Disclaimer: These are works of purely speculative fiction. It is not intended to infringe on any rights by any of the companies and/or individuals involved in the production of any series mentioned here. Fate Grand Order and all the franchises and series associated with it, are owned by Kinoko Nasu, Notes Co., Ltd. and their affiliates. Similarly, Fire Emblem Heroes is owned by Nintendo Co., Ltd. and their affiliates.
I DO NOT OWN THESE FRANCHISES.
Sister Fanfic: Serious Side Reels - A Grand Order of Heroes Sidestories
It was 5 AM.
The sun was nowhere near the horizon but the moon was bright and full enough for someone to take an early morning stroll without getting lost. Or in Frederick's case, it was a perfect morning for some pebble clearing.
Frederick was a man of duty, a man sworn to protect the royal family of Ylisse from any form of danger, be it a bandit or a loose pebble on the road. A twisted ankle was a serious injury that needed to be avoided and so, Frederick made it his routine to wake up extra early to clear the path outside his Lord's residence of any pebbles he could find.
It was a dirty, and tedious job but it was one he did with pride. He picked up the last pebble on the dirt path and stood up from the ground and inspected the work he had completed.
Pebble clearing was usually the last of his early morning chores, after maintaining the army's equipment, that he performed for his lord, but due to his new enhancements, he has been able to finish early.
Ever since he had become a demi servant, he had gained massive boons to his speed, power, and flexibility. He had already finished his usual tasks in a third of the time it usually takes him. And so, he used that extra time wisely to do triple and quadruple inspections on his lord's gear and managed to clear an extra mile of stray pebbles from the perimeter of his lord's quarters.
As much as it pained him for someone other than his Lord Chrom to have absolute command over him, he could not tolerate leaving his lord to follow the same procedure. He had failed to convince Lord Chrom to return home and to prevent him from getting involved in the Grand Order though he was thankful his lord refused to gain a Saint Graph without 'earning' it. Unfortunately, this decision meant his Lord would also not stand a chance to fight off any heroic spirit who decided to turn its blade at him. So with a heavy heart, he made his decision.
The unhinged nature of the red-haired summoner did soothe his weary mind of possible ways she could bend him to her will. Despite the protests and empty promises of the girl not ordering him to do something against his sword duty as a knight, he still needed some insurance.
So he contacted Lady Medea to help him form a Geass contract between him and Gudako. Frederick was able to write up a stack of documents that explored every possible scenario that was 'appropriate' and 'inappropriate' of her to do, all of the documents came in triplicate, but it all could be summarized as:
'Should Gudako force Frederick to do something against his wishes, she will lose the privilege to have command over him, his Lord Chrom of Ylisse, or any of the Shepherds and relinquish them back into their realm with the appropriate compensation for their services up until that point.'
Lord Chrom tried to protest by saying it was excessive but he was adamantly denied when Frederick showed he was not budging on this matter. Much to his surprise, the girl's heroic spirits agreed with him, so long as some modifications to the document were made, which managed to quiet down his Lord. Some of them, like the Knights of the Round, seemed a bit impressed with his unyielding loyalty and dedication to his Lord. While the praise was appreciated, he did not care much for it, as the only praise he cares for is from his Lord, no one else.
The document was signed after a few things were changed, then from there, he was put on the waiting list and the rest up until this point is history.
Frederick looked to the horizon and noticed the sun still had not risen yet. "Hmmm... It might be a bit early, but I might as well get started on doing my Lord's laundry."
Seeing as he had nothing else left to do, he entered the castle and made his way toward the laundry room.
The halls were deathly quiet, an intentional soundproofing effect of Lady Medea's bounded field to prevent loud noises from disturbing the entire castle, at the behest of many people who complained about the newfangled lightbox distractions Chaldea brought with them.
He arrived at his laundry room door and with the grace of a feline, he entered the room without making a single noise.
The room was dark but thanks to his new senses, he could see clearly. So he was easily able to find a candle and matchbox to light up the room.
The laundry room had been a new addition to the castle, with accursed machines placed there that washed and dried clothes. They were connected to some strange box with long wires, a generator as one of the scholars called it. He didn't really know, or bother to know, how to use them and preferred to wash his Lord's clothes by hand. With his newfound powers, he could easily keep up and at times outpace the machines at washing without damaging the clothes of his Lords.
Unfortunately, the servants of the castle did not share his work ethic and welcomed the new luxury with open arms. Seeing as how the Lords and ladies agreed with them, the machines were there to stay, despite his and his fellow devout retainers' protests.
Frederick moved his attention from his greatest nemesis and spotted the clothes that belonged to his master in a hamper placed on a table next to the machine.
