Fate Grand Apocrypha - Standard Bearers
Chapter 03 : Their Lives
Author's Note : I actually finished this chapter a few days ago, i kept forgetting to upload it for some reason, whoops!
Disclaimer : I don't own Fate, Type-Moon does.
In a certain forest, lies many giant rubbles, the remains of a recent battle. Inspecting those rubbles is the Saint of Orleans, Jeanne d'Arc, and her two companion.
Jeanne Alter whistled. "Looks like we're late to the party." Noticing the shape of those rubbles, she narrowed down the suspect based on what she knows. "This is a Golem isn't it? This distinct shapes means this is the creation of that Masked dude, what was his name again? Avicena or something like that."
"It's Avicebron-san. He made a cute little Snow Golem for me and the other children a while back."
"Is that so? If he made a Golem shaped like a Dragon, i wonder if i can take control of it."
Lily shook her head. "Probably not, because it's still a Golem, not a Dragon."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. That remains to be seen, brat. It'll be my new NP : Verzeiflung Erde Drache! I need to think of a chant for it too. Hmm..."
"Again with those terrible naming sense? Did you get those names from a dictionary or something?"
"Huh?! It's a cool name! I'll have you know that your precious 'Reindeer-san' liked the names that i made. That's why he lets me name our circle Gespenst Ketzer during Servafes!"
Lily's eyes twitched hearing that embarrassing name once again "Don't remind me about that, i got second hand embarrassment just from hearing that cursed name."
"You're just mad because you couldn't think of any cool name to use like i did!"
Ignoring the useless banter between the two, Jeanne kept on inspecting the remains. 'The three Servants of Red didn't receive any orders from their Masters during the fight.' She turned her head around, as if looking for something. 'This is Yggdmillenia territory, but the Red Masters' presence is too faint.'
Suddenly, she received a vision of a white haired knight disarming a pink haired knight. She gasped at the weird vision. "Infighting?"
"What's wrong, original-me?"
"Let me guess, that Revelation skill of yours acting up?"
'As expected, she knew about that skill too, at this point i'm not surprised anymore.' Jeanne simply nodded at Alter. "We must hurry! an infighting between Black Faction's Servants will happen in a few moment!" She immediately dashed at a seemingly random direction, but thanks to her skill, she already knew the location.
Alter and Lily quickly followed not too far behind. "Finally, something else to do! I was getting bored just looking at some stupid rocks."
"Stay focused, future-me. We do not know what kind of Servants we will encounter here."
"Yeah i got it already. Don't you worry brat, i'll make sure you come back home in one piece." Alter said with a sneer, hearing that Lily simply pouted.
Up ahead, Jeanne keeps on running as fast as she can. 'Something is wrong with this Holy Grail War, something is different on a fundamental level.' She thought, worried about the strange circumstance that she find herself in.
A few minutes later, they've finally arrived. The two knights from Jeanne's vision is already there. The white haired knight putting down an unconscious fat man in a white uniform. While the pink haired knight is clutching a badly wounded boy.
"Saber of Black!" Jeanne called out to the white haired knight.
"Ruler..." The white haired knight's eye widened a little, not expecting to see her here.
"Ruler you say?" The pink haired knight said in confusion.
Alter and Lily finally caught up with Jeanne. "Oi, don't leave us behind like that! ...Hmm?"
Saber of Black narrowed his eyes, recognizing the two new arrivals. 'It's those two mysterious Servants from back then!'
'W-Who are they? They kinda looked like that Ruler over there.'
For a few second, no one spoke a word. Until The Dragon Witch decided to open her mouth. "Oh, It's that idiotic Paladin and the stoic Dragon Slayer. Fancy meeting you here." She casually greeted them. Not noticing the widening eyes of the two knights.
'She knows about our titles? Does she also have the same skill as Ruler? Allowing her to instantly recognizes us?'
'A-Ahhhh! The others gonna kill me if they knew some random Servant found out about my true name! I didn't carelessly blurt it out again, did i?'
