AN- So yeah. I killed off Medusa. To be honest, the deaths had to start somewhere, and such is the crux of the Death Tournament. Deaths must occur for the plot to advance, but consequently not every character gets the chance to be fully shown off.

Chapter 8

They were born to a poor family of lesser nobles. Raised as a boy, so they could inherit the land of their father. Well educated, and strong of mind and spirit, yet they yearned for more still. Burgundy seemed oh so small a place to them, and even the promise of their father's title did nothing to excite them. No- it was to Paris, the capital, that set their heart racing.

And so, they moved there as soon as they could, found what work they could, and climbed through the ranks. In time, they caught the eyes of those that worked in the shadows of Paris, and in turn joined the Kings Secret. They found that they were remarkably good at their newfound job of spying. Androgynous in appearance, with the grace of a woman and the strength of a man, it seemed almost effortless for them to slip into any role required.

Eventually, their duty took them to Russia- to a barricade of the English, and the necessity to don a dress once more to pass them by.

Infiltration successful, they and their fellow spy managed to slip into the high society of Russia. They took on a mantle and played their role well: lady Lea de Beaumont, the maid of honour to the Empress.

And over the course of the mission, they came to realise something. They thought back to their youth, and realised the absurdity of it all.

For they enjoyed the dress, and the role. He was just as lovely as a woman, but she had been raised oh so well as a man.

Confusion- ambiguity. The man who wears a mask sometimes forgets their true appearance beneath.

Then the mission ended, and they returned to Paris. Once more they threw themselves into their duty, and donned the mantle of a captain of dragoons, because they could see the way the wind blew: and war was on the horizon.

Because there was one absolute in the fluid core of Chavalier d'Eon. Amidst every disguise, within every role, beneath the dress and within the trousers- one thing resided. Duty- and a love for their country.

They had forgotten themselves, but they knew enough. They were a Knight of the White Lily. And they would loyally serve their monarchy, regardless of whatever masquerade they donned…

XXXXXXXXXX

"S-saber!" I spluttered, waking up. I looked over the bed- searching for the forms I expected to find there. Instead, the bed was empty. Rider and Saber had both been forced into Astral forms last night to help them properly recover from their injuries in taking down Rider, leaving me to wake up alone.

Still, it felt a little lonely waking up to an empty bed. Battle forges bonds almost as great as years-worth of friendships, and while my role had been minimal, it's hard not to feel a BOND with a Servant. They really are the top 0.0000001 percent of humanity, and it's a pleasure just to around them.

"Morning!" Medea popped her head in through the door to the living area. "Breakfast is on me today, since Boudica is still not at her best!"

"Where is she anyway?" I asked her. Concentrating, I could feel the Prana connections I shared with my Servants, but I couldn't really differentiate which bond led to each Servant.

"Sulking. Really, I think she's just upset that she hadn't been able to do more."

I sighed. "That woman is far too maternal, I tell you."

Medea smiled sadly. "I mean, she treats everyone like a little sibling, y'know?"

"Yeah, but EVERYONE treats you like a little sibling." I reminded her. "Because you're friggin' adorable."

She puffed out her cheeks in mock anger. "Don't say that! I'm really terrifying! Do you know just how ridiculous High Speed Divine Words are?"

"Yes. I know, and I don't care. It doesn't change the objective nature of your adorability."

"Urgh. At this point in time, I give up." Medea had wisely learned to pick her battles. It was difficult to command respect as a Master Spellcaster when you were ridiculously short, looked like an elf and had light purple hair.

In walked Saber. "Good morning, my Master." They gave a small, stiff bow.

An inner core of loyalty and Duty.

"Morning. I'm… happy to see you're looking better now. I was worried before." Which was an understatement. One doesn't normally recover from being turned halfway into a lawn ornament.

The smile was a little strained, but the sentiment was there. "Well, I'll try not to worry you in the future. Though, as a Servant, I cannot promise to remain out of danger."

I gave them the look. "I know. You have a duty to fight for me, and I sure as hell can't pick a fight with the enemy. Even so, I would… prefer not to suffer any casualties."

"If you wish to become a strong battle commander, then you are aware that your heart is going to get in the way?" Lily reminded me.

The smile that I offered them was wry. "You were a captain at one point. I suppose you would know your stuff."

