CHAPTER 14:

DISCOURSE WITH A BEAST

Hermione was, admittedly, nervous about meeting with Tiamat in person. This was, after all, part of one of the infamous Beasts of Calamity, one of seven, so she learned. Of course, it was also nerve-wracking to meet so many other Servants, many of whom she only knew through study in Chaldea's library, or through Ritsuka and Hinako, who knew more about Japanese history and myth than she did.

Her younger self would have been scandalised by Ushiwakamaru's outfit, or at least to the point of vocalising her discontent. Then again, considering that a number of Chaldea's younger-looking Servants had worn skimpy outfits into battle before (one of the more egregious examples being Jack the Ripper), it was, sadly, something she had gotten used to. She had this notion that the Throne of Heroes, however, had some sick and perverted mindset.

By comparison, Tiamat's near-nudity didn't bother her. Unlike the Servants, Tiamat, despite resembling a human, was not human. Plus, she actually looked old enough for it to be less nasty. If anything, Hermione found her endearing in a strange way.

She knew Harry and herself had to rebuild their relationship a little. While she was glad that he was at least reconsidering his obsession, the fact that he hadn't lost it at all was concerning. But…he was clearly doing much good here, winning the allegiance of Quetzlcoatl, as well as a fragment of Tiamat. Which was why she wanted to go straight to the source. So she asked to speak to Tiamat alone…well, save for Siegfried, just in case. Arturia, meanwhile, was mostly enjoying her dinner.

Once more, they were on the roof of the Chaldean base here, as it was already known. Tiamat looked at her with curiosity, even concern. "Laaa?"

"…I…look, I wanted to talk to you about Harry. I've known him since we went to school together. And I just wanted to understand…why you both are close. I'm not jealous, believe it or not. But…I'm worried for him. I know it's laughable, me threatening you, even if you have a fraction of your original power, but…I don't care. If you hurt him, I will find a way to ensure you pay for it. But I don't think you would do that, not deliberately. You do understand where I'm coming from, right?"

Tiamat nodded, and emitted another song.

"Right. Now…first things first, and this is more a curiosity thing…you're actually able to speak our language?"

Tiamat nodded, before she spoke. "With difficulty. My song is an extension of my very being, but the tongues of man are harsh things, even with the poetry and songs and verse you create with them. I say this not as an insult. But it is more of an effort to make my song understood by your ears. Before I met Harry, it would have been almost impossible."

"Because…why? I'm not trying to insult you, I just want to understand you, as well as your relationship with Harry. I mean, he has a tendency to make the impossible possible."

"…I did not understand the song of my children's desires. I loved them, nurtured them…but they used me as a ladder, left my embrace for parts unknown…I could not understand why they left me, despite my love for them. I wanted them to love me forever, just as I would love them forever, singing a song love together…and yet…even after I sided with them against Abzu…they feared me, turned on me. I birthed more children to stop them, and yet…" Her long, clawed fingers touched her throat. "They weakened me, and then sealed me away. I thought…my love was mistaken. In a way, it was."

"In what way?" Hermione asked, wondering if she should dread the answer. Thankfully, she was mistaken.

"…I did not take my children's desires, the songs in their souls, into account. I merely wanted to love, and to be loved in return, and could not handle any rejection of my love. I wished to spawn children for eternity, even if it meant them taking place of the older ones. Harry…he managed to understand me, and why my children sang songs of fear. He granted me a gift you would call empathy. It is…hard to understand others. But I am trying. I wish to walk amongst you, see you grow, give love to those who need or want it, but not where it isn't wanted, to join my song with yours once more, but without swamping its harmony out. And…I wish to grow myself. I will always be the Primordial Mother…but I wish to be more." She looked down. "…In a way, what has happened has made my song even more sorrowful."

"…Why?"

"…The false Solomon…he split away the part of me that wished to still enforce my will upon my children. It was a significant portion of me and my song he took from me. I was weaker, far weaker, than the part of me that still wishes to wipe the song of humanity clean, and write my new children's song on the palimpsest. What does that sing about me?"

Hermione looked at Tiamat. While she knew by now that she was introspective and self-loathing, she never realised it was to this great a degree. This guilt and self-loathing reminded her of Harry's own. Now she began to truly understand why they bonded. "I don't know. Maybe the fake Solomon deliberately gave as much power to your fragment that still wants to regress humanity. Or maybe it was because you were still trying to come to terms with your new outlook. But…what I see before me is not a Beast of Calamity. You want to be more than that, better than that. At least, I hope you do."