The little girl glared at her future-self. "Future-me, you have to stop referring to other people just by their titles. Call them with their proper names." She pointed at Saber of Black. "This is Siegfried-san." Then she pointed at the pink haired knight. "And this is Astolfo-san." The girl innocently introduced them, also not noticing the alarmed looks of the two knights. Alter only rolled her eyes in response.
'Even the little girl knew?! Does everyone and their grandmother know who i am now?' Astolfo started panicking.
'No, i have to stay calm. Perhaps Ruler told them about us beforehand.' Siegfried rationally thought.
"So uhh, is the shortie over there going to be okay? He doesn't look too good."
"Yes, what exactly happened here?" Jeanne asked in concern.
Siegfried does not answer, only moving closer to the boy, his eyes fixed at the boy's unconscious form. "...I lost my way, i almost let someone die in front of me again. I gave up thinking for myself and let other make the decisions instead. That's why, just this once i wanted to do something out of my own volition, something that i can take pride in."
"Huh? Why did he start Monologuing?"
Siegfried still stared at the unconscious boy. "I might be forcing a sad fate onto you, but there is still something i must give you."
Siegfried started stabbing himself using his hand on the chest, fully determined to take his heart out to give to the poor boy.
Jeanne eyes widened at what's about to happen. "Stop! You mustn't!" She pleaded.
"Saber!" Astolfo shouted in worry.
Blood started pouring from his chest and mouth. Just a little more pressure and he can grab his own heart. But before he can continue, something happened.
Suddenly, a black sword found itself pointed right at Siegfried's back. "I'll have to stop you right there, Dragon Slayer. Move a muscle and i'll cut you down right at your weak point."
Jeanne gasped, not expecting the sudden hostility "Alter! What are you doing?!"
"Huh? Huh?! What's going on? Are they actually enemies?" Astolfo said in confusion.
"Please, we can't waste any more time." Siegfried pleaded.
Alter ignored Siegfried's plea. "What am i doing? I'm stopping a fool from senselessly throwing his life away, that's what!"
"Sacrificing myself to save another life is not the same as throwing it away..."
"Save your excuses for someone who actually cares! Self sacrifice? 'One life for another'? What a joke! Listen dumbass! You said that you wanna save lives? How the hell are you going to do that when you're gone?!"
She glared at him for a moment before continuing her rant. "Do you know how disgusting Mages can truly be? what they would do when push come to shove?"
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"I heard there's a town nearby, full of innocents just ripe for the picking. Surely, as the war escalates, one side will start to get desperate, and when they're desperate, there's no line that they would be unwilling to cross. Maybe they'll start using people as living batteries? or maybe they'll just brainwash them to use as cannon fodder? The possibilities are endless!" She said dramatically.
Her gaze shifted back into Siegfried. "Are you willing to just let that happen, Dragon Slayer?"
"It won't come to that!"
"Oh? How can you be so sure? We're talking about people who would gladly kill each other simply to grant a single wish here."
"..."
"I will ask once again, will you simply stand back and let it all happen?"
"No! No one deserves to be treated like disposable tools!"
"Then the path is clear. Keep on living for those people's sake, this Holy Grail War will surely claims more innocent lives without someone with actual morals like you in it!" Alter calmly stated with a dead serious expression.
'But i...'
"Here's a pop quiz for ya! Which is better? Saving 1 life or 100 lives?"
Siegfried looked hesitant, even he is not sure what he wanted to do right now.
"Well? The kid is dying as we speak, being indecisive won't save anyone."
Still no answer from Siegfried.
"I'll give you till' the count of three. If you're not gonna answer then i'll end his misery myself."
"One..."
Siegfried gritted his teeth.
"Alter!" Jeanne was about to stop her Altered self before finding her hand being gripped by Lily, who only shook her head. "Lily, what are you...?"
"Two..."
Siegfried clenched his fist so hard that it started to draw blood.
