Immortal: THE VIEWS FOR THIS STORY IS OVER 10,000! Ah, I truly cannot thank you all enough for the favs and follows that you all have given to this story. Thank you, thank you, thank you truly. This story that I have love and passion for WILL NOT die even if I'm not in my home country, even if I'm sometimes put in the backwoods, or doing other work that pulled me away from technology.

My aspirations are to become good enough to be a fanfic rec on TvTropes and maybe even to get a page this story if it gets good enough! But that will depend on how well I do this. I really do enjoy this and am honestly grateful for how people still fav and follow this because it means it still is interesting enough for you all to want to know more of what will happen.

This chapter is a quick one because I have been leaving you all hanging for WAY too long. I'm still far away from my home, but I am finally able to crank out this chapter for you all. I'm trying to improve my writing skills as well as constantly reading Arthurian myth and Fate Lore. Now with the whole of Fate/Grand Order's Lostbelt 6 fully being released and realized, it has provided a TON of valuable writing material for me, which honestly changed how I intended for things to go initially. Now I've always wanted to stay faithful to source material, but I will try my best to tie things together in a way that makes sense.

So this chapter will be more meant to look at Pan Human History Artoria and Mordred's relationship now that they have reconciled in Chaldea and have a little bit of their lives looked at.

Gudako: I FOUND YOU, YOU SUNNUVA BITCH! EVEN CROSSING AN OCEAN WON'T KEEP YOU SAFE FROM ME! NOW GIMMIE YOUR PHONE AND YOU BETTER PRAY TO WHATEVER GOD YOU WORSHIP THAT YOU SUMMONED EVERY SINGLE SWIMSUIT SERVANT!

Immortal: I did! I swear I summoned every one of them for the Las Vegas event!

Gudako: I see no Dick Wizard. Guess what that means…!

Immortal: Crap. By the way, much appreciation to NobodiesHiiro and Agent of Chaos 112 for looking this over to make sure this was done well!

Disclaimer: This story is fan-based writing. All characters and locations are owned by their respective copyright holders for the Nasuverse as well as Arthurian mythology. I do not own them in any way, shape, form, or concept to include Reality Marbles, Singularities, or Lostbelts. Please support the official release, but don't go too crazy spending your money on the Fate/Grand Order gacha!

Interlude: Even Though I'm a Former King and Single Father

In my memories, I recalled how Merlin had raised me to become the perfect king, teaching me everything I needed to know about ruling a kingdom. But if there was one thing that he did not prepare me for, it was how to raise an heir. In fairness he taught me enough about the biology behind how children are made through books, but the subtleties and lessons behind being a parent was something I simply never felt a need to learn at the time. He had already told me that Camelot would fall no matter what, but I had always held to the hope that even if it fell under my own reign, that my heir would be able to carry on and pick up the pieces afterwards. My bloodline would carry on and the people would always be able to shelter under the wings of a Pendragon.

But after the deception of Morgan le Faye, I had no desire to try having a child of my own with Guenivere again. In my mind and heart, I had broken my marriage vow with Guenivere even if it was done without my knowledge or consent. Political marriage or not, I had made a vow before God to be faithful to my wife, and despite knowing that I had not meant for it to happen, she bore her humiliation with calm and dignified grace even as I told her in no uncertain terms that we could not try again. That was one of the reasons I held no animosity nor resentment for the affair between her and my dearest friend Lancelot. The law may have forced my hand, but had it been a viable option, I would have quietly divorced Guenivere and released Lancelot from my service so that they could both go and live their days in peace.

But that was the wish of Artoria, for King Arthur had no such luxuries.

After coming to Chaldea and seeing my killer before my eyes, I was filled with emotions that I couldn't stifle; astonishment at seeing her in person as well as the fact that the Throne of Heroes recorded her, anger at her role in the downfall of my kingdom and I, and above all shock at how my Master was so at ease and trusting around the Knight of Betrayal. I was even more surprised to see that there was genuine happiness and trust between Mordred and my... our, Master.

/~/

It had been about a month or so since the events of Argatha and Ritsuka Fujimaru was enjoying a well-earned rest with Mash in her room. Fou was napping on Mash's lap while she gentle ran a brush over his smooth and soft fur. His long ears twitched up and he opened his eyes, letting out a "Fou, fou fou!".