"…I do. I…I am not good with people, I admit. But…despite the danger, despite the dirge of doom playing on the wind, they go about their lives, many of them singing songs of happiness, or resolve. Despite their weakness in body, their spirit and minds sing with strength. I have Harry to thank for that."

"And what is he to you?"

"…I…I am almost entirely sure we love each other. We are certainly lovers. We care for each other. I protect him, he guides me in this world. We…make our respective songs happier than they would be apart."

"Do you truly make him happy?"

"…As happy as we can be with such a song of sorrow within. We are both familiar with such a song, of loss and betrayal and trying to change that. But…he still desires to rewrite the song of his history. He has doubts, but…the song of pain and sorrow drives him forward. Only you and I hold him back, just as he is the one who holds me back, our songs binding us together. He sang highly of his friends, but you most of all, singing of you as a sister in all but blood." Tiamat cocked her head. "…Do you desire him as well?"

"…I know that wasn't what Harry was looking for with me, not for some time," Hermione said with a shake of her head. "He is right…I lost fewer people than he did. I nearly lost my parents, not to death, but, well, my own actions. But we managed to make up. Actually, I'm seeing someone now. You're looking at him."

Tiamat looked at Siegfried. "This Servant? The one who, like Arturia, sings of dragon blood?"

"I am Siegfried, wandering knight of the Netherlands, Lady Tiamat," the Saber Servant said with a bow. "And it is not dragon blood in me, but rather, on me, for I bathed in the blood of Fafnir. I am a dragonslayer, so if that makes you nervous…"

Tiamat shook her head. "I fear many things, Siegfried. But if you are an ally, I will trust you."

"You have my thanks, Lady Tiamat. Hermione has been a good Master, though this is because she is also a good friend. I once had a Master who…I had communications issues with, a man who had misconceptions about me. It took seeing a dying Homunculus and the words of Charlemagne's Paladin Astolfo to have me realise what it meant, for me at least, to be a hero. Hermione and I have a considerable rapport, as she does with her other Servants. It was a surprise, though not an unpleasant one, to find myself falling for her, and vice versa. Love can transcend many barriers, and your bond with Harry is heartening. Because it means some battles are not won with force of arms, but with understanding and words and generosity. Lady Arturia would feel the same way."

"Laaa…" Tiamat sang quietly, before advancing and glomping the pair of them. "…Aaaa…"

As they stood there like that, they heard an amused voice say, "Already making new friends, Tiamat? Ah, how hungry you are for new bonds."

Tiamat turned and scowled at the newcomer. "Merlin…do you need another mauling from Cath Pulug? The song of pain you emitted was the sweetest to ever come from your lips."

"Actually, I came to check on you three," the effeminate wizard said. "Now, I should reiterate, Gilgamesh will not accept your help with the more important tasks needed in Uruk straight away, Hermione. He wants to ensure that you are invested in helping Uruk for Uruk's sake, and not just for Chaldea's mission. I was just making that clear to Ritsuka and Hinako. Hinako, as you know, has had experience dealing with royal or imperial courts before she ended up at Chaldea, but Ritsuka…well, he's rather young, idealistic, and impulsive. That being said, Harry has helped pave the way, and the fact that you brought Enkidu will help too. Already, the news is spreading across the city. The people of Uruk have renewed hope, and Gilgamesh has had to issue an edict that Enkidu is not to be bothered here."

"…Why do you hate Merlin so much, Tiamat?" Hermione asked.

Before Tiamat could reply, Merlin said, "Well…I didn't help matters when I discussed my role in mentoring Arturia, but not telling her of her fate. Dumbledore and I…we have too much in common, condemning two young and promising people to a lifetime that would cause them misery, all with the best of intentions. Harry and Tiamat don't think that highly of me partly because of that."

"And Fou?"

"Cath Pulug was my familiar for a time. And familiarity breeds contempt, as they say. Still…Tiamat…I'd suggest you go and speak with Mash. In many ways, you have not dissimilar problems, but approach it from different angles."

Tiamat, after a moment, nodded, before shooting Hermione an apologetic smile, and then leaving. A thought occurred to Hermione. "Ana…she's Medusa, isn't she?"

Merlin nodded. "Medusa as she was before Athena cursed her. She does possess her Mystic Eyes of Petrification, but…I'm surprised you put the pieces together."

"It's not that hard. Same hair colour, similar face…we met her older Lancer counterpart in Fuyuki, and Medusa's Rider form is waiting back in Chaldea."

"I see. Medusa, Ana, she has formed a rapport with Harry too, despite her previous misanthropy," Merlin said. "While she is forming more bonds, I am sure she would appreciate you reaching out to her. Someone who can judge her for the person she is, rather than the monster she is infamous for being." Merlin looked at Tiamat pointedly. "In many regards, you are like Harry. You don't take things at face value."

