Original Archive of Our Own Posting Date: October 6, 2020
October 27 2020 A/N: We're almost caught up with the orginal version on Archive of Our Own, which means that I'll be far more itneractive (hopefully) here :) Enjoy!
I quickly recognized the signs that I was in another of Mordred's memory, and braced myself for another restless night. Standing in front of me was the Mordred I fought alongside, standing proudly in her armor as the final rays of the setting sun shone over the ramparts of the castle she stood in, undoubtedly Camelot, the fabled home of the Knights of the Round Table and King Arthur.
Alone in the courtyard, the blonde knight had her helmet retracted, allowing for me to see the unfiltered awe and adulation in her emerald eyes as she gazed at a crowned and regal figure standing up at the turret of one of the corner towers, staring off into the setting sun. An ermine-trimmed blue cloak fitting of a member of royalty trailed down from their shoulders. I wasn't able to see much, but somehow, I knew that was King Arthur.
'My king is perfect. The King of Knights has no greed. One only needs what one will use. Unnecessary things are a nuisance. He has no dreams. He also does not need them.' I could hear Mordred's thoughts as if they were my own. Suddenly I felt a presence, as did Mordred, as a familiar voice I loathed to hear addressed the only occupant of the empty yard.
"Mordred," Morgan Le Fay said as she appeared from a cloud of shadows, stepping out between an alley between two of the various buildings surrounding the clearing. She sounds stern, disapproving, and frustrated. "For how long do you intend to keep playing the role of a knight?"
Mordred whirled around, and I could feel her surprise and discomfort at seeing her mother. "Mother?"
"You are the heir of King Arthur." The words caused Mordred to stiffen in shock, revealing that she mustn't have known that fact. Morgan continued speaking though, holding her arms out before her dramatically as her voice rose. "Your life is also proof of his existence. You are the child of the King!" Morgan finished. Mordred stared wide-eyed at her cruel mother.
"Me?" She asked numbly, before turning back to her king and father. "I am King Arthur's…son?" Mordred hesitated, nervous, before a sudden gleam of boundless joy filled her eyes and a smile graced her lips as she repeated her mother's words, who had vanished behind Mordred's back. My eyes narrowed at that, but then the scene shifted.
Now I was standing next to a large circular table to the right, and once again my shared bond with Mordred and her memories told me that I was by the famed Round Table. The windows to the left of me, showed the dying rays of the son casting the room in a foreboding hue of reddish-orange. The atmosphere felt tense, and for good reason as I turned to look at a startled Mordred. In front of us was King Arthur, though for some reason I could not see the face of the king.
"You won't recognize me as your son?" Mordred's voice was filled with disbelief, staring at her father unbelievingly. So, this was Mordred's rejection, wasn't it? A moment that defined her, and one that I had wondered what had truly happened that day. "That is your answer, King of Knights?" Mordred asked in a trembling voice.
The King didn't even speak, turning his back on Mordred and walking out of the room. All respect I had for King Arthur shattered at that, as did Mordred's. The knight next to me began tremble in her armor, her breath shaky as she glared at the back of King Arthur.
"I was happy just being in your shadow," she finally said, looking down at the stone floor. I could feel a mixture of hate, anger, and more than anything else, hurt, building and flowing off of the future Knight of Rebellion. "Yet you never turned around to face me." Still King Arthur did not react, continuing to walk. Finally, the dam gave way and Mordred's emotions flowed forth without an ounce of restraint or control. She flung her arms out violently to the side.
"King!" Mordred roared. "Then I will…! I will destroy everything you represent!" She declared, clenching her now-raised hands. "ARTHUR!" Mordred howled with tear-filled eyes as the king vanished from my sight.
Then all of a sudden, I am near the crest of a hill littered with the broken and bloodied bodies of countless knights. The sound of steel clashing against steel draws my attention to the sight of Mordred deflecting a strike from a knight before piercing his abdomen with Clarent.
"Is King Arthur here?!" The knight shouted in fury. "Show yourself, King of Knights!" Another knight charged towards her, his sword readied to swing at her. With a single slice of Clarent, his arm is severed at the elbow, and the wounded knight stumbled and fell down the blood-soaked hill.