His hearing was prophetic because a few seconds later she heard a knock on the door. Mash answered for her and was met with none other than the King of Knights herself. Mash immediately felt her heart beat a bit faster as it usually did when Artoria was present. But even though she no longer had her powers as a Demi-Servant, she still felt a great respect and admiration to Artoria as the Heroic Spirit Galahad did.

"Master, may I come in?"

"Of course Artoria! Mash and I were just resting together, but you can join us."

Artoria joined her Master and the Shielder at the small table where they were having snacks. But oddly enough, Artoria didn't touch the food at all and instead she seemed like something was weighing her down in a way she didn't know how to handle. Ritsuka felt a tinge of worry at this, to see her hesitant to speak of something was rare indeed and even rarer to see her not eating offered food, but she didn't have time to press her before Artoria clarified, "I apologize for disturbing you, but I wish to speak to you about Mordred."

"Is something the matter with her?", asked Mash, setting the brush down as Fou yawned and curled up to take a nap.

"Well that's… to be determined I suppose.", said Artoria with a slight frown, though it wasn't directed at the Shielder, "Even though we spoke and clarified our feelings, I have been finding it hard to be more involved with Mordred. I think I may have even upset her and she has been avoiding me."

"Maybe you should start from the beginning?", asked Ritsuka as she got comfortable in her seat. The Last Master of Chaldea usually played mediator to her Servants when conflicts arose or would help them when they came to her with personal issues they couldn't talk to anybody else about.

"Very well.", nodded the Saber as she sat tall and formal with her back straight as if she were back in Camelot, relaying information to her knights.

"You probably already know that when I first was summoned to Chaldea I was cold and stern to Mordred for good reason. To see the one who had betrayed me and ended my reign brought mixed emotion that I couldn't fully suppress. Anger, shock, and regret to be specific."

The King of Knights hands were folded in her lap, her armored gauntlets resting on top of each other as she continued without changing her expression, "I still remembered when I brought forth Rhongomyniad and killed her, and I couldn't forget how she too struck the blow that ultimately ended my life."

Ritsuka rested her chin on her hands as she listened intently. It seemed that Artoria just wanted to talk and being a practiced listener to her many Servants told her to listen carefully in order to help the Saber get what she needed off her chest.

/~/

Artoria felt the faintest feeling of nostalgia as she observed her Master, the young lady who called herself Ritsuka Fujimaru, more specifically her red-orange hair as the King of Knights materialized into the world when the summoning ritual was completed. The girl's hair instantly reminded her of somebody, but she could not quite recall whom even as her mouth moved to ask a silent question. The words never left her lips and the moment passed when her attention was caught by the person next to her new Master. The lilac-haired girl gazed at her in awe and for a moment, Artoria could swear that it was Sir Galahad himself that stood next to her. Of course that was impossible, but the other girl, who introduced herself as Mash Kyrielight felt almost exactly like the Knight of Heaven.

Ritsuka immediately surprised her when she told her that she already knew her true name, Artoria Pendragon the Once and Future King of Britain. When asked how she knew this, Ritsuka had an easy smile come to her as she explained that that there were other members of the Round Table in Chaldea and that they spoke fondly of her. The Saber felt her heart clench and her reserved stoicism faltered immediately.

"Master, can you please tell me whom I can expect to see?", she said trying to keep her voice steady.

"Let's see… there's Sir Tristan, Sir Lancelot, Sir Gawain, Sir Bedivere, and-"

Artoria couldn't hear the rest as she recalled each one of them, her heart beating a little more rapidly at the thought of seeing her beloved knights again. However, she wanted to present herself properly before her knights, dressed in her armor, but Ritsuka gave a smile that had a tinge of insanity at the corner of her lips merely presented her with a big bowl of what looked like golden crystals and saying, "But first… let's feed you something."

So after she had been empowered enough to where she could reform the same armor she wore in life, Ritsuka took her on a short tour through Chaldea before she brought her to the simulator room where the other Round Table Knights were training.

Upon entry, she saw that the land around them were rolling green fields, very reminiscent of her beloved Britannia when Ritsuka called out for Gawain, Lancelot, Tristan, and Bedivere. They came over a grassy knoll, the artificial sun bathing them in the light as Artoria marveled at their appearance. Not one of them looked a day older than the prime of their lives; young, handsome, physically at their peak, and for a moment Artoria wondered if she wasn't dreaming. The knights saw their Master waving enthusiastically at them before they saw Artoria standing beside her.