Chevalier d'Eon didn't take the out I offered, but pressed on. "I'm being serious, my Master. In many ways, the Master plays just as large a role in a War as the Servant does. We're a… a pair. Tactics, strategy, the capabilities to support the Servant or finds avenues to victory we in our closed minds cannot possibly fathom… if you do want to win this, then you will need to become a battle commander. For you are outnumbered seven to one, and must compensate for that fact."

"I'm aware." I sighed. "We're at a big disadvantage, since as a Master I know I'm inferior to the others. And yes, we'll be outnumbered. Our Team doesn't have seven Masters and seven Servants; only one Master to go around. I've gotta give it my all. And it's not like I can't harden my heart when I must. I mean, I… I did order Shinji's death."

Aye- that had definitely been the most coldhearted thing I had done this entire war, murdering a Master in the middle of a peace talk, midsentence. Once the Dream Sequences ended, I was sure I'd get a few good sleepless nights from that one.

They smirked. "I know. Boudica told me all about that."

"And then we had last night too! I mean, that was pretty proactive!" less cold-blooded, mayhaps, but still bloody. That wasn't self-defence. I'd picked that fight, and brought down the Matou mansion even though I had no guarantee that Rider would have been close enough to prevent the mostly defenceless Sakura from getting wounded.

Lily shook their head at that though. "I'm not saying this to criticise. The reason I'm telling you this is because I believe you to have the potential to be a good commander. I don't… want you to numb your heart completely. Even a Knight such as I have learned that what the heart wants, it wants, and what it feels, it feels. But I just want to remind you that it will be you that will have to make the tough decisions, when the time comes. We are merely your army, as it were. Weapons that you direct and aim. And in the end, responsibility lies with the one giving the orders."

"Fuuuck. It's too early in the morning for morality debates." I grumbled, though I pointedly didn't deny the point Lily was making. I had no illusions about how this War was going to turn out… but that didn't mean that I wanted a bloodless solution any less. At the very least, I could try to win with the minimal loss of innocent life, and with the minimal number of casualties on my end.

It's kind of funny just how much I sympathised with both the dummy Emiya Shirou, and the Magus Tohsaka Rin, at this moment in time.

"Geez! Breakfast is getting cold!" Medea yelled from the other room.

"Coming!" I called back. The Chevalier noticed the unspoken dismissal, and happily stepped aside so that I could enter the kitchen and get the necessary sustenance to properly start the day.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Servant, Assassin." Greeted the voice amidst the fog produced by my latest Summoning ritual. "Excuse me, for I am not a Hassan. Hmmm… furthermore, I am sorry, but I cannot fight."

I gave the figure a loud sigh "Well, fuck. An Assassin that can't kill? I suppose that it would be just my luck, but even so! This is getting ridiculous!" Was it too hard to ask for a single bloody overpowered Servant? I don't even need Hercules of Gilgamesh or anything! I'd be pretty dang happy with an Iskandar or a Cu Chullain, or basically anybody with any amount of semi-decent firepower! "I can't say that it's not fitting, though."

She laughed, clearly agreeing with my words. It likely was my luck, but as she was summoned without catalyst, then she was automatically guaranteed to be an apt choice for me, even so. Now, I could see her a bit clearer though. If the voice hadn't been a giveaway, my newest Servant was both of the Assassin class, and a woman. Her voice couldn't properly convey her beauty, however. It was not an exaggeration to say that once the mist had cleared, she could only be described as drop dead gorgeous.

Like, I was used to beautiful Servants, by this point in time. Boudica had a stunning physique and frequently showed it, Medea (While childish) could only be described as ethereally pretty and embodied moe charm, and even Lily was attractive enough (Whether they were a man or woman, part of me we would still be tempted to, as they say, 'hit that').

But Assassin? She put them all to shame.

A young lady on the cusp of becoming a mature beauty, she had an ageless quality that appealed to me. Her golden dancing attire was just as revealing as Boudica's default attire, and heavily accented her lovely curves and soft skin. And the face… the shimmer of her brunette hair… her enthralling eyes…

It was almost embarrassing, really, how in three sentences alone she had already captivated me. I liked to think I had a good head on my shoulders… but… well, she…

"D-dang it!" I growled, turning my back to her PURELY so I wouldn't see her (And for no other reason at all). "Stop s-seducing me already!"

