The Druadach's Glacier

The Druadach Mountains were one of the most important mountain ranges in Tamriel. These mountains separated Hight-Rock and Hammerfell, to the west, from Skyrim to the east. Some of the highest peaks on the continent were part of this rocky rampart.

However, looking at these mountains on a map and in reality, were two different things.

After six days of walking through valleys and hills covered with spring flowers, Shiro was awakened by the cold. Rather than snuggling up against Artoria, still sleeping next to him, he stood up, lifted up the skin of his tent, and looked out.

Day struggled to break through a landscape covered with white frost. His breath condensed as he came out of his lips as he discovered the grass and trees covered with a thick, icy layer.
During the night, temperatures had dropped dramatically, literally freezing the hills under a shimmering setting.

As he looked around, he saw a high mountain emerging from the fog. According to the map, it was Tola peak. This peak was at the end of an advance of the chain to the west and was a good landmark.
Hearing the barking of the dogs, the red-haired Magus turned to watch the thick fur animals playing together.
Near the second tent, the guides in charge of leading their small expeditions were busy harnessing them to sleds. Shiro frowned and approached them. There were three men between the ages of thirty and forty, dressed in fur and with a brown face. Members of the guild of warriors, Jurgen -the Nord- Bedoryan and Tristyn -the Bretons- had been warmly recommended to them by the master of the guild house of Wayrest because they knew the region admirably.

As Bedoryan saw him advancing, he smiled at Shiro in spite of the frigid wind which was only forcing:

"Sir Shiro, did you sleep well?"

The Amber Eyed Blacksmith scratched his red and tangled hair:

"All right, until the cold wakes me up. Why are you harnessing the dogs? There's no snow."

The man sniffed, hiding some amusement. With one hand he pointed to Mount Tola:

"Sir, you see the clouds? They are blocked by the mountains, in order to cross them, they will have to rise... and therefore unload. The wind is very cold; the rain will turn into snow before touching the ground. We'll let our escort leave with the horses and continue with the sleds."

The explanation was logical and was confirmed less than half an hour later by a real blizzard of snow and icy wind. Forced to retreat under the tents, Artoria, Rin, Archer, Merlin, Shiro and the three guides covered themselves with furs and squeezed around a wood fire that struggled to warm the atmosphere.
Tristyn unrolled a map on a crate serving as a table:

'We must now decide what to do. There are two possible routes to the fortress of Klaysha. The first is to go around Mount Tola from the south-east, then go straight north. Except that we will have to cross a glacier. It's 350 kilometers in a treacherous land."

His finger had followed the most direct route he had indicated. Then, returning to the point where they were now, he described a vast arc around the glacier:

"Or we can cross the middle mountain and hill region to the northwest. Arrived at the height of the fortress, we will then take due east to reach Kalysha. That's a hundred kilometers more. However, the two itineraries are equivalent to ten days of travel."

With her chin on her fist, Tohsaka contemplated the guide who had just spoken. Her expression was thoughtful and her blue eyes questioning:

"If the shortest route is so dangerous and doesn't even save time, why do you propose it?"

Next to her, Saber nodded. Accustomed to tactical problems, the former king of Britain had immediately noted this inconsistency.

Tristyn sighed:

"The glacier is uninhabited except for the goats... and some Frost Trolls that hunt them. On the other hand, the hills and valleys in the northwest are populated. And the inhabitants are not friendly... they are Reachmen. They worship the "Ancient Gods", heretical deities who demand sacrifices of humans and Spriggans. Their women are witches and some turn into Hagravens. These monstrous mixtures of old women and ravens are the result of an exchange: power and immortality as hideousness and madness...
Saber's eyes narrowed:

"I have faced the Reachmen before. Even if they are very primitive, they are fierce warriors who resort to magic. Crossing their territory would be very dangerous."

Jurgen approved:

"I went to the area several times. At the time, the Reachmen were not openly hostile. But there was no shortage of loonies who attacked foreigners on sight or of Hagravens eager to sacrifice travelers. Now, we can fear that all the old fortresses will be occupied. And it's not hard to track a group like ours in the snow."

Saber's eyes narrowed:

"I don't have any experience of glacier travel unlike you. You want to fill my ignorance, Sir Jurgen?"