"Thre-"
"I CAN'T CHOOSE! LIVES CANNOT BE MEASURED BY MERE NUMBER! I KNOW THE ANSWER, BUT I ALSO CANNOT IGNORE THOSE IN FRONT OF ME WHO NEEDED HELP!" Siegfried's usually calm expression turned into one full of grief and sorrow.
Alter lowered her sword, she then raised her fingers and made a snapping sound with it. "...Oi brat, now it's your turn. You know what to do."
Everyone else can only stares in confusion, wondering what the Dragon Witch meant by that. Lily, who have been unusually quiet during the whole debacle finally stepped forward. She stared at the dying boy and began chanting. "O Holy Night, a momentary and unstoppable lovely miracle! La Grâce Fille Noël!" She said as she raised her spear to the sky.
A single present suddenly rained down from the sky. Landing directly in front of Lily, she picked it up and opened it. Revealing a bottle of green liquid inside. She smiled at the content of the box. "Oh! Looks like you've been a very good boy this year. This'll works wonders!"
"Please, help him!" Astolfo begged.
Lily nodded before crouching down near the boy, and helps him to drink the green liquid. The boy glowed with bright green light, and coughed. He opened his eyes shortly after. "Ri... der?" He muttered.
"Ah! You're okay! You're really okay!" The pink haired Rider hugged the boy, tears of relief flows down on his tired face.
The boy nodded. "...I feel fine now, no, even better than that. The pain... It's all gone, as if it was never there in the first place" He stated.
Jeanne can only stares in awe "Amazing, what powerful healing effect..."
Astolfo looked at Lily with eyes full of gratitude. "Thank you! I don't know what i'd do if i lost him, i"m ashamed to say that even though i have sworn to protect him, there was nothing that i could do."
Lily rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Ah, i didn't actually do much at all. The effect actually depends on the one who drank it."
"What do you mean by that? Was that your Noble Phantasm, Lily?" Jeanne asked.
Lily puffed her chest with pride. "Yep! My Noble Phantasm actually checks the target's activity for the last 1 year from their memories. If the target has been a good person, the effect will be positive such as that healing potion, but if the target has been bad, the effect will be negative such as an exploding bomb. It's mostly situational but can also be quite versatile!"
Jeanne nodded. "I see, it can either be used for support or offensively."
"Umm, is it okay for us to hear you speak about your Noble Phantasm like that? Aren't you worried about the Holy Grail War?" Astolfo said in worry.
"Don't worry, i'm not part of the Holy Grail War at all. Just like Ruler here, me and that rude girl over there have special circumstances for being here. Think of us as Ruler's assistant. You can just call me Lily."
"Oh i see! Both of you does resembles Ruler. Nice to meet you then, Lily!" Astolfo quickly cheered up.
The now healthy boy stood up. "Thank... You, for saving me, Ruler and... Lily, was it?"
"Yes, like i said. It's all on you. Good job!" Lily said with a smile.
"No... It's all because i was just born recently. I don't have much time to do either good or bad deeds. I'm a Homunculus created by the Yggdmillennia family. My only purpose was to be used as living batteries to power up their magecraft, but i managed to escape somehow."
Jeanne moved her hand to cover her mouth, horrified at how the Yggdmillennia treated the boy. "No... It's just like what Alter said."
Lily frowned at this new information. "I'm sorry you had to go through that horrible experience. But you're now free, no one can tell you what to do anymore, you can be your own person now."
The boy shook his head. "I can't... my brethren are still there, i have to help them."
"Then i will help you free them." Siegfried said as he approached them, still covered in his own blood because of his attempted sacrifice.
"You are..."
"I am the Saber of Black, real name Siegfried." He replied with no hesitation.
"Sieg...fried..."
"You better remember that name, kid. The fool tried to gave you his heart to save you. That definitely would have killed him." Alter said while resting herself on a tree with her arms crossed.
"I see... Thank you... Sir Siegfried."
"I do not deserve your thanks, because i haven't been able to help at all..."
"But still... You tried your hardest to help me, and for that, i am truly grateful." The boy said with a bow.