Mordred plants Clarent's tip into the ground, leaning against the sword. The battle must have lasted for hours, and wearing full plate for that long must have been exhausting, for I can hear Mordred's soft panting. She scoffs though before turning around, and my gaze follows to see the person who has caused the knight such pain. A sword whose hilt is colored royal blue and gold is clutched in his right hand.
Mordred pulled Clarent out of the ground and gestured toward her father with arms outstretched. "Well?" She asked viciously. "What now, King Arthur? This is the end of your kingdom!" She adjusted her body into one of her ready stances, continuing her rant. "Face the consequences for not recognizing me as king!"
Arthur is silent, and I find myself unable to read his expression once again, and I felt disapproval build in ym body, and it wasn't coming from Mordred this time. Instead, he raised his sword, Excalibur, and held it in a two-handed grip. I can feel Mordred's rage as if it were my own as she scoffed again angrily.
"Is it hate?" Mordred demanded. "Do you hate me? You hate me because I was born to a witch?" Still her father said nothing, fueling Mordred's rage. Unable to hold herself back any longer, she charged towards the one she had declared to be the 'Perfect King', Clarent glinting in the last rays of sunlight. "Answer me, Arthur!"
Arthur blocked Clarent with Excalibur. Even when alive, Mordred had great strength, it seems, for Excalibur was knocked out of Arthur's hands. The two leapt backwards. Mordred gazed briefly towards the discard Sword of Promised Victory.
"I have never hated you," the King of Knights finally spoke. Mordred gasped softly and turned back. I gazed at the odd-looking object King Arthur held. It looked like a spiral drill. "If you want to know why I didn't give you the throne…" Mordred readied herself for the king's strike. With a sinking feeling in my gut, however, I suspect what happens next.
More of feeling rather than seeing Mordred's eyes widen as her father suddenly sprang forward in a blink of the eye. A sickening sound of metal tearing through metal and then flesh rings throughout the battlefield as Arthur runs Mordred through with the lance, the weapon tearing its way through my future Servant's armor. The sight was horrifying, and worse, I could cry or scream. But I could feel the explosion of pain that Mordred felt at that moment. A burning, stabbing sensation that had me begging for both death and to be able to scream in agony. "It was because you lacked the capacity to be king," Arthur finished rather coldly as Mordred's helmet cracked and exploded, blood spraying out of the fatal wound. A horrified expression was one her face as she coughed up blood, struggling to say her final words.
"Fa…ther…"
I awoke with a loud gasp, sitting up in my bed, my hands gripping my stomach. Even though I know it was from a dream, nothing more than a memory, I still raise a trembling hand to my face just to ensure that is the case. The sight of a lack of red staining my palm calms me, but only slightly.
I start to take deep breaths, and force my body to stop shaking as I swing my body to the side of the bed, my bare feet just inches away from the undoubtedly cold floor. I lean forward slightly and cup my hand with my faces, my eyes closed as that final moment replayed in my head.
The mystery for why Mordred Pendragon rebelled was finally clear to me. All too painfully clear. The lashing out at the one figure she had in her life to admire and respect. The words of Archer back in Singularity F came back. About how he had said that Mordred had thrown a tantrum.
In a way, I could understand why he might have said that, but I disagreed completely. I wanted to address this issue, but I had promised not to talk about it with the English knight unless she wanted to. Talk about a case of backfiring, I suppose. Still, that's one hell of a dysfunctional family, even for her era. I groaned into my hands before lifting my head, knowing that I won't be able to fall asleep now.
Looking at the digital clock on my nightstand, I sigh to see what time the red digits are showing. 7:15 AM. Grumbling my displeasure at that, I slide off the edge of the bed and hiss slightly as my feet make contact with the cool tiles. I make my way over to the bathroom, pausing by the sword resting against the corner.
Much like with Jeanne's parting gift, I had a hard time believing that this sword, this literal piece of history, was both now my own and in my room. It certainly wasn't the style of sword I was used to when I had practiced fencing, but it worked pretty damn well in France, and so I would continue using it. Then I resumed walking into the bathroom, first to relieve my bladder, then to take a nice hot shower.