The Nord approved by nodding his head:

"Indeed, I have often hunted in the area. I know the natural traps... and the local wildlife. Frost Giants are peaceful. As long as we don't bother them, we have nothing to fear. In fact, I was even saved by a Giant during one of my previous treks. Frost Trolls are a greater danger, but they are rather solitary. And a single individual does not attack a group like ours. In addition, they are afraid of fire. There are also the spectrums of the ice. Despite their name, they are not living dead. They are translucent snakes floating in the air. Their blood is colder than ice and they freeze all around them. However, the most dangerous creatures in the area are the Falmers. Entire tribes live in caves around glaciers and they fiercely hate all creatures that live on the surface."

Shiro Emiya turned to Merlin, giving him a questioning look:

"I thought you said the Falmers were extinct."

The Magician of Flowers smiles:

"Yes and no... The Snow Elves have disappeared, but their mutated, blind, evil descendants still live. The current Falmers may be the descendants of the ancient Falmers but these creatures twisted by hatred have, apart from the name, nothing more in common with their ancestors. So somehow I told the truth, the Snow Elves no longer exist. In fact, they experienced a fate similar to the Elves captured by Morgoth in the First Age. Tortured, mutilated, transformed, they became the Orcs." As all those present exchanged glances of incomprehension, Merlin blinked: "Finally, no one among you has read the Lord of the Rings? Doesn't the name Tolkien mean anything to you?" But they shook their heads. Merlin sighed: "At last, in short, the Falmers did not go out until nightfall and did not go far from the icy caves and ruins they occupied."

Artoria coughed in her fist:

"So to sum up, we have a choice between the long road that will lead us to a population in revolt or this dangerous glacier."

A hand passed over her belly, a finger raised, Rin took a professorial tone to settle the argument:

"Let's go through the glacier. These monsters are not specifically after us. They are not going to organize a hunt, or coordinate between tribes to kill us right now or cut our throats on the altar of the "Old Gods". The Reachmen do! I do not doubt the valor of those present, but eight against an army of bloodthirsty savages, the prospects are not in our favor."

All agreed, including Archer, who spoke for the first time.

The three dogsleds flew towards the horizon. The air was cold and clear, and the eyes opened up to the horizon a landscape of infinite white. The sky, on the contrary, was grey, crossed by heavy clouds that spread with snowflakes dancing in the wind.

Since the end of the storm, the huskies had run, eight of them pulling each sled. The hours had passed like a dream and the miles had disappeared in the wake of the powerful animals.

When the sun sank to the west, the little band settled down for the night. The dogs dug the snow to form primitive igloos while the humans pitched their tents.

After a quick meal, everyone went to bed except Archer, who took the first watch. Sitting on a crate, the ex-Servant would stir the fire vacantly. Suddenly, he had a small, ironic smile and without turning back, addressed the one who was looking at him:

"Well, Shiro Emiya, you don't know it's rude to stare at people. If you want to talk, sit down."

With his hand, he pointed to another crate.

The Amber Eyed Blacksmith sighed and glanced at Archer before sitting down as he asked.
The wind was blowing. It was the only sound that sounded in the icy hills of Druadach On the other side of the fire, Archer did not seem to pay attention to him. And once again, Shiro felt irritated by the mere presence of the former Servant.

"So? Can't you speak? Did the cat got your tongue or did you suddenly become shy?"

Shiro loosed his hands, which he had clenched in fists He took a long breath and began:

"Why do you keep using the name, Archer? The Grail War is over."

The colorless eyes of Alaya's former dog narrowed slightly:

"And that keeps you awake?"

Usually, Archer's sarcasm would have made Shiro lose his temper. Not this time...

."I'm serious, Archer. You know, after Berserker killed you... Rin, Saber, and I talked a lot about you. You knew Saber, you had already met her before the Grail War. Besides, it is obvious that you recognized her at first glance. Rin also summed up a conversation for us. You described to her the aims and character of Artoria. You know Saber so well. Because of that, Rin thinks you lived in King Arthur's time. Only, Saber doesn't agree. If a warrior of your talent had lived in Britain, she would have known and invited him to the Round Table."

Archer's usual mocking expression snapped. His gaze briefly fogged...

"I am touched."