He went up to the hamper and took out one of the dark blue undergarments and took a whiff, and noticed the faint sweet smell of cleaning detergent on them. Frederick scowled when he realized that someone had cleaned and dried his Lord Chrom's clothes but did not bother to fold them.
Unacceptable.
Without wasting any time, he went and picked up one of the few inventions from Earth that he enjoyed using, a modern steam iron.
After the iron got to the ideal temperature, Frederick went about and completed the task of ironing, folding, and putting his lord's undergarments into a clean pile.
"That should do it." And it only took him 5 minutes to complete.
He blew out the candle, picked up the hamper, and carried it swiftly, but silently, up to his Lord's room.
Much like before, he entered the room silently, to not disturb his Lord's sleep. Hearing his soft snores brought much joy to him as he placed the clothes into their correct drawers. He placed Lord Chrom's new change of clothes on a nearby wooden chair and made his way out the door.
Before leaving, Frederick stopped to glance at the peaceful sleeping form of his Lord Chrom. Usually, this would have been the perfect time to start his Fanatical Fitness Hour but sadly, his Lord had gone on a few missions and had been left exhausted by the ordeal. His Lord needed his rest or else he won't be able to recover.
Frederick saw that his blanket was 1 inch too far below his head, exposing his neck to the cold air.
Not wanting to see his Lord get a cold, Frederick fixed his blanket to the appropriate position and left the room, closing the door of the room without making a click.
Stepping out into the cold air once more, Frederick took note of the sun's continued absence. With everyone's early morning chores done, Frederick decided to start his day by staying in shape.
Without missing a beat, Frederick moved himself to the training grounds to start his daily warm-ups.
Once he was sufficiently warmed up, he started his morning jog.
0-0-0
Breath in. Breath out.
Frederick repeated this motion over and over during his run. Breathing while running was an action that seemed rather obvious to anyone, but breathing at a certain rhythm was the key to increasing one's endurance. An improper breathing technique usually leads to more exhaustion, something that could prove fatal on the battlefield.
His own endurance had already been great before his enhancements, but afterward, he had become frighteningly insatiable.
At his current pace, Frederick could run for an entire day without rest if he wanted to. Alas, as much as he enjoyed the feeling of exertion, he had duties to attend to.
Soft rays of light hit Frederick's face. The sun had finally arisen over the horizon. He did not stop running but still took a moment to admire its beauty for a moment. There was truly no better experience than seeing dawn turn to morning.
The serenity of the view is interrupted by an abrupt and shrill battle cry hitting his ears.
He was far enough that he could barely hear it but he could have sworn he had heard something about thunder and blood.
Even so, the voice that cried out was still close enough that he could recognize its owner.
His warm breath transformed into a small cloud when he exhaled a tired sigh as he rounded the corner to see an archery range.
The owner of the voice was Noire, the future child of Tharja, the Plegian dark mage who joined the Shepherds. The meek girl wore a green archer's outfit, complete with leather boots, grieves, and shin guards.
He observed the girl's posture, which was perfect. Her legs were spread out evenly, her shoulders properly squared up and her eyes sharply focused on her target. The target downgrade was punctured by dozens of arrows in every possible location except at the center. The most accurate shot had barely missed the red circle by a small hair.
It was something he found odd due to how great of a shot the girl was with a bow. She would not have survived her horrible future if she was this bad at archery.
A thought that was confirmed by another, much louder warcry that followed after.
"I AM BLOOD AND THUNDER! I AM A RIGHTEOUS FURY! I AM-"
"Still too loud."
"Eep!"
Frederick turned his attention to the soft voice that gave the critique, and it caused his eyebrows to shoot up so high that they touched his hairline.
The person that stood in front of him looked like he came straight out of a fairy tale. He was a half man, half horse with long flowing brown hair.
He could have sworn he was a normal man when he first caught glances of him, so he couldn't help but gape a bit at his inhuman form.
The horseman noted his presence but when he looked at him, Frederick shook his head. An unspoken conversation occurred between them, as he wanted to watch her without distracting her.
"Oh no. I messed it up again." Noire cupped her face with her slender hands in embarrassment but Frederick could hear the slight edge of frustration mixed in there.
The horseman shook his head at Frederick before turning his attention back to Noire.
"It's alright. These things take time Noire. I can't force you to improve at the drop of a hat. Just be patient and you will get there." The comforting voice of the horseman said to the girl. "Just keep trying and remember to focus more on your breathing. Do your best and try again."
Noire did as she was instructed and took deep breaths then she loaded her next arrow.
The wooden bow groaned as the young woman pulled the bowstring back, causing her face to shift slightly in a grimace.
