Original Archive of Our Own Posting Date: September 24, 2020
Waiting for Jeanne and Marie to return had to have been one of the most painful experiences since witnessing the death of Director Animusphere. I hated this sense of helplessness, no matter the circumstances.
Mash kept trying to regain contact with Jeanne, but so far, her efforts had been futile. Ritsuka kept himself close by to keep the Demi-Servant from getting frustrated. Most of the other Servants were also antsy in their own ways. Even Doctor Roman was silent, save for the occasional report about any Servant signatures approaching the town.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
In an attempt to pass the time, we had the dinner Chulainn had been preparing, but the food tasted like ash in our mouths, and we only continued eating in order to sate our hunger. Finally, I was about to give up hope for the survival of Jeanne and Marie when suddenly a voice called out in the evening air.
"Master, look!" Mordred called out, and I did so. Two figures on a horse were approaching rapidly.
"Mash," Jeanne called out in relief, leaping out of the saddle and running over to us.
"Oh, thank goodness!" Mash said in pure relief. "And who is-" She started to ask before the armored man spoke up.
"My name is Georgios." Ah, so we had found our saint. While that's great, someone was missing. A certain energetic and cheerful bundle of positivity. I was about to ask when Amadeus beats me to the point.
"Where's Marie?" Amadeus asked bluntly. He looked solemn and resigned, as if he already knew and had accepted the answer, I feared we were about to hear. Sure enough, Jeanne's expression fell, and my heart sank.
"Marie is…" Jeanne started to say, choking briefly in sadness. "She sacrificed herself to save both us and the townsfolk Georgios had been protecting. I'm so sorry, Jacob. And to you, Amadeus," she said as we all turned to gauge the reaction of Marie's companion.
"I see," he said in an emotionless tone. "That's what she said when she stayed behind?" He asked Jeanne for confirmation, which she gave in a slight nod. The Caster took a deep breath before exhaling in a long sigh. "Oh well, it can't be helped. You don't have to feel bad. Even if we were all there, she would've done the same thing. Marie is an eternal philanthropist. That's how she lives and dies," he said with a smile, though that looked rather brittle to me. "But never mind that, why don't the two of you reverse Siegfried's curse?"
"R-Right," Jeanne said a bit awkwardly, unsure of how to react to what the composer had just said. The two saints walked over to the wounded Saber and began to get to work on whatever it was they were going to do to restore Siegfried. Mash looked at the fallen Rider's friend in worry.
"Amadeus…" She started to say softly before the Servant in question raised a hand slightly, politely silencing the Demi-Servant/
"It's all right, I knew this was going to happen. Remember how Marie was talking about the piano?" He paused as Ritsuka, Mash, and I all nodded. The other Servants had spread out in a loose, protective circle, though Mordred stayed the closest, watching me silently. "See, that was her way of saying goodbye. It never happened when we were alive. If she'd said to me, 'Let me hear your piano,' I couldn't have stopped her. But, the second farewell hits hard. Worse than the first. All the more as we'll never meet again," Amadeus continued, his tone becoming bitter despite the smile he had forced to display.
"If you are Heroic Spirits, wouldn't there be a chance to see each other again?" Mash asked naïvely. "Like with what happened here, you may be called to the same battlefield…" She stopped as Amadeus shook his head.
"Mm, that won't happen, I think? There are as many Heroic Spirits as the stars. How I came across her this time was already a miracle. Though, a whimsical Master might change things a bit," he mused, the last part more for his own benefit. Forcing his smile on display, Amadeus turned to the city. "Anyways, I'm a bit tired. I'm going to excuse myself, maybe see if I can find a drink. Call for me when you're ready to leave," he said as he began walking away, not bothering to wait for an answer.
Mash tried to call out his name, but Ritsuka gently griped her right shoulder.
"Stop, Mash," He said softly as I walked over. Mash looked at my fellow Master with concern.
"Master, but-" she started to say before Elisabeth spoke up.
"It's fine. Everyone has moments when they want to be alone." I nodded in appreciation at the Lancer's statement.
"She's right. Everyone deals with grief differently. Some drown themselves in alcohol. Some throw themselves into the jaws of death. Some fall into a rage that can't be quenched with anything but vengeance. And some prefer to spend some time alone. Let Amadeus grieve," I said softly. Come to think of it, we didn't really properly mourn the loss of so many lives from the actions of Lev.
"Very well. Now that's aside," Mash started to say, gazing critically at Elisabeth and Kiyohime. "Why are you here?" The two Servants we had defeated only a few hours ago looked at one another, shrugged, and then looked back at Mash.