As his voice wavered, he coughed in his fist:

"Rin saw my past in a dream. Did she tell you?" As Shiro replied with a simple nod, the former Servant continued:" I was... an Alaya Dog, a member of the Counter Force. I have been invoked at all times of history by the Will of Humanity. I killed Islamic terrorists, the arsonists of Rome in '79 after Jesus Christ; I attacked the Bastille from the inside in 1789 and opened the doors to the French Revolutionaries. I've been invoked, over, over and over... so many times I've forgotten most of my missions. Every time history has gone off the rails and humanity's survival has been at stake, Alaya has summoned me. Each time, I killed those who caused this danger. Past, present, future, I was invoked at all times. In my memory, there were centuries of massacres, without chronology. My memories are only evenly stalked bloodied corpses. I've killed so many people that their graves could line up from here to the horizon, covering all the hills as far as the eye can go. This is my life, Shiro Emiya. A terrible existence that I have nevertheless called with all my wishes... You see, I wanted to help humans. I wanted the power to save the innocent, all the innocent without forgetting one of them. So I made a pact with Alaya to give me the power to achieve my goal. In exchange for what I was to serve her for eternity. I was young and stupid. I condemned myself to the hell of Alaya's endless war..."
Shiro swallowed, there was what Archer said, but worse was the tone. The voice of the former Servant was dripping with contempt, anger... and suffering.

As Archer looked up, their eyes crossed and the Amber Eyed Hero trembled. For a moment this ire, this disgust had concentrated on him as if he was the cause of the hell experienced by Archer. The young Magus forgot to breathe... Yet the impression dissipated so quickly, that Shiro wondered if he had imagined it.

Archer was again stirring the fire, his gaze plunged into the flame's dance.

"So now you know why the only name I want is 'Archer'. The name I received at birth is that of an idiot whom I soulfully hate."

Shiro Emiya licked his lips, trying to gather his thoughts. But Archer seemed to have reached the end of his tolerance towards the young man:

"Well, since I've answered your question, you should go to bed. Tomorrow the road will be even harder."
"Wait... I wanted to thank you. I mean... Just before you went up against Berserker, you said, 'Emiya Shiro wasn't a fighter'. And something like: 'you only power was to imagine something that could defeat your enemy.' It made me think a lot and allowed me to better understand my Tracing ability. I would never have survived my first fight with Gilgamesh without what you told me. Thank you."

Archer seemed surprised, stopped for a moment biting the fire and then breathed a long exaggerated sigh:

"I must really be an incurable sentimental idiot... I mean, the truth is, I have to thank you, too. I took part in the Grail War to escape my private hell and... your wish allowed me to be reincarnated here. So, let's say we're even."

Shiro rose, hesitated, and looked up at the night sky:

"I think I've figured out why you hate me. I am a lot like you when you made that pact with Alaya."
Fortunately, the redhead stared at the clouds, because the impression of shock on Archer's face would not have escaped him. Finally... the former Servant burst out with a mocking laugh:

"You have no idea."

An hour had not elapsed since Shiro's departure when someone approached the fire, Archer sighed:

"I haven't looked at the calendar, it's my party tonight? Usually, there aren't so many people who want to talk to me, Saber. Your watch hasn't come yet."

Clothed in a heavy fur coat, Artoria walked lightly, barely cracking the snow under her feet. In the reddening half-light of the campfire, her breathing condensed into a lightweight mist.

Sitting on the crate that Shiro had occupied a little earlier, she smiled at the former Servant of Rin:

"I had a weird dream. All the Knights of the Round Table were locked up with me in a psychiatric hospital on Earth. Mordred was afflicted with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Already Mordred under normal circumstances... "She breathed a heavy sigh without finishing the sentence. "I woke up startled as I tried to strangle Mordred to silence her... "

Her gaze was filled with suspicion as she looked towards the tent occupied by Merlin:

"I've never had such an absurd dream without someone getting involved."

Archer, who was making desperate efforts to hide an uncharitable laugh, realized that the breath of the Magician of the Flowers had paused. As a Servant, he did not need to sleep. And Archer knew enough about the Magician's bad jokes to confirm Artoria's doubts. It looked like a dream's manipulation like that crazy old man loved to do.

Removing the kettle from the fire, the hero Emiya served a cup of tea to Saber:

"Well, until your irritation subsides, why don't you have a little chat?"

Artoria replied with a smile to Archer and he felt like he had butterflies in his stomach. Even after centuries in the prison of Unlimited Blades Work, leaving only to enforce Alaya's will, the mere memory of Saber's beauty had prevented him from going mad.

"Actually, I have a question for you, Archer."

The Servant of the Bow spread his arms wide:

"I have no claim to omniscience, but if I can answer, I will."

