Orginal Posting Date on Archive of Our Own: August 29th, 2020
"…Now I understand," Marie finally said. "Not just France, but the whole world is in danger. Although the form is different, we are still in a Holy Grail War, non?" She asked, receiving a nod from Mash. We were seated around some logs one of our Servants had placed around the campfire. Mash and Ritsuka sat on one, Marie and Jeanne on another. Mordred was sitting next to me, while Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (always wanted to say that name in its entirety) sat on the log next to the two female French Servants. Amadeus scoffed slightly, shaking his head.
"I knew it was dangerous when I learned that we had undergone Master-less summoning, but I didn't expect this. We are currently up against five Servants. That brings up the total to eight, plus Mash and your friends. That is too much, however, is it not?"
"It appears that like so many other things, the rule of seven Servants is no more. However, I doubt that this means there could be a infinite amount of summoned Servants."
"Nor would it be the first time more than Servants had been summoned," Mordred added, once again out of her armor. Having seen her in what I have secretly dubbed her 'lingerie' several times already, it no longer has quite as dramatic effect on me, at least in terms of outwardly appearances. The idea of being so close to someone so scantily clad though, of course, caused my cheeks to burn for a brief second before I had shaken the thought away.
If Mordred had found out, she'd probably punch me.
"The one that I had been summoned in had fourteen Servants in total, two of each class, as well as Ruler over there," she explained for the benefit of our two newest companions. Marie rubbed her chin with her fingers, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"However, we don't have an idea of why Masters weren't chosen. Perhaps-" I started to say before Marie interrupted me with her usual enthusiasm.
"Oh, I get it now! I've figured it out, everyone! The reason we," she gestured at Jeanne, Amadeus, and herself, "were summoned is so that we can defeat them, like the heroes we are suppose to be!" The idea caused me to pause for a moment before I started speaking again.
"Honestly, I think you're onto something there, Marie." The Flower of Versailles seemed to preen at my words.
"Yes, yes! I finally feel like I've found my job in life!" Amadeus looked bemused by his companion's antics.
"It's perfectly fine to be confidant, Marie. But we're up against powerful foes. Jeanne, Mash, Mordred…even Jacob and Ritsuka it seems, are used to combat. You and I, on the other hand, are not the fighting type. The numbers matter less than the fact that they're far stronger." I nodded in agreement.
"Excluding Jeanne and the two of you, Ritsuka and I have a total of five Servants. Assuming that this Jeanne Alter hasn't summoned other Servants, or that the Grail did, that would theoretically give us the advantage in terms of numbers," I said before nodding my head slightly to the German composer. "However, with the exception of Alter, the opposing Servants all have the Madness Enhancement trait belonging primarily to the Berserker-class, buffing their strength," I added my own observation that had the others nodding their heads reluctantly.
"Indeed, Jacob Senpai," Mash said in her serious tone. "Vlad III and Elisabeth Báthory. One carved their name into history as both a hero and monster, while the other as a murderess." Mash then turned to Marie with a questioning look. "The one that appeared to have been a Saber seemed to recognize you, Marie. Do you have any idea who they might be?" The Rider nodded a bit sadly.
"That's right. If they know who I am, then I suspect they might be Chevalier d'Eon. However, I've no proof for now." It was at that moment that Roman spoke up once more, as we had left the commlink active for the sake of keeping the good doctor informed.
"Chevalier d'Eon," he began to say. "A spy with Louis XV's intelligence agency, the Secret du Roi. They were also a Dragoon, and a plenipotentiary minister," he explained for our benefit.
"It matters little, mage from a distant world," Marie responded. "While they served before my time, their splendid visage hasn't changed."
"I see," Doctor Roman said in a thoughtful tone. "It would be wonderful if they would join us…" he sighed wishfully.
"That might be difficult, I think," Jeanne interjected. "Remember, they along with the other Servants we encountered have been given the Madness Enhancement. Even if they wanted to join us, it would be extremely difficult. No doubt the ability being able to be given so freely was a result of the Dragon Witch's control of the Holy Grail."
"Hmph," Marie huffed. "The goal of a Holy Grail War is the get the Grail, but they already have it. It's not fair!" She pouted, looking a bit adorable while doing so. Jeanne gave the queen a soft and comforting pat on the back before speaking back up.
"But that leaves one mystery. Why were we summoned?" I tilted my head slightly, looking at the Ruler.
"Sounds like you have a theory. Care to share with the class?" I asked, playfully pretending to be a teacher to ensure that the mood doesn't go down somehow. MY words managed to make her cheeks flush slightly before nodding.