"It's fine, isn't it?" The Lancer spoke first in a nonchalant tone, and the Berserker beside her nodded as she chimed in.
"You don't approve of us being here? We're willing to assist you in combat," Kiyohime said plainly, looking more at Ritsuka than the Demi-Servant though. Mash tilted her head slightly, looking at the duo cautiously.
"Well, that is something to be thankful for, but…" Mash's voice trailed off, noticing the Berserker's lack of interest in her response. Instead, the female Servant stepped closer to Ritsuka with an appraising look in her golden eyes.
"By the way, Master," she began to say, startling Ritsuka.
"ME?" He asked, pointing at himself. Kiyohime nodded, staring intently at the Japanese youth.
"Of course, you. Though temporary, can you enter a contract with me?" She asked with a smile, extending a pinky finger. "Yes, sticking out your pinky is enough," Kiyohime said encouragingly as Ritsuka began to copy her action. She locked her pinky around his.
Wow, how childish was this Servant?
"This is a pinky promise," she explained to a puzzled Ritsuka. "IF you lie, I'll make you swallow a thousand needles.." she warned, the threat completely contrasting the supposedly-adorable smile she was giving my fellow Master.
Ok, scratch that. How insane was Kiyohime?!
"This completes the contract!" Kiyohime said pleasantly, lowering her hand while Ritsuka backed away rather rapidly to stand next to Mash. The Shielder adopted a somewhat protective stance, undoubtedly because of the Berserker's threat. "Just so you know, I really will make you swallow a thousand needles if you lie. Is that clear?" Ritsuka's head bobbed up and down frantically. "Good. Please take care of me from now on."
Poor Rits. I honestly felt bad for the guy. Not bad enough to intervene, mind you, but still. At least it was a distraction from the absence of someone who had charmed her way into everyone's hearts. Ana absence everyone, even Mordred, was showing.
"Master, Jacob Senpai," Mash called out, and I turned towards the youngest member of our trio (when Mordred's excluded that is). "It looks like Jeanne and Georgios have succeeded in lifting Siegfried's curse!" the Demi-Servant reported. I made my way over to the group as Siegfried began to rise up onto his feet, the horrid-looking wound at his side absent.
"Okay, you will be fine from now on. This would probably have been impossible on my own," Jeanne admitted, before looking away. "It's all thanks to Marie," Jeanne continued after a brief, pregnant pause. "We were able to survive because of her. What she risked her life protecting is something I want to protect too." Jeanne raised her head, and stared at Ritsuka and I sternly, and I could sense an iron will behind her words. "This era, this world, this country. To do so, we must defeat the Dragon Witch and the dragon, once and for all."
"The latter task is one that I can now assist in. I apologize for the delay, Jacob and Ritsuka. No, Masters…That is the more correct way to put it. I appreciate all of your efforts from the bottom of my heart. I shall entrust my sword to you. This body will be my Masters' sword and shield," declared the male Saber, standing at his full height. "My True Name is Siegfried. I have no other skill than slaying dragons, but I'd be honored to be put to use."
Ritsuka looked towards me, indicating a desire for me to take the lead role this time. I nodded my head subtly towards him before looking intently at the Saber. "I am Jacob Aronson, and I look forward to seeing you display them in defeating Fafnir."
"All right, now we have ourselves a team!" Doctor Roman interjected, sounding excited. While my own is tempered by the loss of Marie, I could relate. Finally, we could go on the offensive. Finally, we could be the ones acting, and not merely reacting to the circumstances forced upon us.
"Let's take down that dragon and liberate Orléans," I said.
"About damn time!" Mordred said eagerly.
"Hmph, I wouldn't mind helping you out with that, little Puppies," Elisabeth said, trying to affect a bored mannerism. Kiyohime rolled her eyes at her frenemy. Apparently Ritsuka and I were puppies now. Somehow, I'm fine with this. Not happy, but it's still better than being the object of affection from a certain dragon Berserker nearby.
"My, my, Elisabeth," the Berserker said mischievously. "Calling my Love a Puppy is an insult."
The Lancer rolled her eyes at Kiyohime. Did you just make a ridiculous word change?" She asked with a sigh. "Well, I don't care. I'm not a cheap dragon. I will meet an extra-special Master someday!" God help whoever that soul is.
"Oh, so the horns on your head aren't the only things twisted. Seeking an impossible dream," Kiyohime said, shaking her head sadly. "Is your head okay?"
"It's not an impossible dream!" Elisabeth shot back with a scowl. "It's conviction! I'm convinced of it! I'll someday meet a Master that is to my liking and who will love me!" That was rather adorable and sweet, especially for a girl some might consider to look rather demonic.