"Isn't that great Saber? You have a fan now!" Astolfo interjected with a grin. "And of course, i will also offer my aid to help you on your quest!" He said to the boy with a wink.
"I..." Jeanne tried to say something, but isn't sure what do. Her role as an overseer for the Holy Grail War preventing her from interfering.
"What should we do, future-me?" Lily whispered to her future-self as they walked a fair amount of distance from the others.
"Huh? Why are you asking me, brat? The answer should be obvious by now. It ain't our business what they wanted do next." Alter said without a care. But before Lily can protest, Alter continued. "...Is what i would like to say, but just this once, i guess we could have helped, it's what that Idiot would have wanted if he were here..." She said fondly.
Lily look shocked for a moment, before giggling at her future-self. "Hehe, looks like Reindeer-san have been a good influence on you."
Alter went beet red from the comment.
"S-Shut up, brat! When we find him later he definitely would have tried to help, i'm just saving us from the hassle of going back and forth."
"Heh, whatever you say, future-me. It sure was nice of you to help Siegfried-san to start valuing himself more."
Alter scoffed. "I'm just substituting for that Idiot Master of ours. He weren't here to talk some sense into that fool, so someone else had to pick up the slack."
"I really appreciate that, but you could've done it in a nicer way you know!" Lily reprimanded.
"Give me a break, brat. That kind of mushy stuff is that Idiot's specialty, it doesn't suit me at all. Besides, i miiiight be trying to get just a tiny bit of revenge on that foolish Dragon Slayer for causing me a lot of trouble back on Orleans." Alter admitted with a wicked smirk.
Lily sighed. "You still held on to that grudge even now? Very immature of you there, future-me."
Alter shrugged. "Can't help it, Avenger class, remember?" She then glanced at her orignal-self. "What about you, Miss Saint? What would you do next? Helping those Homunculus isn't part of your job description as a Ruler, wasn't it?"
Jeanne closed her eyes to think. 'I have made a promise to help these two, and i intend to keep that promise. Let's just think of it this way, i am not sabotaging The Black Faction for the sake of The Red Faction at all, i'm just helping Chaldea save some unfortunate souls from their terrible fate. Yes! That's perfect!'
Jeanne opened her eyes and spoke with confidence. "Let's do it! As a Ruler i'm supposed to be impartial. But right now i'm just helping my family with a little favor, so it'll be okay!"
Alter snickered. "Heh, found yourself a loophole huh? Good for you."
Lily ran and hugged her original-self. "Original-me! I knew you would do the right thing!"
Jeanne smiled and returned the hug. "Just trying to repay the favor that i owe you, Lily." She said while patting her younger-self's head.
"Alright then, let's head over there and tell them about our decision."
"You'd help us?" Astolfo asked with widened eyes.
"Yeah, before you ask, it's for personal reason, and it's none of your business!" Alter said with finality on her voice.
"But... I cannot let you get yourself in trouble because of me, you all done so much for me already..." The boy said worriedly.
Alter scoffed. "Wow, you're full of yourself huh? I don't know about these two, but i ain't doing this for you, that's for certain." Alter stated with a harsh tone.
Lily lightly punched her older-self on the shoulder. "Ignore her, she made a promise to someone a long time ago. That's why she's offering her help. The same could be said for me, i'm also doing it for the same person. But i also cannot let those meanies get away with this kind of treatment towards their subordinates!"
"Don't just tell them my personal reason like that, brat!"
"And i'm just making sure these two do not cause trouble, so don't worry about me." Jeanne said.
Astolfo pumped his fist in the air. "Alright! Thanks, you three! With 5 Servants on this team we'd be more than match for any of those factions!"
"You and the Ruler would be useless in combat though, even the brat here is stronger." Alter said nonchalantly.
"Ouch!" Astolfo clutched his chest in fake agony.
'Was that a compliment for me?' Lily thought, a little confused.
"Before we begin, let's start over with an introduction. I'm the Ruler class Servant assigned to oversee this Holy Grail War. And these two are my companions."