She seemed much more tense than normal as she was holding her position for a good minute, and to the untrained eye, it looked like she was struggling against the force of the bow. But based on what the horseman said, it looked like she was struggling to hold something back internally.
"and thunDER!" The meek girl growled the last syllable of her catchphrase, in a lower tone of voice than she did prior, before releasing the bow string. Frederick followed the trajectory of the arrow as it flew across the range and managed to strike the third circle from the bullseye.
She seemed a bit disappointed but she recovered from her small bout of negativity by shaking her head. She turned back to face the horseman, only for her eyes to land on him.
"O-Oh… Uncle Frederick, Good morning."
The horseman also noticed his presence and smiled, "ah yes. Ser Frederick. Good morning to you."
Not wanting to be rude, Frederick placed his arm across his chest and gave a butler's bow.
"Good morning to you as well, Noire and mister?" while he had seen this horseman in passing, he never quite got his name.
"Pardon my manners, my name is Chiron. No last name. And I am in charge of training the kingdom's soldiers at the behest of Lady Gudako." The heroic spirit stretched out his hand, which Frederick accepted.
"Well met Chiron. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier, I did not want to interrupt Noire's lesson."
Noire's cheeks reddened when she realized that he was looking at her the entire time.
"It would have been no bother at all. I made sure to train all of my students to stay focused while in battle. Isn't that right Noire?"
"Huh?"
Chiron didn't seem to look impressed by her answer, "Go clean up your arrows, then come back and finish another set, we still have the whole day left to train today."
Her eyes moved back and forth between himself and Chiron, unease emanating from them before she bowed and left to do her task.
A small silence fell between the two before Frederick broke it by clarifying a misunderstanding.
"I am not truly related to her, to be honest," Frederick admitted.
Chiron seemed a bit surprised, "truly? Based on what she has spoken of you, I assumed that it would have been the case."
Frederick lifted a brow, "oh?"
Chiron chuckled, "during our training sessions, she and many of her peers seem to love pointing out that I am just as, if not more sadistic than yourself."
Frederick could not help but roll his eyes, "that sounds like my students alright. They initially portrayed themselves as hardened warriors from a doomed future that came to save the world, yet when I politely invited them to join me for my Fanatical Fitness Hour, they all cowered away like babes."
"Would this Fanatical Fitness Hour happen to be your training routine?" Chiron asked with genuine curiosity.
Frederick gains a glint in his eye, "Why yes it is. It is a mandatory hour-long program that is custom-made to fit the attendee and bring out their greatest potential. So long as they have the will and drive to endure it."
"Fascinating." Chiron put his chin between his right thumb and index finger, a posture that reminded Frederick of a scholar. "Is it safe to assume that your regimen is most effective when used multiple times a day?"
"Sir Chiron, I am impressed you managed to gather that based on so little I have told you. You are correct. While one can gain benefits from using it once a day, I strongly recommend the attendee complete their regiment three times a day for maximum benefits. It consists of…"
0-0-0
Chiron listened to Frederick's explanation of his workout regimen. Occasionally adding a bit of advice on areas of improvement. Both were so engrossed in their discussion, that neither had paid much attention to Noire as she returned from downrange and had resumed practice.
Unbeknownst to them, hearing both of her teachers trade 'pointers' on their lessons had distracted Noire so much, she could barely focus on the task at hand.
The thoughts swirling in her head released her arrow and it struck the tree adjacent to the target.
"GODDAMMIT!"
"...Noire... Seeing as you have plenty of energy to spare, take 30 laps around the perimeter of the castle." Chiron said, a smile much too warm to be sincere given the centaur's current role as her teacher.
"And if you take too long, I will ensure Emiya and Benienma are informed to only give you a nice, healthy helping of vitamin and mineral-enriched gruel."
Noire threw the bow to the ground and snarled, "YOU DAMNED SADIST!" before she ran off to get started on her laps.
Her uncle Frederick decided to add some of his advice, "and be sure to pace yourself! Sprinting will only help upset your stomach more!"
"FUCK YOU!"
0-0-0
Once she disappeared into the distance, Frederick's smile dropped.
"So I take it you are attempting to teach her to fire her arrows without falling into her usual habit?"
"Indeed. Noire is an amazing archer, but she only becomes heroic when she unleashes her pent-up emotions like a berserker. Tapping into her anger without triggering her inner beast has been quite the fun challenge." Chiron notes.
"Yes. Noire has struggled with that since I met her. I've tried everything to get her to stop but at some point, I just accepted that as part of her. I wish you the best in that regard." Frederick has an idea why she turned out this way, but he has never been one to gossip about his students' private lives openly with strangers, even someone who is also a fellow peer.