The warm steam wafting up off from the heated water felt good to me, and I closed my eyes leaning my head forward slightly as the warm water sprinkled down my back. It was probably somewhere between five to ten minutes before I had finished my shower, and then dried myself off with a towel bearing the emblem of Chaldea.
Walking over to the sink, I wiped a hand over the thin coat of moisture that had clung to the glass before grabbing my toothbrush and toothpaste, marking the start of my daily morning maintenance rituals, as I liked to call them in my head.
Last time I called it that aloud? Well, let's just say that my mom still gave me a funny look at the lengthy title I had come up with. But hey, give me a break, I was like seven years old.
By the time I had finished, all told I had spent about thirty minutes. I stifled the second groan of the day, instead settling to shake my head in disappointment as I made my way over to the simple wooden desk. On the surface rested my electronic devices I had brought, a pad of paper, and the piece of Jeanne's flag. I click my tongue as I sit down and reach for one of those devices I had brought.
If I was going to have to wait for possibly another hour before Ritsuka or Mash might be up and ready to have breakfast, what better way to kill some time and de-stress than by listening to some music?
I hum to myself as I power up my MP3 player and then scroll through the various songs I have saved on the device. Hmmm…..what to listen to?
Finally, I settle on Kenny Logan's "Danger Zone". Plugging in my headphones, I turn the music up to max volume as the opening strums of the song begin to blast into my ears. I lean back in the chair as I bob my head up and down to the beat, closing my eyes as I play an air guitar.
In my distraction, I jolted up into the air when I feel a warm hand gripping my shoulder. The quiet yelp that escaped was swiftly replaced with an exclamation of pain as both of my knees slam into the wooden bottom of the desk.
"Son of a…" I growl under my breath, ignoring the throbbing sensation in my legs as I yank my headphones off and look over my shoulder to see Mordred snickering in amusement at me.
"Is this going to be a pattern or something?" I groan as I power down my MP3 player before looking up at the smirk blonde.
"Well, stop letting yourself get distracted like that when I swing by and I'll stop," Mordred replied light-heartedly. The pain fading away now, I sigh good-naturedly at the Saber's words before turning my chair around so I can look properly at the short blonde.
She was wearing the clothing I had paid for her to own. She appeared to be doing okay on the first cursory glance, but when I focused on her face, I noticed the bags present under her eyes. She mustn't have slept well then, it seems. I also fight down the urge to finch at that moment as the cocky expression Mordred was wearing like she normally does was replaced with the one of pain as she was slain.
"How are you doing?" I say, rather bluntly. Maybe some tact would have been better, but this is Mordred. She seems to appreciate bluntness, or at least at times that is. No sooner had I finished saying those words then Mordred's trademark smirk feel, replaced with a small frown.
"Well enough," she said vaguely. Undeterred, I stare into her emerald eyes firmly. For a second, Mordred looked like she was about to tell me to shove it, before she released a long sigh, her shoulders relaxing as she sat on the edge of my bed, lightly gripping the fabric to either side of her.
"Okay, fine. I'm a bit pissed," Mordred said gruffly, a defiant gleam still in her eyes. "I guess the things those two assholes said to me yesterday got under my skin better than I thought," she admitted reluctantly, no doubt unused to the idea of sharing something like that to someone. Well, at least I won't be having to give another spiel to her about how she can trust me and all.
"Do you believe in their words?" I asked carefully, maintaining a neutral expression on my face, which Mordred returns.
"Why don't you tell me? When you looked at me earlier, you looked like you were in pain. So, tell me Master, what did you see this time?" Mordred said. So, I didn't do as good a job hiding that flinch as I had hoped. I mull over how I wanted to say what I had scene in what was increasingly feeling like a volatile situation.
"I saw Morgan revealing your parentage to you, and what happened when you went to King Arthur with that knowledge," I finally admitted. Mordred's face darkened as she looks down with a scowl.
"So, then you saw the Battle of Camlann, didn't you? My death?" The last two words are thrown out carelessly, serving as a reminder of what Morgan's actions had costed the blonde who was now a Heroic Spirit.
"I did."
"Then what are you waiting for? Go on, call me a traitor, or a monster. Tell me that you no longer feel fine with having me watching your back. Won't be anything new for me to hear," Mordred said in a forced bored manner, staring at me with a defiant gleam in her eyes. I let out a long sigh that has her relax slightly.
