Hi readers, here's a shorter chapter this time, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.

A couple of things to mention, a question and a mini celebration of this story getting a bit of unexpected attention.

1.) I recently had someone in a Discord server I'm part of point out that perhaps longer chapters might put off prospective readers, so I wanted to ask: How do you lot feel about the chapter length? Think I should try breaking future chapters up a bit more, or are you fine with how things are now?

2.) This story's gotten recommended to and has a page on the TV Tropes website now, which I was pleasantly surprised about! If you feel so inclined, I'll post the link down below so you can check the page out, maybe even add to it if you feel up to the task and want to flesh the page out a bit! Not compulsory, obviously, just something I'd happily accept if you want to.

Link: Something Lost Something Found (Fanfic) - TV Tropes

With that all out of the way, onto the story. Enjoy!

Comments and reviews are welcome, as always.

Thanks to the ongoing Rayshift expedition, plus the fact that it was now lunch time, the halls of Chaldea were mostly silent, save for the tapping of a pair of heels.

Baobhan Sith harrumphed internally, for about the dozenth time that day, as she strode towards the cafeteria.

This was ridiculous. This was completely ridiculous, worrying about something like this.

She was a princess! ROYALTY! One of the few true Magicians of her whole world, too! What did she have to fear about meeting and perhaps even tort-...ensl-…subju-…befriending this other royal girl? Once she realised who Baobhan was, she'd obviously throw herself to her knees and beg to be her friend, with her graciously accepting of course.

The other princess would be happy to have an awesome friend and mother would be happy because Baobhan had done what she asked, which meant that Baobhan would be happy too. Yes, just a quick play- meet up, a short conversation to affirm their new friendship, and everyone would be happy. Simple enough.

…at least, that's what Baobhan had told herself before all these annoying little Ifs had started nagging at her mind.

Worries like "What if the other girl doesn't see how awesome I am?", "What if she acts like a low class peasant thanks to being around all these other commoners in Chaldea?" and "What if her parents (assuming she had them and they were summoned, of course) are stupid enough to disapprove of me?".

You know, silly little worries like that.

Silly little worries that had been on her mind the whole morning.

No matter how obvious it was that this fellow princess would want to be her friend, mother had vetted her personally after all, Baobhan just couldn't shake that tiny little sliver of doubt.

She wanted this to go not just well, but perfectly, that way mother would be incredibly pleased with her!

And after that lecture Baobhan had gotten from her regarding her…less acceptable habits, she really wanted to show mother that she'd taken her advice to heart. Wanted to make her proud.

I don't want to see mother's upset face again, or worse…

"Why are you like this, Baobhan Sith?"

Even if the voice was only in her head, she flinched all the same, shivering and reaching up to wipe away some moisture around her eyes.

She won't say that, she won't.

I'll make sure to be the bestest friend that other girl's ever had! I'll teach her how to be a proper high class lady if I have to, and make her some shoes! She'll HAVE to like me then, and mother will HAVE to be proud of me for making that effort!

Yeah, she'll be proud of me…she'll be proud of me.

With that hope in mind, Baobhan sped up her pace, marching quickly towards the cafeteria.

Enough humming, hawing and dawdling around, that was for directionless, hopeless peasants to do!

Besides, any later and she'd be in danger of missing the playd- the meet up time. What sort of first impression would that be, keeping a fellow princess waiting?

Yes, she did in fact have quite a bit of time before she was due, in fact, but best to get there early to get properly ready. Prepare herself to greet the newbie, and all that.

And to calm what leftover nerves she still had.

Smoothing out her dress one last time, Baobhan almost smacked nose-first into the cafeteria door before looking up and stopping in time.

Had she been that lost in thought? Was this really getting to her that much?

Come on, don't get so worked up! You're not some simple peasant, this much shouldn't be anything too difficult! Just focus and make a good first impression.

Mother's counting on you, remember that. Do this for mother.

Taking a fortifying breath, Baobhan thumbed the entry button, letting the door slide open.

Gyah!

Hands flew up to cover her ears immediately, but even then the sounds still rang and reverberated loud enough to have her grinding her teeth together.

In her worry, she'd forgotten to use a dampening rune on herself before letting the racket hit her head on.

Why does this place have to be so damn LOUD!? Is it a thing in this history to yell and scream while you're eating? Ugh! I'd like to have seen you try this at mother's palace, she'd have you thrown in the dungeons!

Daintily twirling the runes just under her ears, Baobhan sighed in relief as the cacophony from within immediately settled down to manageable levels. Straightening out her dress and smoothing her hair down all over again, just to make absolutely sure she looked her very best, Baobhan marched into the cafeteria.

Oh no…

Almost instantly, she caught sight of the worst source of noise. It was hard to miss her, really.

It just had to be that screeching, tone-deaf Bathory girl, didn't it? At least she wasn't singing this time, just screeching on and on about this and that.