"Despite the fact that the Holy Grail War hasn't begun, someone already has a grail. Perhaps this is a reversal of causality. A bug, if you will, and perhaps the Grail is resisting it. The greater the opponent, the more powerful the Grail's reaction."
"Hold up for a moment," I spoke up. "You're speaking of the Grail as if it is alive. I thought it was simply a powerful object capable of True Magic?"
"Without going in depth and therefore sidetracking this conversation, it both is and isn't. If you want, we could go over this when we return to Chaldea," Mash offered. I shrugged and nodded at her.
"Alright. Sorry, Jeanne, you may continue now," I said, gesturing at the blonde.
"Thank you. Going back to the Grail's resistance, it is highly possible that there have been other Servants, summoned like Marie." Those words caused Marie to stop pouting, her normal excited smile back.
"Oh, my!" She gushed. "That means I can meet even more people, oui?"
"If we can find them. If I had the ability to detect other Servants, it would be easier. We'll have to rely on Doctor Roman, and perhaps any locals who survived," Jeanne sighed.
"I won't let you down," Roman promised. "While I might not match the ability of a full-powered Ruler, I can still search father than a normal Servant."
"Always a relief to hear good news," I muttered before speaking louder. "Okay then. Doc, can you send me a historic map of the region?"
"I should be able to do so. Give me five minutes or so," the ginger doctor replied. True to his words, my wrist commlink let out a quiet beep five minutes later. Pressing a button, I pulled up a holographic map of the area surrounding Orléans. Thinking ahead, Roman had also provided our location on the map. I reached over a picked up a small branch, standing up.
The others watched silently as I spent the next few minutes drawing a crude map in the dirt. "Alright, so we are here," I said, poking the appropriate area. "We know that La Charité has been destroyed, and that we're not ready to approach Orléans," I tap the two locations of the respective places, drawing an X over the former to signify its destruction.
"I think that we should head here, to Lyon. If it is still standing, we might find a Servant or two that Ritsuka and I could form a temporary contract, like how I did so with Jeanne," I suggested.
"What if we encounter Jeanne Alter or one of her Servants?" Ritsuka asked.
"If we're lucky, we might encounter them individually, if at all. If that is the case, we could reduce the enemy's numbers," I pointed out, earning nods and sounds of agreement. "So then, are we in agreement over this plan?"
"It's a little less fighting for the moment, but it is a solid plan nevertheless," Mordred answered. Of course she would be a bit focused on the idea of combat.
"Let's take a short break now," Marie suggested. "You're all tired, right?" I looked up and saw that it was almost evening. At the same time my stomach betrayed me with a loud rumble. I turn my eyes skyward as I feel my cheeks grow warm. Thankfully, it's only Mordred who snorted in amusement. Composing myself once more, I looked at the others.
"Yeah, I think Ritsuka and I need to have dinner. We can assign the shifts for guarding the camp tonight afterwards."
The next hour or so was rather enjoyable, filled with light-hearted banter. Even Chulainn partook in it, at least for a bit. Sasaki had said that he would remain on-guard, while Medea was her usual aloof self. The food was still rather bland, but at least it was filling. We only had a few more days left of the rations from Chaldea, however. Maybe in the morning we should see if Roman could Rayshift in a few more days' worth of rations.
After we had finished eating, Mash had insisted that Ritsuka and I start resting early, as today had been trying for the two of us both mentally and physically. Seeing no reason to disagree with the pink-haired girl, we agreed.
As I slipped into my sleeping bag, I offered a small, silent prayer for a dreamless night.
In hindsight, I should have known better…
Mordred turned her ahead away from the sleeping forms of the two Masters, content now that they were asleep. Amadeus and Chulainn had turned into their spirit form, perhaps desiring their own form of peace for the moment. At one corner of the camp, Ritsuka's Caster was staring intently into a crystal-like ball that she had crafted after taking some time to adjust to the Leyline we were standing upon.
She didn't feel comfortable being near the Caster. She hadn't missed the brief glint of her eyes upon seeing her face, nor the way her lips quirked upwards in a satisfied manner. It reminded her too much of mother.
She would work alongside Medea, but she wouldn't be friends with her, even if Jacob tried to ask it of her.
The sound of movement caused Mordred to look at a now-standing Mash. "Now that Senpai is asleep, I'm going to go on a brief patrol of the area," the Demi-Servant said to Jeanne, Marie, and Mordred. Mordred merely grunted, still out of her armor.
"Just don't take too long, Shieldly," she said, using the somewhat-affectionate nickname she had given Mash. She nodded, and Fou followed her as she quietly departed into the forest. For a few minutes there was a somewhat awkward silence as a depressed expression appeared on Ruler's face.