After sniffing the aroma of the tea, Artoria tasted it and, despite her habitual self-control, showed some surprise:

"Archer, you prepare this drink with talent. Even Shiro does not infuse it with such perfection."

Embarrassed, the hero Emiya hastened to ask Artoria what her question was. The old Servant of the sword blinked several times, as if she seeking to remember:

"Ah, yes... at the beginning of the siege of Wayrest the Reachmen were present. However, when Rin and I returned with Shiro, they were no longer there. When did they leave?"

Archer shrugged his shoulders:

"They left camp someday before the first snows. I lost sight of them as they walked eastward. Subsequently, we received messages that they had entered the kingdom of Ephesus, south of here. But a great warrior rose up against them at the head of the knights of this country."
Artoria frowned slightly with the mocking tone suddenly adopted by Archer. On the other side of the fire, the ex-Servant had crossed his legs and rolled his head back, displaying an irritating nonchalance.

"A great warrior?"

Archer winked at her:

"Yes, a kind of mad dog that bites as much as it barks... His name would be Cù Chulainn."

The duty of Artoria immediately following that of Archer, they remained for a long time to discuss. Then the hero Emiya yawned and rose to go to his tent.

Saber remained alone with the night wind for her sole company until a horrible howl startled her.
A creature was advancing towards the encampment in the windy darkness. Artoria remembered her second childhood and the stories of the castle guards where she had resided on the foothills of the Wrothgars Mountains. They had described this cry to her.

A Grahl!

Artoria's silhouette was surrounded by golden light. An instant later, she reappeared wearing her dress-armor. She seemed to be holding nothing in her hands, but she adopted a typical two-hand sword stance, her invisible blade brought near her ear and raised to the sky.

Feverishly, she sought to recall the details of the guards' accounts.

The Grahl is a subspecies of the Ice Troll. Larger and slower, it is especially stronger and much more dangerous. Only one of these monsters can easily defeat three Ice Trolls or slaughter a company of soldiers.
While a second cry awakened the sleepers in the tents, Saber saw the monster emerge in the light of the campfire. It was almost as big as an ogre, with the same gorilla silhouette and white fur as an Ice Troll. Like this creature, it had three small black and cruel eyes, the last of which was in the middle of the forehead.

Nevertheless, one could not confuse it with another beast. From its back emerged ice stalagmites while curved hooks similar to the tusks of a wild boar protruded on either side of its mouth.

Artoria leaped forward and the invisible sword whistled, opening a long gash on the monster's chest. The Grahl shouted but immediately retaliated, striking alternately with two fists. Her fighting instinct and the speed conferred by the Mana Burst allowed Saber to dodge the attacks with ease. This giant Troll was certainly powerful... but slow!

In awe, the guides watched the battle. Saber seemed to dance with the horrible monster. She attacked there, leaped, twirled. Her hands seemed empty, but bloody streaks were constantly born on the arms, back, and chest of the Grahl...

However, King Arthur was beginning to worry. The creature's robustness was not exaggerated. The Sword of the Wind King, although a Noble Phantasm of C Rank, appeared unable to inflict any serious injury to the Grahl. The thick fur and its resistant leather-like skin were lined with a thick layer of fat that formed a natural armor. And like any other Trolls, its bones were harder than steel. Worse still, it has a very strong regenerative ability and the wounds closed almost instantly. Normally, the multiple small injuries would have weakened and slowed the enemy, giving Saber an opportunity to strike a decisive blow. But, with this foe, the cut seemed to have no other result than to encourage its fury.

A decisive blow had to be struck.

Artoria took a serious expression.

Lowering her blade, the King of Knights pointed it horizontally behind her right hip and slightly bent her knees.

As she loaded Excalibur with prana, the wind swirled around her hands, revealing a dazzling golden light. An instant later, she released Invisible Air and rushed forward at supersonic speed... to reappear about ten meters behind the monster.

For a moment the scene appeared frozen under the eyes of the spectators. Artoria motionless the sword again invisible, But the position of her hands indicated that Excalibur was pointing down at the height of her left knee... as at the end of an arc of circle begun in her previous posture.

Here, the Grahl vacillated on its knees, watching stupidly its two severed arms falling to the ground. The monster opened its mouth and choked under a flood of scarlet blood. It fell to the ground... half the bust on one side... the bottom on the other... cut in half!