"It was a hard lesson to learn."

"The best ones always are…"


"So, I'm wondering," Harry asked, peering at Mash. "What kind of name is 'Mash Kyrielight'?"

"Ah!" The pale-skinned girl looked surprised. "Umm, Mash is actually a Hebrew name Dr Roman gave to me, after the son of Aram, and one of Noah's great-grandchildren. Kyrielight…is a hybrid of the Greek word for 'Lord' with the word 'light'. I know it's a boy's name, Mash, but…"

"I was just curious," Harry said. "But you're not an actual Servant, are you?"

"She's a Demi-Servant," Arturia said. "Her body was fused with Sir Galahad in a vile experiment helmed by Marisbury Animusphere. I suspected whom she was fused with when I first saw her as a Servant during the first Singularity we investigated, but I couldn't be certain. Incidentally, Harry, my thanks for your cooking. One of my Masters during the Fuyuki Grail War, Shirou Emiya, was a superlative cook. You are quite close to him in skill."

"Thanks, Arturia. Hearing that from, well, King Arthur is pretty heartening. Though…Merlin said you had encountered another version of yourself in the previous Singularity. That must've been…disturbing."

"To say the least. The corrupted version of myself I encountered in Fuyuki was disturbing enough, but she was little more than a mirror image tainted by darkness. So too was the corrupted Lancer version we encountered in Victorian London, though she retained a strange nobility, and only fought us because she was compelled to. But with the Lion King, I saw what might happen if I became detached from humanity and my ideals. It was…deeply unpleasant, to say nothing of unsettling."

Mash nodded morosely. Altera, meanwhile, said, "We all have parts of ourselves we wish to never acknowledge. One could argue that the Lion King had an altruistic goal, but as we witnessed, her means and ends left much to be desired."

"I know much about such things myself," Shirou Amakusa Tokisada mused. "Many an atrocity has been defended as being for the greater good. Seductive words, they are."

"Eh, it can't be helped!" Oda Nobunaga remarked cheerfully as she took some butter cake from a plate. "Anyway, maybe I should make you my retainer, Harry! You ought to be much better than that treacherous Akechi!"

Medusa just shot the Japanese warlord a look. "I think Tiamat would not like that. Also, stealing butter cake is a capital offence in Uruk."

"Eh? What kind of law is that?!" Oda Nobunaga yelped. "You're just salty I ate the slices you left there."

"Don't get between Ana and her share of the butter cake," Ushiwakamaru said, smirking. "First rule of this place."

As laughter swept the room, Harry couldn't help but laugh along with them. Still, he couldn't help but notice at least one person not sharing in the mirth…and was glaring at him. Hinako, for some reason, was giving him a bad case of stink-eye. And he had to wonder why that was. While he only met her a couple of times, he hadn't received this kind of treatment from her at the time. So what had changed?

And why did he have a bad feeling about it?

CHAPTER 14 ANNOTATIONS:

Why indeed?

Review-answering time! blackpackager: That wasn't her wish originally. In Fate/Zero, her intention was to redo her reign, a bit like Harry's own desire (hence why she feels a rapport with him, something he will return). Unfortunately, thanks to Iskandar (albeit with the best of intentions) and Kiritsugu (with nothing but spite and projected self-loathing, something Arturia actually picked up on) shitting on her ideals and style of kingship, as well as discovering Lancelot was Berserker, broke her, and she decided someone more worthy than her needed to be king. Part of Fate/Stay Night, in the first two routes, was her mentally healing from that trauma and coming to terms with it.

Jostanos: The first Fate/Grand Order adaptation, First Order, is definitely available on DVD, iTunes, and a number of streaming services. That, admittedly, is pretty lightweight. The adaptation of the Babylonia chapter, while restricted due to some deal Funimation did for distribution, nonetheless is available. I know for a fact that it's being released here in Australia via AnimeLab, though I can't say whether it's available on Crunchyroll.

Skull Flame: From what I understood, Pepe was actually the glue that held Team A together, usually by getting them to socialise and lightening the mood, so it makes sense, despite his obscure past, that Hermione would consider him a friend, along with Kadoc and Ophelia. I even get the feeling that she would discuss mythology with him quite happily over cups of tea. However, the other members of Team A, not so much. She thought Wodime to be basically a more civil Malfoy who was usurping Olga-Marie's position as heir to the Animusphere family, she thought Beryl Gut to be a psychopath (and was one of those who protected Mash from him), and she was suspicious about Daybit.

No numbered annotations this time.