Just tune it out. Ignore the commoner brat…there's NO way I'm acknowledging this unstable lunatic as royalty! NO way at all!

At least that blonde shorty wasn't here as well this time, trying to show off what she insisted was 'singing', as opposed to the raucous assault on the ears that it actually was.

There was no way that little girl was an emperor. No way, no how. No self-respecting ruler would act the way she did! Mother was twenty times the ruler that girl could ever be! It was just another one of her constant delusions, it had to be.

Not that her absence was too much comfort anyway. The usual problem was here…the mixed groups.

What right did all of these commoner 'heroes' have to be associating with the emperors; empresses; kings; queens; lords and ladies? To share the same sort of rooms? To walk the same halls without bowing in respect with every noble they came across? Why did everyone just accept this!?

They were all just socialising freely! Just talking to one another like old friends, with no respect for any social status!

…oh yes, that was something of a new norm around here, wasn't it? Those new memories the Throne had planted into her had told her as much.

Just another reason for Panhuman History's inferiority compared to Fairy Britain, where almost everyone knew their place. Except those filthy traitors, the ones dumb and mad enough to rebel against mother's rule despite all she did for them.

I should have killed MORE of them. Killed that backstabbing sycophant from the Earth Clan and the jealous old hag from the Wind Clan! They're the ones who used me to hurt mother! It was THEIR fault!

…no. No. Don't…don't think about that right now. You'll just get worked up again.

I need to put on a GOOD impression here. For mother's sake.

First though, some lunch. She'd missed breakfast this morning because she'd been so nerv- so busy preparing for the outing.

Pushing down the urge to just take her rightful place at the front of the line, ahead of the common filth she spied in front of her, Baobhan swallowed hard, picked up a tray and flounced to the back of the line, behind two chattering girls who looked vaguely like Assassins, if those short knives on their belts were any indication.

Definitely commoners too, with such simple outfits.

What was that little winged bell, though? She'd never seen anything like that around Chaldea for.

Perhaps I could ask mother to make something like that for me, only much better.

Slowly, far too slowly for her liking, the lunch queue eventually inched forwards enough that Baobhan could get a look at the dishes on offer, while the duo in front of her began discussing what to order.

Urgh…what is this?

Baobhan resisted the urge to scrunch up her face in distaste at the menu.

A 'pork casserole'…something called 'lasagne', a 'stir fry'? Yes, there were other dishes as well, but was this still the kind of food on offer?

There was royalty eating this! In fact, there were many, many royals eating this! This was PEASANT food, for Tonelico's sake!

And no matter how many times she'd complained, at length no less, nobody changed anything! It was like everyone was just happy to subsist on this subpar swill!

Do Panhuman History nobles and royals not have ANY pride!?

Unfortunately, by the time she was done with her internal critique, the Assassin duo before her had finished getting their meals, leaving Baobhan to move forward and be pushed into a decision of her own.

"Oh, there's a face I've not seen before. What can I get you today?" The redhead woman on duty, a new face for Baobhan, chirped from behind the counter.

Baobhan didn't reply immediately, having to choke back another round of incredulity and shock at vaguely recognising who it was serving her, even if she couldn't place the name.

Y-...what are YOU doing here?! Aren't you supposed to be a queen!? Why are you serving peasants like this?! They should be serving YOU!

"Having trouble deciding?" The redhead asked kindly, oblivious to her inner turmoil. "Ah, is this…not typically what you're used to?"

"Don't mind her, it's just a bit of lingering culture shock." A new, far more familiar, voice cut in.

Whipping her head around, Baobhan found Carmilla waiting in line right behind Baobhan, her own tray in hand and a soft smile on her face.

"My advice? Try the lasagne. You might not think it a meal fitting for your station, but it truly is to die for." The Assassin said, even licking her lips a little just to ram it home.

Mmmm…well, if Carmilla gives it the okay, then I guess I can give it a go.

"I'll uh…I'll have the lasagne then p…p-please." Baobhan managed to spit the last word out.

Ugh…I shouldn't need to say that to anyone except mother!

"Alrighty then! One serving coming right up." As the redhead busied herself with retrieving the serving, Baobhan looked to Carmilla again, prompting the Assassin to smile and mouth "wait for me" as she moved forward and Baobhan moved over to the serving area.

In a few moments, a plate laden with a generous heap of what Baobhan hoped was this 'lasagna' was placed on her tray.

"Here you go, enjoy!" The redhead queen smiled.

"...thank you." Baobhan hissed out, taking her tray, gathering up some cutlery and moving to stand a ways away, waiting for Carmilla to catch up to her.

For her part, the Assassin decided on a serving of the pork casserole. Picking up her own cutlery, pouring herself a glass of wine and taking two of the carefully folded handkerchiefs, one for her neck and one for her lap, Carmilla approached Baobhan with a calm smile and raised eyebrows.