"But Master, I'm not." She told me in a husky tone. "I suppose I'm just naturally your type…"

"Oh, just knock it off already!" Boudica snapped from her spot in the room, atop the bed. She had her arms crossed firmly, and didn't seem amused by the fact that I was making a fool of myself. "I mean really. Have some common decency, you… you…"

"Decency? Me? Pretty galling to say that considering your own revealing clothing." By now, her voice was clearly teasing. "I'd almost say you were je~al~ous of all the attention I'm getting."

And thus, yet again, my new Assassin proves to be a terrifying threat to my forces. In addition to myself, she had already she'd left my Rider a blushing, stammering mess- despite her own maturity.

"My lady, perhaps you should tone down your behaviour." Lily offered their own two cents on the matter. "You said you were a non-combatant Assassin, and based on your behaviour and temperament, I'd say your speciality lies in infiltration and seduction. Am I wrong? If so, then using such skills on your allies wouldn't exactly be getting you off to a good start."

I wasn't looking at her, but I could hear the unspoken eyeroll. "Fiiine. Oh, Master, darling, don't suppose you could give me that jacket of yours?"

The jacket was unzipped, removed and thrown behind me before she could even complete he request.

"Well, I suppose that you are prompt, aren't you? Though quickness isn't always appreciated, you know…"

"Sh-shut up and put the jacket on." I said, turning back around. Assassin was still as ridiculously alluring as she had been before, but at least the school jacket covered a bunch of skin ("Although now that I think about it, it does press quite tightly against her… GODDAMN IT, she's doing it again! Stupid sexy Assassin…")

"Urgh, this is just painful to watch." Groaned Medea. "Can we get onto business before he becomes any more lovesick. I mean, did I look that mortifying when it happened to me?"

"I. Am. Not. Loooovvv-" … and shit, I just lost my train of thought because Assassin pushed a lock of hair in juuuust the right way out of her face and…

"Okay, maybe I am. Just a little." I admitted, turning around again. "I mean really. This is getting silly now! I'm a man of reason! You can't just bat those pretty eyelashes of yours and turn me into putty in the palm of my hands."

"Really?" She asked with what I knew was a knee dropping smile. "Because I think I already have. It's just in my nature, you see."

"I can… see that." I admitted. "If you really are a Servant specialising in seduction, then it's totally not my fault I fell for your charms. R-really, this is all your fault, when you think about it!"

Medea's sigh was resigned. "This really seemed healthier when it was happening to me."

Boudica gave me a reassuring pat on the head- a steady tap, tap, tap. "Oh, it's okay Master. You are absolutely right. It's clearly not your fault you're hopelessly enamoured with someone."

"Now you just sound more patronisingly than sisterly." I told her sternly. "And I'm not enamoured! Merely horribly attracted! This is surely a physical thing alone!"

"Of course, of course~" she didn't stop her patronising reassurances or head pats, however.

"Besides which, weren't you just as annoyed as me to begin with? Are you just joining in with the teasing so I forget about your own little lapse?" I accused.

"D-don't be silly. Fufufu, now you're trying to distract us from your inabilities now." And thus, Boudica continued doing what she had already been doing- head pats everywhere.

"It's okay, child, it really is!" Reassured Assassin, cooing gently as she rejoined the conversation. "For a boy your age, it's perfectly fine to feel those… urges."

"Motherfucker, I'm nineteen!"

"We are getting nowhere here!" The shout came out of nowhere. We turned, to see Lily looking very angry- though with their looks, they seemed more put out, if anything. "Firstly, you can stop complaining!" They turned to me. "Yes, we know that it's not your fault for falling victim to a woman such as her! Heaven knows I've seen boys fall sway to less than that."

"And you!" Lily spun, turning on Assassin with her rapier like put downs. "Stop complicating matters! Heaven knows why you haven't even asked why you're surrounded by Servants not trying to kill you! Do you have no sense of prioritisation, woman!? I've done my fair share of seduction, but there is a time and a place, and here and now it's business time. We're in a war to the death with 14 other Heroic Spirits, and you not taking it seriously doesn't help us at all, does it?"

Truly, it was amazing. Assassin had nothing to say- could only stare, dumbstruck at the normally amiable Saber- her mouth openly gaping.