As one, the four sprinted as fast as they could to the king their joyous shouts conveying raw emotion, the artificial grass kicking in their haste before they lined up and knelt perfectly as if rehearsed. Ritsuka could only beam and she stood beside Mash Kyrielight to let the knights have their reunion, her own heart swelling with happiness at the touching scene.

Artoria stood before Gawain, Tristan, Lancelot, and Bedivere as they knelt before her, her heart glowing with a mix of sorrow, regrets, but more than anything else, of joy and pride at seeing people whom she held dear to her heart. Though they were all mighty warriors in and of themselves, more than one of them were crying in genuine joy, clear tears shining in the sunlight like diamonds.

Lancelot in particular tearfully begged his king for justice to be done unto him, that no amount of apology could ever make up for what he had done, and that he wished for nothing more than to serve his king again when they were at their happiest. Gawain, despite being brought forth in his prime like the rest softly sobbed as tenderly as if he were a child again. The Knight of the Sun had his head low as he pleaded with his king for forgiveness for letting his wrath getting the better of him and preventing aid when the king needed it most. Tristan's voice and body were as still as the surface of a pond, but genuine tears were falling from his face as he waited his turn to speak, not trusting his own voice and heart to say what he desired the most; that he would give anything to take back his thoughtless words when he left Camelot and his king.

Bedivere said nothing to his king, but looked over to his Master, who had helped him fulfill at long last the final request of King Arthur, nodding in sheer gratitude because there were no words he could possibly say to convey just how happy he was. It would only be later that she learned that despite the fact that he wasn't exactly the Sir Bedivere who saw her final moments, he still truly embodied the knight whom she entrusted her well-being to.

Artoria bade each one to rise before her and spoke gentle words as only she could. That the past was in the past and what was done was done, but now they had a new duty which they must fulfill; the Restoration of Humanity. They all stood taller than her, but Ritsuka could see that Artoria Pendragon really was a splendid king for the others to follow and give their lives for. The knights often spoke of Artoria and all of them had nothing but reverence and love for her as their king.

After they stood again Artoria summoned Excalibur and planted it point first in the ground before she spoke, her words venerable and every single one spoken made her just want to keep hearing her voice when she spoke with all the authority of a king.

"My dearest Knights of the Round Table, surely this is the will of Providence for us to be reunited in this manner. Though am no longer a king of a country, but a Servant like all of you, I cannot order you to follow me anymore as I once did in our previous lives. Instead... I ask of you; Will you continue serving our new Master alongside with me, not to preserve our home, not to expand our borders, but to save the human race and it's history, together?"

"YES!", affirmed Sir Lancelot.

"YES!", vowed Sir Gawain.

"YES!", swore Sir Tristan

YES!", promised Sir Bedivere

The four voices answered at once, but they all insisted on formally reaffirming their vows to their King. Ritsuka was their Master and they would obey her as if she were their sovereign, but Artoria was their Once and Forever King. Artoria would meet with them individually and talk things out, but before she could get around to that, a shadow loomed over them all, blocking out light from the artificial sun. Artoria gasped as a dragon fell from the sky like a missile, roaring so loudly that the air vibrated around them. Excalibur immediately was brought up to fight as the other knights immediately summoned their weapons before forming a phalanx in front of Ritsuka. But luckily, the dragon landing far enough away to not crush anybody, it's enormous body kicking up dust and grass as the ground shook as it plowed the ground before coming to a halt.

Artoria raised Excalibur, ready to charge in when she realized that the dragon was… fading away. Golden dust was billowing off its body as if carried by the wind, it's long serpentine neck swaying as if it were a tree ready to fall when it let out one last, pitiful roar and fell over with a crash. Artoria held up her arm to block out the dust as it landed so close she could have reached out with a hand and touched the fallen beast.

"Hahahaha! Hell yeah! Hey Master, did you see that? I took the sucker down all by myself! I told the others that this would be a piece of cake!"

'That voice...!'

The blood in Artoria turned to ice as a figure jumped down from the dragon as it faded, landing firmly and somehow brutally graceful. The figure's face was obscured slightly by the golden dust as it hefted a huge sword, one that she knew intimately well, with one hand and rested it on their shoulder before smirking. Clarent shone in the sun as Artoria saw standing before her, eyes closed in contempt at easily bringing down a dragon, the one who brought her down. Mordred, her bastard son born from the machinations of her sister Morgan, was wearing the bulky and strong armor during her time at Camelot, but her helmet was down to reveal her face, so startlingly similar to her own. Beautiful and androgynous, yet there was a distinct handsome masculinity to her features still.