"I appreciate your confidence in my ability, however, I alone am not good enough. Even with my skills, therapy is one of the few gaps in my expertise. This is why I have had Noire have a few therapy sessions with Ms. Sessyoin. So far, it has helped ease some of her twitching when she fires a bow at a normal emotional level and as you saw, she has managed to quieten her fury."
Chiron smiled, "Trauma aside, that does not mean I have gone easy on her. I am still a hero trainer after all."
"And for that, you have my thanks. It would reflect poorly on our summoner if you gave too many carrots to the troops."
Chiron's smile split apart wider, which showed his perfect pearly white teeth.
"Trust me, Ser Frederick, if there's something I am good at, it's always keeping a single large bushel of carrots tied to my hip at all times. My students must all earn them before I start giving them out."
"I beg to differ Chiron, you still give away too many." Both men turned to the female voice who came behind them.
"Well good morning Scathach, you are looking lovely as always," Chiron said before turning to him, "Ser Fredrick, this is Scathach, a fellow hero teacher from my Earth. Scathach, this is Ser Fredrick, the teacher of the 'future shepherds' as they called themselves."
Scathach's eyes lit up in recognition, "Ah. Those quirky children with decent potential. Yes, I remember them. I have also known of you already Ser Fredrick but it is a pleasure to formally meet you." She stretched out her hand, which Fredrick shook, and he could barely hide his wince when she noted her strong grip. Had he not received the enhancement, she would have definitely turned his hand to mush.
"The pleasure is mine, Milady." She held his hand for a moment before she released their handshake, much to Fredrick's relief.
"Do tell, why do you believe Sir Chiron's teaching methods give away too many carrots?"
The woman crossed her arms underneath her ample cleavage, which Fredrick was quick to avert his eyes from and instead focus on her impassive red eyes. Eyes that seemed to be boring into his soul and analyzing him.
"He always pulls his punches when he teaches them. How are they to improve and surpass them if they can't take his blows?"
"Because if I went all out on my students they would die." Chiron defended himself but Scathach waved his sound reasoning away like it was an excuse.
"If they die then that means they were unworthy of learning from you. And if they survive, then they will become the greatest of warriors. Ones with the skills that could easily make up for the number of men who failed prior."
That… was some twisted logic. It was much too extreme of a mentality for an instructor to have.
"And people call me a sadist. Do you even have any carrots to give aside from your body?" Chiron's words caused Fredrick's mind to come to a screeching halt.
"What better motivator is there for my students than the privilege of warming this Scathach's bed?"
Scathach's admittance to the accusation only causes Frederick to splutter in embarrassment.
"Y-You lay your students?! Ma'am, that is highly inappropriate!"
The woman turned to him, a devilish smirk plastered on her face, "Yes, it is~ …But as I said, it is a privilege only for those who manage to survive crossing The Land of Shadows alive and arrive at my doorstep. Unfortunately, due to current circumstances, The Land of Shadows is inaccessible at this moment and much like Chiron, I have been forced to lower my standards to accept more students."
Once she finished saying that, she looked him up and down, causing Frederick to cover his dignity from the predator before him.
"Based on your students' depictions of you, and my own observations during missions, you look to be quite promising. And the proficiency of your students that focus on using spears is barely passable, which means you qualify by default."
The woman got closer to Fredrick, her smirk still present on her face. "So, would you care to become my student Ser Frederick?"
"I-Uh... Appreciate the invitation ma'am but I must decline."
Scathach shrugged, "suit yourself. Though my loins could use a good stretch right about now." Frederick nearly choked on his own saliva when he heard her say that.
"Too bad Master Gudao is on a mission today and I am not in the mood for 'girl's play' either. Oh well, I guess that useless boy Setanta will do." She turned to walk away, but not before she looked over her shoulder toward him and Chiron.
"Farewell boys, I have other matters to attend to now. And Fredrick? If you ever feel like changing your mind, you can always reach out to me at this time. I'll be sure to make you a hero worthy enough to kill me."
With that she left, leaving Chiron and himself in an awkward atmosphere.
Whoever this 'Setanta' was, Frederick pitied the poor man who received the attention of that psychotic woman.
Author's Note: Sorry for the somewhat late update. This middle portion of this chapter was a struggle to write until literally right now.
Right, so from 2023 onwards, I will update on Fridays. The exceptions being when I miss an update, but I might also just save the chapter for the following week and do a double update.
As for this chapter, it was one of my earliest ideas and the interaction between Fredrick and Scathach was one of the most fun to come up with and write.
Thanks again for reading.