"Something wrong, Jeanne?" Asked Little Miss Energy, concerned. "You seem defeated…Are you tired?" While she hadn't exactly spent much time with her fellow blonde during the Greater Grail War, and even extorted some Command Seals from her at one point, it was clear Ruler was still bothered. She blushed though as Mordred watched on from the side, her arms crossed below her chest.
"Oh, no, Marie, I'm not tired. I am a Servant, after all." The Rider shook her head insistently, not content with dropping the matter.
"Perhaps you are saddened by the state France is in…" she murmured softly. At least she wasn't being her normal loud self. Last thing they needed was for noise to alert who-knows-what enemies in this forest to come bearing down at this hour. "I mean, are you disappointed?" This time it was Jeanne who shook her head.
"No, I'm not disappointed. Thank you for your concern, Marie," she replied, a soft smile on her lips for the faintest of seconds before fading. "But…seeing those familiar towns in flames is a bit hard for me to bear."
"Yes," Marie said sadly, nodding in understanding. "For you, especially, this era is the one you lived in. For me it feels different, memories still going on." Suddenly, the pipsqueak straightened up. Seems like she suddenly had one of her ideas form just now. "Yes!" She said quietly. "Why don't we take this time to talk? Girls' night out!" That certainly caught Mordred's attention. Ruler's too, if the polite but confused look she had was any indicator.
"…Excuse me?" She finally said.
"Oh, is that strange? But both you and I were summoned in the bloom of our youth. You see? I'm in the middle of puberty, right? So I love talking about love and romance!" Yeah….better not ask her to join the two if they were going to deal with that matter. Ruler laughed awkwardly, blushing slightly.
"I appreciate the offer, but that's hard for me. I know of compassion, but not romance." The answer caused Marie to stare at Jeanne with a mixture of shock and horror.
"But…" She stammered, clearly fighting the urge to shout her words. "You're missing out on life! It's not too late to start! Fall in love with someone, Jeanne!" Come to think of it, didn't she seem a bit close with that odd homunculus during the War? Mordred shrugged to herself as she continue to half-listen to the only conversation going on in the camp.
As uninteresting as it may be, it was still better than leaning against a tree and watching more trees for hours on end. The words she once said in a crypt crept back into her mind, about it being boring on her own.
"If I get the chance, I'll give it a try," Ruler said, still unaware of the events of the Greater Grail War. "What about you? Have you fallen in love, Marie?" She asked the queen of France, who giggled softly.
"Of course," she smiled. "I fell in love with a boy who proposed to me at the tender age of seven. I think it was my first love. When I was fourteen, I fell in love again, this time the prince who I married." Huh, good to know that centuries later the habit of the young ladies of royal courts being engaged at such a young age was still on-going.
"Oh my," Ruler said in surprise. "When I was that age, I was either working or playing in the fields with the other children."
"That sounds just as fun! Between us, I find myself a bit jealous of that. It must have been sch fun to be able to go wherever you wanted!"
"Yes, it was fun," Ruler agreed. "What I lacked in romance, I made up for in friendship." Images of moments in the halls of Camelot caused Mordred's hands to tighten momentarily.
"Did all the boys like you?" Rider asked, a bit hungrily. Ruler hummed in thought before answering.
"My hair was short then, so they treated me like one of the guys." Huh. Lucky her. There was a reason why Mordred refused to dismiss Secret of Pedigree unless she was alone. She could already imagine those idiots she served alongside flipping out if they had seen that she was a woman, as much as she disliked being called such.
"What about you, Mordred?" Said Servant flinched slightly, having been surprised by the question thrown at her by Marie. She quickly recovered before glaring at the two French Servants, scowling in displeasure.
"Oh, no, I'm sure as hell not going to be dragged into your little 'girls' night' thing. Talk all you want to one another, but leave me out of it," Mordred snapped. Ruler and Rider frowned at her, though whether it was in disappointment or disproval, the knight didn't know. Nor did she really care, to be frank.
The Rider opened her mouth, looking like she was going to try pushing her luck. Thankfully, Ruler rested a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't we sit down over
Happy to have avoided that mess, Mordred leaned back against a tree, closing her eyes to give the appearance of sleeping while she stood guard for Jacob and Ritsuka. For the next hour or two, the only sounds the former Saber of Red heard were soft snoring, the occasional local night wildlife, and the dull mutters of the two French Servants having their girls' night.
The sound of quiet grunting has her opening her eyes suddenly, looking over at the only non-Servants of the group. She saw her Master twitching and moving slightly in his sleep, his face screwed up in discomfort.