"Hey Mordred! I did see that! You were awesome as always! By the way there's something important you need to know.", said Ritsuka as she stepped around the knights and to Artoria's ever-increasing surprise, approached the Knight of Treachery as if they were long-time comrades. Mordred turned her attention to the girl and that confident smile of self-assured power grew wider as Mordred regarded their Master. Ritsuka spoke to Mordred with a genuinely happy smile as did Mash, her body relaxed and Mordred's language while as rough as she remembered looked happier than she had ever seen her. Almost as thrilled as when Mordred revealed her face to Artoria and spoke of their bond by blood.

"Shit, do you think I need you to tell me that? Hell yeah I'm awesome, but feel free to keep praising me more! Well go on, tell me what ya gotta-"

Mordred opened her eyes and when she saw her father in her field of vision, she stopped in the middle of speaking, her mouth agape as the only sound that escaped was a choking sound as if somebody had started strangling her. The other knights were at the ready to respond if Mordred's response to reuniting with the king was hostile. Artoria for her part said nothing and instead kept her face a mask of complete neutrality, unknowingly taking on the same expression from the time when she told Mordred without ambiguity that she would never acknowledge Mordred as her son nor heir.

"Aa.. ack…uh… F-FA—FAAA-FAAAAA-"

"I think the word you're searching for is "father"?", began Ritsuka helpfully before the Knight of Treachery stabbed a finger at her king and screamed.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS FATHER DOING HERE?!"

"Language, Sir Mordred!", said Gawain sternly as was his wont when Mordred acted out.

"FUCK YOU YA DAMN GORILLA! THAT IS FATHER! FATHER IS HERE!"

Ritsuka immediately went to Mash and covered her ears to block off the stream of enraged and shocked profanity coming from their strongest Saber's lips.

The rest of Mordred's rant was cut off as Leonardo da Vinci quietly and calmly shut off the simulator from the command room and brought the others back.

"Oh dear… Looks like we're going to deal with our strongest Saber's daddy issues now. I wonder if any of the other Heroic Spirits can help with this. Huh, the intercom is still active? ...it really is? You mean they all heard what I said? Mordred heard it too? She's leaving the simulator and heading this way as we speak? Well, uh... I'll be in my Anti-Saber workshop, so don't wait up!"

/~/

"I would have thought she would have come to gloat and taunt me about how my refusal to give her the throne was what brought our home to ashes, so I resolved to not let my personal feelings about her affect my reason for answering your call to help restore humanity. I would simply treat her as I did before the truth of our relationship was brought to light. I found that while I did feel anger at her role in Camelot's downfall, I still did not hate her even after what transpired between us, then and now. However, I still held her as a symbol rather than a person of my failings. In Mordred I saw the culmination of what my rule had brought all in a singular person even though I held no such feelings towards Sir Lancelot for his affair nor Sir Tristan for his final words before departing from me."

Artoria chewed on one of the cookies on the table before she continued. Talking had brought up her appetite in the middle of her recollections, so she felt well enough to take the once more offered snacks. Food always was a source of comfort even though she didn't need it and objectively only needed mana to sustain her existence. But even so it was not as if she didn't have a sense of taste or the ability to feel full after a good meal. Mash and Ritsuka didn't rush the Saber, listening attentively to her without interrupting.

"So it was no surprise that during our time together during that summer when we were all trapped on that island I was indifferent to Mordred as much as I could to avoid clashing with her as I still held her as the symbol of my ruin. But her change in Spirit Origin did not make it easy for me to simply do what had to be done and I couldn't help but be irritated or dismissive to avoid dealing with her despite her attempts at interacting with me."

"Well in fairness, Mordred was a little overenthusiastic.", Mash pointed out as she too remembered the events of that summer.

Artoria closed her eyes briefly before she opened them and continued, "But now that we have resolved to connect with each other, I have come to realize that I only know how to treat Mordred as my knight instead of my son. I was truly sincere in my desire to be the father I wasn't in life, but our interactions haven't been fruitful. In training and in battle, Mordred is still uncouth and dislikes being told what to do. It makes it difficult to praise her and when I try, it comes out stiffly and Mordred appears merely annoyed. But when I see the way Master interacts with her, her happiness is much more easily seen."