"For God's sake, Mordred, you had one hell of a messed-up family," I said the words that I had desired to say the moment I saw what Morgan considered to have been essential training for a younger Mordred.
"Huh?"
"You heard me. Your mother is a, for a lack of better words, bitch. As for King Arthur…I can't pass judgement on his character," I said carefully, not forgetting the contradiction I had seen on how Mordred reacted to the topic of her father. Indeed, she tensed up at my use of the name, her eyes narrowed as if she expected me to insult her former liege but relaxed slightly when she saw that wasn't going to be the case. Feeling encouraged, I took a deep breath before plunging on.
"As for your rebellion…I think that you were angry, and that you didn't know how to handle it. It doesn't absolve you, but it also doesn't condemn your actions and words. Your….father…had his own choice that he made. He could have accepted you as his son but deny you the throne. He could have accepted you as his son and heir. Hell, from what I saw and heard, he could have said why he was denying you any form of recognition," I said in an even tone. Mordred said nothing, nor did she give away any indication of how she was feeling. The fact that she hadn't left helped my confidence to continue speaking my mind.
"I have seen some of your memories, and I know you didn't have anyone you could talk to. It was only logical that you would lash out
There was another long, awkward silence, and I waited to see if Mordred would say anything in response. With a soft sigh, I finally realized she wasn't going to, and so another question popped into my head. "Your wish?"
"Huh?"
"Your wish for the Holy Grail. I know every Servant has one, even if it is not known to themselves. What was yours?"
"…..To be able to go back and pull the Caliburn, the Sword of Selection, out of the stone, just as my father did," Mordred said in an unusually soft voice. I nodded encouraging. At last, another breakthrough. "I wanted to help my father out by relieving him of the burden of the throne, to make him happy," she added, her voice stronger. I had a feeling that there might have been a story behind that, but that could wait for another day.
"Not a bad wish, if you ask me," I said supportively. And honestly, a very sweet wish, though I think that I'll keep that part to myself. Another silence falls between us, and I wait patiently.
I stare at her as she closes her beautiful emerald eyes. I pause for the briefest of moments as I fully register what I had just thought. What was that? Mordred's voice prevented any further discussion.
"So, what does this mean then, Master?" She asked in a neutral tone, opening those vibrant orbs once more.
"It means that nothing has changed, other than the fact we talked about this," I said with a simple shrugging, before rising up off the chair. "I haven't felt a single shard of regret for putting my trust into you. Mordred, you haven't acted in any manner that would threaten Chaldea, humanity, or myself. Do you intend to change that status?" I asked, deadly serious. Mordred shook her head once, her smirk slowly starting to return once more as she began to accept what I was saying.
As much as I enjoy having her as my friend and partner, my god can she be stubborn! And yet, I wouldn't let anyone force her to change that aspect.
"Good. Then let's consider the matter closed. If you want to talk about your past again, you know I am always willing to sit down and listen to you. In the meantime, let's give the heavy shit a break and enjoy a nice, warm breakfast that will actually taste like food, hm?" I said, smiling a bit sheepishly as my stomach decided at that very moment to release a low rumble.
Mordred's laughter at that finally dispelled the last remnants of tension and moodiness from our conversation only moments ago. The memories I had dealt with during the night began to fade, pushed towards the back of my mind to be replaced with more pleasant ones being formed between us. The blonde was still laughing as she got off of my bed, smirking as normal.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," I grumbled with my arms crossed, though I wasn't being serious. She cocks her head
"You seem more relaxed then you were the past few days," Mordred commented off-handedly, and I rolled my eyes at her.
"Well, not having to worry about keeping us all alive tends to help with that," I shot back with my own smirk. "Now, come on, let's eat," I said insistently, before my stomach could betray me once again. I walked out the door, my friend and Servant close behind me as we headed towards the cafeteria.
Mordred seemed to be in better spirits now, and I felt a wave of satisfaction at helping my partner out, as a good friend should. However, there was still something bothering me, though.
"So where did the 'beautiful' comment come from?"