"Master…?"
When I opened my eyes, it was to see a familiar blonde girl standing a bit shakily. She looked a year or two older compared to the last two fragments that had troubled me. Her messy hair, tied backwards in a sloppy ponytail, was drenched in sweat. I took a moment to look around.
It looked like a small fighting pit, the sand covered with broken, bleached bones and rust-covered weapons. Mordred fell onto one knee, leaning against her sword, the tip buried into the ground as she breathed heavily. The sword was a simple one, meaning the future Knight of Rebellion had not yet received Clarent, nor her armor that she wore so often. Her clothes had been fitted to cope with her slight increase of stature due to aging. It was dirty and torn slightly, however. Who or what had she been fighting?
"Again." The voice that I was starting to loath came from behind me. I felt myself snarl as I looked up at the veiled visage of Morgan le Fay. She sat on an elevated platform, looking down at her child. She waved her hand, and several dozen skeletons armed with various Medieval weapons formed around Mordred. "When you finally confront your enemy, you must be prepared to fight even if you are exhausted and outnumbered. Today, you will fight on until you cannot stand. How much pain you will feel will be up to you, but either you will not rest."
With those words, the skeletons rushed the exhausted Pendragon. She managed to raise her sword to deliver a clumsy counter with the flat of her sword, but apparently having already been fighting for at least several hours already, was unable to react quickly enough to a club being swung at her exposed and unarmored back. I see her grit her teeth, refusing to cry out in pain, and punches the attacker with her bare knuckles, drawing blood while she swung her sword.
Despite her best efforts, however, numerous blows began breaking through her defenses, and she fell down to her knee again, refusing to cry out despite the pain being inflicted upon her.
The worst part about these dreams? You can neither look away or close your eyes, nor intervene. It was almost a miracle for me when I felt myself begin to wake up…
Once more I jolt upright from the ground, shoulders heaving as I pant softly. My forehead felt slightly damp, from sweat perhaps. I grit my teeth, trying to force the images I had just saw out of my head.
"Damn it," I muttered as I took a deep breath. I forced my body to stop shaking as I tried to calm down as best I can. I highly doubt that I can fall asleep anytime soon now, especially after what I had just dreamed. Was this really what my Servant's childhood was like for her?
"Another bad dream?" The voice sounded faintly bemused, lacking the exhaustion and pain that I had just heard it in. I didn't immediately reply to my Servant, causing her to walk closer, as I see her boots in front of me.
"Master…" she growled warningly. Not wanting to test my Servant's patience, I finally looked up.
"Yeah, a bad dream…" I didn't miss how Mordred seemed to be staring into my eyes, her brow furrowed while I hesitated, trying to decide on how to phrase the question I could no longer ignore.
"Mordred…I was wondering, since you never spoke about it, what was it-" Before I could try asking Mordred about her childhood in an effort to better understand what I had been seeing, however, the peaceful silence of the camp was shattered by the sounds of steel slamming against steel. Mordred cursed as her armor encased her body once more, Clarent held in her hands. I jam my cap onto my head and stand up, grabbing the sheathed sword next to me.
"Sounds like Sasaki may have found someone," I muttered. Ritsuka jolted upright, blinking wearily at the unexpected interruption. Next to us, Chulainn and Amadeus appeared from Spirit Form. "Rits, stay here until Mash gets back. Mordred, let's go," I barked, taking charge once more. Thankfully, my fellow Master didn't protest the idea of being left behind. I could see Marie and Jeanne, both closer to the edge of the camp, in particular the one that was closest to the sounds of combat, and waved at them to follow us.
In a few minutes, we arrive to see my Assassin Servant blocking the swing of a cross-topped staff with the flat of his nodachi. My eyes narrowed at the sight of purple hair, quickly recognizing her as one of Alter's Servants from the showdown at La Charité.
Apparently she sensed our arrival, for she leapt backwards and turned towards us, delivering a half-curtsey. "Hello there," she said, rather kindly. I looked at Mordred.
"Well, you kinda did say you were hoping for a fight," I joked, and she rolled her eyes at me. Maybe after we defeat this Servant, I will ask her my question. Not if, but when we defeat. They might have an advantage at the moment, but it looks like it is time to start chipping it away.
Note: First question: If you could snap your fingers and summon any Servant from the game in real-life, who would you pick? Second question: How did you first find out about the Fate series? For me, I found out one day on Netflix after trying Sword Art Online, and saw the title 'Fate/Apocrypha;' and soon met my most favorite Servant and anime character of all time, Mordred! :)