"Well it wasn't easy getting to that point.", admitted Ritsuka sheepishly as her cowlick twitched a bit, "It took a while for me to figure out how to get along with Mordred and draw out the best in them, but it is doable. You just have to be patient and keep trying."

"If I'm not mistaken, there are also other Heroic Spirits here who were parents or had parents in their lives, so I'm sure that one of them could also give you sound advice."

Ritsuka agreed with Mash and echoed the same sentiment to the King of Knights. Artoria assured her Master and the Shielder that she had no intention of giving up, and that she had actually gone to Merlin first for advice, though the Mage of Flowers could offer no advice beyond either "look it up yourself" or to seek out fellow Servants for advice on how to be a good father to Mordred.

"How did it go?"

Artoria had a far off look of grim stoicism, her jaw set as if she had just returned from an exhausting campaign against a foe or monster she struggled to defeat. The look lingered for a moment before she finally spoke two words

"Not well."

Mash and Ritsuka cringed slightly before glancing at each other and exchanged a silent promise that what the King of Knights said would NEVER leave the room.

"You don't have to say anything if it makes you feel uncomfortable.", said Ritsuka sympathetically, "But if you don't mind my asking, exactly WHO did you try to get your advice from...?"

"I did seek you out for advice Master because while I have no doubt that the ones I asked had good intentions, I don't believe works for myself and Mordred. But it would be best if I started from the beginning."

Artoria picked up another cookie and ate it, noting that this one was a peanut butter flavor, and after swallowing it she went on.

/~/

Though objectively we both knew we were females, it seemed more natural for us to be called "father" and "son", yet I had found myself at a loss of how exactly to be a parent. All kings require good counsel and advisors, so I decided the simplest course of action would be to seek out other Heroic Spirits who were parents and learn how to be a parent from them. So the first and most obvious answer to me was to seek out Sir Lancelot, seeing as how he was a father himself to Sir Galahad. I had learned about the Singularity involving Camelot from my knights as well as Master, so I felt it reasonable to assume that Lancelot had made ample time to reconnect with Galahad through Mash Kyrielight.

He had just finished going through a training duel with Siegfried, the Dragon Slayer of the Nibelungenlied, praising the other Saber for his strength as knightly behavior dictated. It must have been the Dragon Core within me because the first thing I thought of when I saw Siegfried for the first time was what it would be like to clash Excalibur with Balmung. Sir Lancelot must have truly been able to bring joy to the taller and broader man because Siegfried was smiling openly even as he praised the Knight of the Lake for his conduct and skill.

"Excuse me, Sir Lancelot, Siegfried.", I said as I approached the two, "May I have a few minutes of your time Sir Lancelot? I am in need of your guidance."

"Of course my king! Pray excuse me Siegfried, my king has need of me."

The Dragon Slayer smiled and nodded politely, locking eyes with me and reassuring us both that it was no trouble before he walked off in the opposite direction. Lancelot asked me with curiosity just what I could need in order to seek guidance from him, his handsome features showing a confident smile as if he were expecting a quest. Despite the nostalgia I felt, I was there for a reason, thus I explained that I wanted advice on how to be a good father to Mordred and seeing as how he was a father, surely he would know what to do.

The smile on Lancelot's face didn't change, but it could only be called a smile because his lips were turned up and soon it faded away into a look of dull misery. His face turned whiter than milk before his lavender eyes went dull and a look of deep shame creased his face. For a while he didn't speak and I felt absurdly guilty as I remembered that Galahad had never gotten along with his father after the two met. Furthermore, he had never raised him either, so in a way he was in the same boat as me. Before I could mount an apology, Sir Lancelot and I heard whistling and we turned to look at one of Master's more recent summons walking down the hall.

The Archer of Shinjuku, also known as the eternal rival to the great detective of Baker Street, Professor James Moriarty. He was dressed in an elegant suit of the finest materials and it appeared he was dressed in his bartending clothing, blue butterflies flitting around him, yet keeping a distance. Suddenly, Lancelot's eyes bulged and he bared his teeth, gritting them so hard I thought they would crack before he let out a truly awful howl, "BASTAAAAAAAAAAAARD!!"