Rin, sleepy and furious at having been awakened in a startle, comes up with a rune out of her purse. Infusing her Prana in the pebble engraved with a sign similar to a stylized bolt of lightning, she concentrated on the image of a high and lively flame before throwing it on the monster still agitated with tremors:

"Sowilo"
Immediately the rune of fire released from the violent flames. Troll's fat burning particularly well, the remains were completely enveloped in the blaze that rose high, driving black and oily smoke towards the clouds.

Brandishing the fist, the forehead pleated with anger the Red devil insulted the dying Grahl:

"Heartless ugly, no one, you hear me? No one can deprive me of sleep and survive!"

If the monster hadn't been on fire, she probably gives it a kick or two. That was Rin all over. They had been attacked by a monster, they could all have died and she thought only of her ruined night.

The Tohska Magus turned to Artoria and suddenly changed her attitude, offering a wonderful smile to the knight-girl:

"Thank you for stopping this creature!"

Nodding mechanically, Saber blinked as a shiver rolled down her spine... She knew Rin wasn't really a morning person, but she'd never seen her so mad before. The legendary King of Britain vowed to never be the cause of a sudden awakening of her friend. She was not sure to survive.

The sunrise welcomed the members of the small expedition around a solid breakfast. Everyone was rested and ready for a new day of travel... with the notable exception of Rin who was about as reactive as a zombie revived by an inexperienced amateur. Archer had to prevent her from going back to sleep several times.

Finally, the sled dogs were harnessed and the journey resumed. It was a beautiful morning. The wind had fallen in the night and a crystalline sky was discovered without the slightest cloud.
The advance was fast and almost without difficulty.

In the evening, the dogsleds came to rest almost south of Mount Tola.

The next day, the temperature dropped sharply. The wind blowing from the North brought clouds laden with snow and the sleds advanced against the gusts of a howling blizzard that made the advance difficult and exhausting. One could not but advance at the price of constant efforts. Sweat froze on the face while snow weighed down theirs fur's clothes.

By nightfall, the travelers were so exhausted that they could only set up tents and cook a meal.
Everyone suffered from frostbite, especially on the nose and ears. Without Rin and Merlin's healing skills, the situation would have been catastrophic.

However, the worst was yet to come. During the night, the wind began to blow harder and harder, knocking down the tents and rolling away the crates of food. Impossible to sleep, everyone clung to the ground to avoid being carried away. The snow seeped into the clothes, melted on contact with the skin, and then froze again.

At the first light of the day, all were exhausted, demoralized, frozen, and irritable.

It was incredible to think that the plain in spring spread all its seductions to only a hundred kilometers! While the low mountains were still in the middle of winter and were undergoing a polar climate!

Of them all, Rin was the most furious. For one reason or another, she took her fury out on Merlin, calling him a "junk magician". She accused him of not having the tenth of the power that the legend gave him. Otherwise, he would soon have stopped the storm!

Strangely, the Magician of Flowers listened to her without interrupting her once. He remained calm. It was only when she ran out of invectives that he spoke:

"Can I stop the storm? Yes, I can... and no, I'm not going to. Rin Tohsaka, you're a brilliant Magus, but obviously you don't know anything about climatology. A winter storm like this releases as much energy as an atomic bomb every second! This blizzard is the result of a thermal imbalance across the continent and the striking of air masses at very different temperatures. If I let go of this energy, I would cause a catastrophe in which the storm itself is nothing. None of you would survive it".

Fortunately, during the day, the wind gradually fell and the sun reappeared between the clouds. Its rays reverberated on a landscape of breathtaking beauty. The light transformed the Druadach Glacier into a brilliant diamond mountain shining of all the rainbow's colors.

This beauty alas was a danger by itself.

Their guides warned them that looking too long at this landscape they would gain only snow ophthalmia... that is to say the loss of vision!

The glacier was the main obstacle to their journey. By comparison, the terrain they had crossed was gentle. To begin with, the glacier formed a wall of ice that had to be crossed. As there was real chaos of rocks and ice blocks ahead, climbing did not present any difficulty on its own, but it was necessary to transport the dismantle the sleds and the dogs. It took them all day.

When they wanted to prepare the evening meal, a strong disappointment awaited them. Between what the blizzard had carried and the jolts imposed on the rest, the food rations were minced and reduced to pulp. Even Shiro and Archer's combined talent could not get anything appetizing out of it. Suffice it to say that the already low morale was strongly shaken... especially Saber's one.