and legends of the British Isles…and one in particular stood out.

"Cú Chulainn…the Hound of Chulainn," Mordred hissed in realisation.

"So, you've got a brain and not just a quick temper in that skull," Cú Chulainn retorted, before kicking out, sending Mordred sprawling, crashing through the doors. Harry and Shirou helped her up, and pulled her from the house, only for Shirou to be kicked viciously by Cú Chulainn, across the backyard and into the shed, and then knocking Harry and Mordred away. Shirou got to his feet, swaying, and Cú Chulainn sighed. "Kid…you're doing well. Maybe you were meant to be the seventh Master. But…I can't let you or your friends live. Sorry."

"…When I was young…the boy I was died in an accident," Shirou said, holding his ribs and grimacing. "I was saved by the most valiant act of heroism I could ever comprehend. I'm never letting that feeling go. I'm never letting it die! Even if my body dies, the image in my mind of that hero will live on! And as long as I'm here, I will be the vessel that becomes that image, AND SAVE EVERYONE IN FRONT OF ME(1)!"

Just as Cú Chulainn was about to attack, a flare of actinic light belched forth from the shed. Mordred had to look away, even as she got to her feet. But then, she saw HER. Standing there, in front of Shirou, an invisible weapon at the ready. Golden hair, emerald eyes, that stern, beautiful and hateful visage, the armour, but more than anything else, the bearing of a king.

Her eyes and Mordred's met, and only the slightest widening betrayed her surprise. However, Mordred gritted her teeth as years of familiar emotion welled up. Hatred. Anger. Envy. But oddly enough, there was a strange kind of joy, and even yearning. All those emotions came out in a strangled growl under her breath, of one word, composed of two syllables filled with so much emotion, even Atlas would've had a hard time bearing it. Only Harry heard it, out of everyone else here.

"Father…"

CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:

So, there you have it. The reunion has arrived!

1. This is mostly derived from Shirou's speech from Project Mouthwash's Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works Abridged. Once more, it comes from Episode 1, The Bae Cometh. I actually prefer this speech to the canon one, especially as it intercuts with shots of Arturia in Camlann, so imagine that happening here, as it makes it more awesome and heartwarming, and might even bring a tear to your eye…