The Archer flinched as if snapped out of a daydream before Lancelot drew out Ardonlight and shoved past me, screaming incoherent words like his Berserker self before I managed to catch his last two sentences, "...AND YOU TRICKED ME INTO BEING A DANGEROUS BEAST! YOU SAID IT WOULD HELP ME GET CLOSER TO MY DAUGHTER!"

Moriarty turned on his heels and sprinted away before calling over his shoulder, "You asked for my help and I gave it to you free of charge! FRAAAAAN! COME SAVE YOUR PAPA!"

/~/

Mash's face had a truly haunted look as she inwardly recalled the time where Lancelot had been tricked by Professor Moriarty via his Evil Charisma A into wearing a haphazardly thrown-together version of her "Dangerous Beast" Halloween outfit as a means to get closer to her. Her bile rose as she recalled a full-grown man wearing some VERY risque clothing meant for a female, his muscular frame filling out the skimpy clothing in ways that should never be witnessed and the wild grin he had as he asked Mash to "squeeze all you want". Mash turned so pale at the memory that milk would have had more color than her, the world spun, and she covered her face as if to block out the very memory.

Mash had well and truly been traumatized by what she had seen and refused to go anywhere near Lancelot for a good long while. Ritsuka had to use all her Command Seals to help Lancelot get over the sheer embarrassment of what he did once he had come back to his senses and make her Servants swear that they would NEVER, EVER, bring that incident up again. The Napoleon of Crime meanwhile had been confined to his bar for a solid month, but he still somehow managed to slip out whenever he so pleased. The Napoleon of Crime could never be held for long in a cell anyway.

"Did... did you try somebody else?", asked Ritsuka, sympathetically patting her kouhai's head to comfort her while looking between her and Artoria.

/~/

With Lancelot giving chase, I cursed myself mentally as I remembered that none of my knights were particularly notable for being paragons of parenthood, at least the ones here at Chaldea. But no sooner had I made the decision to go to the cafeteria to get some food when a familiar beautiful and buxom Japanese woman came out of a nearby room. It was none other than The Mystery Killer herself, the one known as Minamoto-no-Raikou. Her class was Berserker, but I didn't know why as she was not incoherent in the way that Lancelot's Berserker self was and one could have a conversation with her.

She seemed somewhat worried and distracted, so I felt my innate desire to help others spurn me on to speak to her.

"Is everything okay?"

"Hm?", she turned to regard me and I instantly could tell that she was a mighty warrior indeed. Even in her distracted state she cut a powerful figure despite being a woman with a body that would have turned heads of male and female alike. The Berserker however held herself gracefully and bowed with perfect poise, her every movement both powerful and sublime. She spoke with a warm and kind voice, but I felt my instincts warn me that this woman was not one to be dismissive of.

"Good afternoon. Thank you for taking the time to see to my well-being as expected of a Western Knight. But you need not trouble yourself. I was thinking of what kind of meal I should make for my children today."

I instantly hung onto the word, "children" and realized that Raikou surely was the perfect person to ask about being a parent! From what I had heard, she had a son, a fellow Berserker, and more importantly it was said that she regarded and loved our Master Ritsuka as if she too were her own child! So I stepped closer to her, causing her to widen her eyes in slight surprise before I recollected myself and said a bit more formally as befitting a knight.

"Forgive me for taking the time from you, but I feel that Providence has spoken today and led to this encouter. I beg of you, please teach me the ways of being a good parent. It is said that you dote upon and cherish not only your own son, but our Master as well."

"W-well I'm not so certain that-"

"Please.", said I, interrupting her before her modesty could cause her to refuse, "I have only just recently taken the first step to reconnecting with my own child. In life, I had failed to give my son love that might have kept him from going down the path of betrayal. But now I have been given a chance to make up for that, yet despite having the strength and wisdom of a king I admit I was never prepared to be a parent. So I ask of you Lady Raikou... Help me please. I truly do want to be a good parent and anybody whom Master regards as a mother would surely know what to do."

The Berserker didn't say a word and merely stared at me in surprise as I gazed at her. My Intuition and natural Charisma had guided me well in the past to always take what I felt would be the true and correct path. The other woman's face softened and her eyes became misty, blush marks appearing on the exotic beauty's cheeks before she said, "Ara, ara... The desire to be a good parent is something that all who become that should strive for. How could I possibly refuse such a request from the King of Knights? Very well, I will teach you all I know about loving your child. However..."