"Yes, yes, in your head it's another cloudless day," Kiyohime said, waving a hand dismissively, teasing the Lancer no doubt. I coughed politely, before the two new members of our group could continue their little…'discussion' again.
"So, it is agreed. Come first light we march on Orléans. Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to look around the city, see what else there might be. The rest of you should take care of anything you want or need to tonight," I said a bit vaguely. I needed to release some frustration over the sad news Jeanne had brought to us.
The evening sky had darkened as I continued to hack and slash at a straw-filled dummy used to practice sword drills. It was my fourth or fifth one, its predecessors lying around me, having been slashed one time too many to contain the straw filling.
Behind me, Mordred kept watch, warning would-be gawkers to stay away, and thus leaving me to focus solely on my releasing my grief over today's loss. Thankfully, after a little discussion with the commander of the town's garrison, I had been given access to the drill square for the night. Apparently, at least in this time, saving the lives of an entire town could give someone a lot of leeway.
With a savage swing that displayed absolutely no technique, but pure brute strength, I sliced open the middle of my 'opponent', and straw spilt out like internal organs. I planted my sword into the ground, and leaned against it, breathing deeply, my face flush and sweaty from my exertion even with the cool night breeze. I heard the soft clinking of armor, but I don't turn around, trusting the Knight of Rebellion to handle it.
"He's not in a good mood, Ruler," Mordred warned, revealing the presence of Jeanne. I had wondered when my temporary Servant would build up the confidence to talk to me one-on-one.
"Be that as it may, I must talk with him," I heard Jeanne respond softly.
"It's fine, Mordred," I called out, catching my second wind as I turned around, leaving my sword embedded in the earth. The Saber stared intently at the Maid of Orléans, before stepping aside, and the slightly taller blonde walked towards me.
"I'm sorry for not keeping to the promise form this morning," Jeanne finally said softly, standing a few feet away from me. Did she think I was upset at her? I shook my head before speaking.
"I'm not mad at either Marie or you. Marie died a hero, worthy of a Heroic Spirit. I will miss her, and hopefully someday we can all be reunited at Chaldea, solving other singularities together, but she stayed true to who she was." Jeanne stared at me expectantly, and I continued. "Doctor Roman is the acting director for Chaldea. Director Olga Marie Animusphere was the last confirmed director. During our first Rayshift, due to a series of events caused by treachery, the director ended up loosing her life. Ritsuka and I watched helplessly as her supposed friend and mentor gifted her the 'treat' of experiencing an unending cycle of dying." I paused, my hands clenching into fists tightly at my side as I remembered the sobbing screams. Jeanne, as well as Mordred, watched me with clear concern.
"we…we just watched it happen," I finally said, forcing myself to unclench my fists. "It is a moment that I will never forget, nor forgive myself. Maybe one day, once the timeline has been fixed, Chaldea can find a way to undo what that bastard did to Director Animusphere, and allow her to depart in peace once and for all," I said wistfully, gazing up at the handful of stars that had begun appearing overhead.
"You wanted to do your best to not let another teammate down, to die, didn't you?" Jeanne asked with a look of understanding. I nodded a bit sheepishly, feeling that it made me sound immature, foolish.
"Maybe it was foolish of me. This is a war, and war cannot be won without loss," I said with a sigh. "But that doesn't mean I won't try my best to limit the loss of friends and comrades. I am sure you can understand that," I said, to which Jeanne nodded.
"Jacob." Jeanne paused, shaking her head. "No, Master. Right now, I am a powerless Servant, but I wish to protect this world. Please, fight with me," She said. I grinned slightly, shaking my head in amusement
"Of course. This is our duty," I said softly, sheathing my sword. My reward was a heartwarming, sincere smile from the blonde saint.
"Thank you so much!" She said, looking pleased. She then quickly made an excuse to depart, and did so with a bounce to her step. I had a feeling that perhaps my answers tonight had helped eased the burden she carried over having to leave Marie behind, regardless of whether the Rider had told the saint to do so or not. There was a soft shifting of metal as Mordred walked over, arms crossed against her breastplate, a calculating look in her eyes as she gazed at me.
"Are you okay, Master?" Mordred finally asked, walking over. I hummed softly.
"Yeah. I just need to get a good night's rest. Let's get back to camp," I said, and my Servant nodded, her posture relaxing now that I had worked off my frustration.
"Good. We need to keep both our heads in the game, after all, and not just mine, Master."
"Gilles!" Jeanne Alter roared, storming into the main hall. She was scowling, her gauntlet-covered holding her banner in a death grip. "Are you here?" She demanded. No sooner had her last syllable left her lips then the Caster she would consider to be the closest thing she had to a friend appeared.