"… wow." I said, "I think I have a new favourite Servant. I mean, I shouldn't play favourites, but I think it was pretty clear that I considered Rider to be best girl before now. But I think with this one action alone, you've taken the top spot, Saber."

"Time. And. A. Place!" Saber hissed, turning on me once more, though that didn't stop the slight satisfaction I saw in their eyes.

"… Okay, I'll stop, but I do feel the need to say how awesome you are."

Assassin coughed delicately. "Very well. I shall try to behave with a bit more… decorum, for now. Honestly, I know how weak a Servant I am. I do have a wish for the Grail, but I've long since abandoned the idea that I might have ended up getting it granted. Consequently, I haven't exactly been taking this seriously. I am sorry."

I knew I should have been more irritated at her, but by her very nature, I couldn't stay mad at her for long, even if I wanted to.

"Better." Lily said, with their voice a lot more level now. "Next, we shall all introduce ourselves."

One by one, we all took our turn introducing ourselves, until it finally became Assassin's turn once more. "Servant Assassin. My true name is that of Mata Hari, the exotic dancer, executed during the First World War for being a spy. Whether I truly was or not… who can say?"

"Thank you." Saber said, taking point in leading this meeting since I was in no clear state to do so. "Next, what are your capabilities, so we best know how to use you in the coming War?"

"I am utterly inept at combat~" she cheerfully announced. "I am, however, excellent at infiltration. No man may consider me an enemy, and no secrets can be kept that I cannot uncover. As for my Noble Phantasm… if used correctly, it allows me turn all who sees me into one of my puppets, if only until sunrise."

"And thus, you know your newest soldier, Master." Lily spoke, calmly. "Do not think too much on her, for she is but a means to sow chaos in the hearts of our enemies."

"Ohoh, aren't you being a little harsh, child? I am more than just my hips and lips, you know?" she pouted.

"Yes, but this is a war." The rapier fighter reminded her. "And your beauty is- unfortunately- the sole weapon you possess."

"That much is true." She smirked a little smirk. "Wars are hardly won on the battlefield alone, but also in the bedroom."

Saber ignored her. "Consequently, please try to avoid using your 'weapons' upon your allies. It is lucky that my personal Skills Looks of Loveliness and Self Suggestion make me incredibly resistant to your allure, else we would have never gotten anywhere."

The message was made clear- Saber was Assassin's- no, Mata Hari's- natural enemy. No matter how those hips swayed, Saber's will would not. Truly, Saber was the Trap to end all Traps when it came to being seduced by others.

"I understand." Mata Hari said, perhaps a little bitterly. "Perhaps it would be for the best if I return to my Astral form until you need?"

"Y-yes." I told her, still not looking her in the eye. I just… I couldn't operate properly while she was around. Honestly, my mind just kept straying, and the longer I saw her the thicker the fog in my mind became.

"It would be for the best." Medea agreed, though she was perhaps a little bit more mournful.

Assassin did as she agreed to do and disappeared, meaning I could breathe freely again.

"Okay." I said, trying to put my newest Servant out of thought (Though it was immensely difficult to do so). "Perhaps we should discuss our strategy for the day, now that we've dealt with that."

"That would be for the best, Master." Boudica concurred. "I'm afraid to say that our fighting condition is unchanged from yesterday for the most part. Caster's Noble Phantasm did its job, and your excessive Mana has helped speed up our recover, but we really took a beating yesterday. For one thing, last night my Noble Phantasm was destroyed. Rider of Blue's Pegasus demolished my chariot, and given time it will repair, but I predict that I myself will need at least another day or two before I am at peak performance. We will likely be in fighting condition tonight, though."

I shook my head. "No. I think that after last night, we need to let things cool down a little bit. We have Assassin now, but our combat capabilities are no greater than yesterday. In fact, since you're a Rider without a mount, we're in a worse position. Plus… I have a bad feeling, about what Ruler said. Anytime now, the Blue Team will unite and the Red Team will arrive in Fuyuki. I would prefer one more Servant before we try and participate in another fight."

The Queen of Victory smiled graciously. "If that is what you think best, Master. I guess that makes today a 'rest and recovery' day, huh? Perhaps we could go shopping? We really need to get you some new clothes, while we Servant's need some 'normal' outfits as well. The Grail has shared oh so many interesting details about these things called 'shopping centres'…"

… I suddenly had a terrible and foreboding feeling.