Her eyes sharpened and she took on a more serious tone. While I was glad that she knew my situation somewhat, probably from Master seeing as how Mordred and her were among the stronger Heroic Spirits in Chaldea, I couldn't help but feel my instincts suddenly screaming at me to drop this questioning and excuse myself from her presence.

"What I teach is not something to take lightly. In my lessons, you will be clay that I mold as I teach you the ways of being a parent who loves your child."

"Then your student I shall become... Shishou*. I will learn everything I can from you and through your teachings I will show love to my son Mordred as I have not shown them before, so I do vow as a king, a knight, and a father."

/~/

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Ritsuka Fujimaru, Mash Kyrielight, and Fou stared at Artoria Pendragon in sympathy. The King of Knights had thought that because she wasn't a raving lunatic, Minamoto-no-Raikou was a rational person who could help her navigate the confusing and chaotic path of being a loving parent to their child. Ritsuka and Mash both knew that mental illness aside, Raikou was a genuinely loving and devoted mother to her children. Ritsuka cherished and cared about Raikou's well-being as much as her other Servants, even indulging her from time to time by calling her, "Mother". Mash also knew that despite bearing her responsibilites as Humanity's Last Master, her Senpai was still young and at times desired parental guidance and affection to help her steel herself when their task weight heavier than usual. Though she would smile and continue as if nothing were amiss, the weight of responsibility was an oppressive force that Ritsuka needed help with in order to function daily. But even so, Ritsuka Fujimaru never failed to keep a strict boundary that Raikou would not be allowed to cross in order to keep the peace with the other Servants who held affection for her.

What Artoria had failed to realize at the time and only later learned was that Raikou had "Madness Enhancement EX" for a very good reason despite appearing perfectly sane.

The Mystery Killer could not differentiate between forms of love. To her, parental love for her children was the exact same affection and attitude towards a lover.

"Um, Artoria?", asked Ritsuka carefully, "Did you...?"

"I'm sorry Master.", said the King of Knights suddenly standing up and walking towards the door, "I think that story will have to wait for another day. I... am not quite ready to talk about that yet. I thought maybe talking now would help me, but... no. Not yet. Still, I thank you for your time and apologize for interrupting your rest."

"Wait, my king!"

Mash was standing up and Fou let out a squeak as he fell from her lap before jumping onto Ritsuka's head and bristling a little with annoyance.

Artoria stopped just before she left and turned, her face betraying no emotion whatsoever. Mash felt her mouth go dry suddenly and she tried to speak, wetting her tongue before she said, "When... when Lancelot did... that... if even I can look at him again and not hold ill will, I'm sure the same would be for Mordred as well!"

Artoria's face softened and she sighed, "Well... one can hope. Master, I will call upon you again when I am ready. Would you be willing to indulge me again when the time comes?"

"Of course Saber! Even if it's in the middle of the night, I'll help you however I can.", reassured Ritsuka, smiling and giving a sincere thumbs up to the King of Knights before she noticed that it was in fact now the middle of the night. It was time to clean up and go to bed, but Chaldea's Master bade Artoria goodnight, giving her yet another wonderful smile, one of confidence and hope that never looked like it could be extinguished.

The smile once more stirred memories that she could not recall, but Artoria felt the darkness inside her heart at the memory of what she did to Mordred become less of a stranglehold on her heart. No further words were needed, save a grateful nod. With that, Artoria left her Master's room, the sound of dishes being cleaned up and her armored boots stepping on the floor were all that was heard. A few more steps later, even those sounds were lost to her as she made her way to her own bedroom.

Immortal: Like I said, this was a quickie and an Interlude on top of that! So don't worry, the real stuff will be coming, but I did not want to leave you all hanging for any longer than strictly necessary. Thank you truly for enjoying this story and let me know via Review if you want me to keep doing these Interludes. As I said in the chapter revolving around Mordred's Birthday, these Chaldea chapters do sincerely have a purpose that will be revealed in time.

Gudako: Now that I'm here, I'm gonna wrack up the bills for Gilfest 2021! You can run and you can hide, but there ain't a damn place you can get away from me! So all you chumps out there, let me know just how poor I should make this Mordred simp as punishment for keeping you all in suspense and throwing an Interlude on top of that? Either way, looks like it's gonna be nothing but cheap noodles for a while!