No matter how much I tried to push that away, the thought continued to pop into my head…
I couldn't help but stare at the sheer number of plates before Mordred, containing a wide variety of good from scrambled eggs to even a small stack of pancakes. There was no way that anyone, not even a Servant, could actually eat that much food in one sitting….is there?
When we had entered the cafeteria, we had parted briefly, and I had found a table after getting a simple meal of scrambled eggs and a bowl of mixed fruit. I waited patiently for my partner to arrive, raising an eyebrow when she came with her arms loaded with a rather absurd number of plates, and I had made the comment of if she wasn't having a moment where her eyes were more hungry than her stomach was. She had merely smirked before grabbing her silverware.
To a combined mixture of equal parts awe and horror, I watch numbly as Mordred demolished the array of food before her. My hand clutched the spoon halfway between my mouth and my plate as I tried to comprehend what I was seeing.
The few other staff members also having their breakfast had also stopped, unable to look away from the display. And of course, the knight across from me either doesn't seem to realize what she has caused, or she doesn't care. My money is more on the latter if I had to be honest, as I heard a pair of footsteps approaching from behind, finally causing me to look away to see who it was behind me.
"G-Good morning, Jacob," Ritsuka created with a stammer, his smile frozen on his face as he dumbfoundedly gazed at the devouring Mordred. Welcome to the club, I wanted to say. Mash also stared as the Knight of Rebellion finished her meal(s?), shaking their heads in awe before sitting down next to us.
"So, what's on the agenda today?" I said, finally able to begin eating my own food now that Mordred had finished.
"Well, after breakfast Doctor Roman would like for us to swing by the summoning chamber. He wants each of us to summon a Servant, then use the next week or so to help them adjust to our other Servants already here," Ritsuka said.
I hummed in approval. While the good doctor can be prone to panicking, when the time comes, he has proven himself to be reliable and trustworthy. "Sounds good to me." I then turned to Mash. "So, what was it like, being outside Chaldea?" I asked the quiet girl. She gave me a soft smile before answering after eating a slice of orange.
"It was amazing. I had always wondered what the outside world was like. In fact, one of my biggest desires is to see the stars in the sky at night," Mash admitted. Inwardly, I frowned at that newest nugget of information, all the while maintaining a smile.
"Well, how about once this mess is over, Ritsuka and I shall take you out sometime, and you can see the stars in the present? Maybe even see if Da Vinci has a telescope we could borrow?" I offered, and Mash's smile widened, nodding eagerly. I turned to look at Mordred. "What about you? Would you be interested?"
The knight shrugged indifferently. "Eh, why not? I mean, I'm not exactly going to be in a hurry to return to the Throne of Heroes once this has ended, ya know?" She responded somewhat lazily, and I smiled again at that. Well, that's nice to know. Hopefully, I could possibly give her a chance to experience the world like I would with Mash, a world beyond fighting.
It's the least I could do for my partner.
The rest of breakfast passed by rather quickly, with idle chatter, jokes, and other such light-hearted things. Finally, when Ritsuka, Mash, and I had joined Mordred in finishing our meals. I look at the others as I grab my plates, eager to get going.
"Well, now that we are done eating, why don't we go over and let Doctor Roman and Da Vinci know that we're ready to see who is waiting to accept our call for help," I said, standing up with a small smile, as my three friends also stood up, and together we began to head out for the summoning chamber.
Original A/N: And done! A mixture of tones. I wrote this chapter with the intention of showing what Jacob is like, at least for now, when he isn't on a mission and therefore is under less stress. I also wrote it because I wanted to do a bit of a stretch of more light-hearted moments before we start the Second Singularity, hence why I mention the famed Pendragon appetite. Also, how did I do with planting the seeds? Trying to be a bit subtle, with Jacob realizing that he feels attracted to Mordred physically in addition to feeling kinda close to her already. Or did I muck it up? First time I'm putting serious effort and interest in doing a realistic romance starting lol. But yeah, what did y'all think? Also, I am really glad to see that people seemed to have enjoyed the last chapter! :)
Today's question of the day and chapter: Who do you think the two Servants who will be summoned next chapter?
As always, thanks for taking the time to read my work, and I look forward to seeing feedback and theories on who is joining Team Chaldea, and feel free to leave any suggestions for romance building too! Hope you enjoyed, and I'll see y'all next chapter!