Lily waved at them. "Hello! I'm Lily, my class is Lancer. Nice to meet you!"
"Avenger class, just call me DW."
"DW?"
"Short for Dragon Witch."
Everyone was silent. No sure if the Avenger was serious or not. Lily facepalmed at her older-self.
"...Just call her Avenger."
"Hey, brat!"
"No! Don't embarrass me in front of them! What kind of name is that anyway? You think you're cool or something making up ridiculous name like that?!"
"But it's short and rolls off the tongue, easy to remember!"
"No means no! And that's final! That name gives off a bad vibe, it's cursed!" Lilt wagged her finger at Alter.
"Fine, Avenger it is!" She said while throwing up her hands in the air. "Don't be surprised if your pudding back home went missing later..." She muttered under her breath.
"What was that?" Lily said with narrowed eyes.
"Nothing! Let's just move on."
Astolfo looked at Jeanne in bewilderment. "Is this normal?"
Jeanne simply smiled. "I've gotten used to it by now."
"Avenger huh? Quite the unusual class, but i'm not one to question special circumstances. Okie dokie then!" He waved at them with a wink. "Since you already know anyway, there's no point hiding it from you. My name is Astolfo, one of Charlemagne's Twelve Paladin. I hope we can get along!"
"I'm Siegfried, i'm a Dragon Slayer known for defeating the evil Dragon Fafnir."
"The hero from the Song of the Nibelungs..." The boy muttered.
"And what about you kid? You got a name?" Alter asked the boy.
"No, i do not have time to think off a name for myself yet."
"That's so sad, we have to think off something for you then." Lily said
"How about..." Alter was about to say something before Lily interrupted her. "Rejected! Whatever it is, wont be good if its from you."
Alter clicked her tongue in annoyance. "What happened to 'Everybody deserves a chance', brat? I was just about to suggest Siegfried Junior for the kid, since they're both stiff as statues, and he did tried to literally give his heart for the kid, almost making a part of him lives inside the kid."
"Ignoring the rude comment from Alter, i think it's a fine idea." Jeanne said.
'No way! Don't tell me my future-self's poor naming sense actually comes from her?!' Lily thought in surprise.
Astolfo put his hand under his chin. "Siegfried Junior huh? Hmm, i got a better idea! How about just Sieg, it's still have the same core idea, just easier to say!" Astolfo said with a thumbs up.
Jeanne clapped her hands. "Oh, that's a great idea."
"'Victory' huh? I still think my idea is better, but yours is not too shabby either." Alter admitted.
"Sieg..." The boy muttered the name. "Will it... be fine if i use this name?" He asked Siegfried.
"If that is your wish, it is not my place to stop you."
"Alright! So from now on you're Sieg-kun, okay?" Astolfo cheered.
Lily pouted a little, wanting to name the boy as well.
Alter nudged her younger-self, "It's either that, or using a name derived from yours. He could ends up with a name like Janta or something."
Lily sighed. "I suppose Sieg suits him just fine."
"By the way, we've been ignoring fatty over there for a while, is that okay?" Alter said while pointing at the unconscious man behind her with her thumb.
Before anyone could answer, Jeanne felt multiple presence closing in on them. "Everyone, be prepared!" She warned them.
"Ah, they're here..." Astolfo said worriedly.
"Rider, Saber, care to explain? Who are those Servants?"
"Oi, oi. Seeing some familiar faces here, let's see, a Vampire, a Centaur, an Artificial Human, and a Golem Enthusiast. Quite the lineup you've got there!"
Another short chapter, looks like this kind of length would be the norm from me.
Alright, now things are starting to diverge from canon Apocrypha. No Sieg-Siegfried fusion, meaning Sieg is still a shortie, and Siegfried himself still alive and kicking. Could Lily's NP really do these kind of stuff? I honestly have no idea, 'Joke Servants' like her don't usually get much explanation on their NP. (Unless i missed it.) So i made it up, creative liberty! Sorry if any of them feels OOC.
I'll see you next time.