"Yes, right here!" Gilles said eagerly. Good. She wasn't in the mood to track down the Caster.
"Marie Antoinette has perished, but what about Sanson?" After her final confrontation with the annoying Rider, she had a wyvern take the unconscious Sanson back to Orléans for Gilles to inspect. Phantom, Martha, and Lancelot were already defeated, but she had plenty of other Servants at her disposal.
"I was treating him when you arrived. His mind apparently perished with her," Gilles informed her dutifully. "All we can do is to keep his Spiritron Shell intact, and use him as a foot soldier." Jeanne Alter mulled over this latest development for a few minutes, standing silently as she relaxed her grip ever so slightly.
"I see," the fallen Ruler finally said. "Georgios escaped from that town," she said, scowling angrily. "Had Marie not sacrificed herself to buy time, our plan would have worked!" Alter seethed at the setback. Everything had been going perfectly according to plan, until that damn mouse and his friends showed up. She should have burned him at La Charité the moment he stood up to her.
"I see," Gilles said, his face turning thoughtful, and still somehow looking ridiculous thanks to his inability to get his eyes to focus in a single direction. "The enemy ranks lost one, but also gained another."
"Yes. We still have the advantage, but they are becoming more and more of a damn nuisance by the hour. Continue searching for the-" Before she could finish giving out her latest set of orders, another Servant walked into the room, an excited gleam in their eyes.
"It looks like that won't be necessary," Berserker Saber informed their Master.
"What do you mean? I thought I ordered you to search the southeastern region." Her curiosity was further piqued as Berserker Saber shook their head emphatically.
"There's no longer any need, Master. They're heading straight for Orléans. They should arrive around noon tomorrow. It looks like it's a final showdown they want," the corrupted Saber said viciously, a bloodthirsty smile on their lips. "Don't you want the same thing?"
"…So, they've stopped running around, have they? I imagine that's because they think they have a shot at winning now," Jeanne Alter muttered. Berserker Saber shrugged.
"I suppose they do," they said with a lazy wave of their hand. "They have a fair number of Servants as well. Considering we have dragons on our side, this will surely be a glorious fight!" Upon hearing those words, the Dragon Witch smirked cruelly at her Servant.
"You're enjoying yourself, huh?" She asked.
"Of course! As you know, I'm not right in the head. I'll be just as happy wiping them out as I would being wiped out by them," Berserker Saber said without an ounce of hesitation in their tone. A look of longing, of need, appeared alongside the already-present excitement they had shown. "Go on, order me, my Master," they begged. Jeanne Alter was more than happy to oblige their request.
"Gather the others and prepare for the final battle. Gilles, prepare the final summons," the fallen saint commanded of her minions.
"Understood. I shall gather all of the dragons who have yet been slain," the twisted Caster said, bowing deeply before leaving, Berserker Saber close behind, leaving Jeanne Alter alone with her thoughts.
"If we win, this word will be destroyed. Even if we lose, though, it will make no difference. The world is long gone. Even if they correct this place, an endless journey lies ahead," she said aloud, her words echoing softly off the walls. She scowled once more. "And yet, and yet, they have faith in the world…those people and 'me'," she said in contempt.
"In that case, I shall smite them. I won't let them reconnect this world. This is my wish, and Gilles' wish." For the second time since her resurrection, her confidence, her determination, faltered for a moment. "Yes…that should be my wish…" she said softly to herself.
Original A/N: And done! What did you guys think? Not much to say, other then that I wanted to address the whole lingering trauma about Director Animusphere's death had on Jacob. I'm not turning him into a Shirou Emiya, with the whole becoming a hero of justice shtick. Rather, he is focused on trying to save as many of those he will fight alongside as possible, which honestly feels more realistic and all ya know? Also, interesting side note, but when I first began this story/series, I hadn't itneded for Jacob to become the sorta big brother figure that I feel he is now, but what do y'all think of his dynamic in the group, his role so to speak? Like in my mind, he is the mind, Ritsuka and Mash are kind alike the soul, and Mordred is the strength or something lol. Also, damn this week has seen me being inspirational for writing, huh? Also, looks like Jeanne Alter is starting to have her own doubts, and the stage is set for wrapping up the First Singularity! Now, a slightly different question fo the day: For the following Servants, which genre of music do you think they would like the most: Jeanne d'Arc, Jeanne Alter, Mordred, Elisabeth, Chulainn, Sasaki, and Blackbeard? As always, I eagerly await feedback and replies. Hope you enjoyed another chapter of Will to Fight. Thanks for reading, and see you next time!