"We've already got a table picked out, come on, we can talk more privately there." She said, before striding off, leaving Baobhan to follow along behind.

We?

"So, what brings you here today, lady Sith? It's not often you show up here alone." Carmilla asked as she walked, turning her head back to glance at her friend.

"Well, mother and the others are out on a Rayshift expedition right now."

"And you didn't go with them? You've been quite eager to go on an expedition with her, haven't you? If I recall correctly, you were quite upset about not accompanying her to Connacht."

Baobhan blushed as she recalled why exactly she was here. Despite her efforts to hide it, Carmilla quickly noticed the reddish tint on her cheeks, raising an eyebrow in interest. However, before she could ask Baobhan about it, she spied her chosen table up ahead and motioned her friend forward.

The Archer was both surprised and not to find it already occupied.

"Ah, there you are! We were waiting for you!" Wu Zetian called out, smiling at Carmilla before noticing Baobhan. "Oh, lady Sith, We did not expect you here. What a pleasant surprise."

"Yes, quite the surprise, to be sure." A new voice cut in, coming from the dark-haired woman seated to the right of Wu. Setting aside her own plate of casserole, the woman dabbed daintily at her mouth before rising and raising her own eyebrow. "We've not met before, have we? I am Semiramis. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Finally, someone else with some proper manners! Baobhan smiled internally.

"A pleasure to meet you as well, I am Baobhan Sith."

"Ah, one of those "Fairy Knights" from the latest Lostbelt, I see…"

Seeing Semiramis looking a tad wary, Wu spoke up.

"There's nothing to worry about, I will gladly vouch for lady Sith if need be."

"Very well." The Assyrian queen nodded, mollified, before redirecting her attention to Baobhan. "Please, take a seat wherever you'd like."

"Thank you. I see you're already well acquainted with Empress Zetian."

"I wouldn't say we are well acquainted, at least not yet, but I happened to be assigned to the same training group as her the other day and we struck up quite an interesting conversation." Semiramis said. "So I decided there wasn't any harm in continuing it today over a spot of lunch."

"I had the good fortune to run into them on the way here, and decided to accompany them. I've been quite interested in getting lady Zetian's input on some new torture techniques to use on our enemies." Carmilla said, her green eyes flashing with malice.

"And I was quite interested in doing likewise! It's not every day you get to swap ideas with a fellow torturer." Wu chirped. "What of you, lady Sith, what brings you here today? I thought you would be accompanying your fellows on that Rayshift to Shinjuku."

Before Baobhan could speak up, Carmilla beat her to the punch.

"I asked her about that a little earlier. She seemed rather embarrassed, now that I think back." The smile on Carmilla's face had turned teasing, the Assassin calmly lifting her glass of wine and eyeing Baobhan out of the corner of one eye.

Ah.

"Really? Well, now I'm definitely curious." Wu was far less subtle in her interest, openly leaning forward and planting her elbows on the table,looking expectant.

"I'm not one to let interesting information pass me by." Semiramis followed Carmilla's lead, tenting her fingers together and smiling at the Archer.

Aaaahhh…there's no getting out of this, is there? I could just lie, but I've got my pride to think about! What if I'm called out? That'll be so dreadfully humiliating!

Besides, maybe they can offer me advice about how to approach this other princess. They must've learnt all sorts of proper decorum when they ruled, right?

…I should've paid more attention to how mother did things. Muuuu…so annoying!

"I…I'm here on request from mother, actually! That's why I'm not with her!" Baobhan blurted.

"Ah, what a pity that is. I'd been thinking about approaching her for some time now, I've heard she's very skilled with curses. If I could learn from her, then I could inflict even greater torture on anyone that dares to get in my way, fuhaha!" Wu cackled.

"I too would like the opportunity to speak with her. That new Caster girl…she told me that the Winter Queen is without equal when it comes to magic. To be able to learn and refine my poisons and mystic skills from someone like that…well, I'd be silly to not ask for the chance, wouldn't I?" Semiramis mused to herself.

"Acting as an errand girl, are you? Doesn't her majesty have her other knights for that sort of thing, why send her daughter?" Carmilla tilted her head, brows knitting together.

"Well, Master requested those other two for the Rayshift mission, so that just left me. Besides, mother would obviously trust me over them to carry out her wishes! If it's for mother's sake, of course I'll do it!"

"I can understand that, I too made sure to delegate tasks only to the most competent and trusted of subordinates…but I think that's not quite the whole story, is it lady Sith?" Wu fixed her with an inquisitive and, oh-so slightly, teasing stare from across the table.

Eh? How did she-!?

"Ah? Whatever do you mean?" Caught off guard, Baobhan tried her best to look innocent and curious.

"Fu fu fu. I valued competence among my subordinates very highly indeed, and I learnt very quickly to read them…to find out when they were trying to hide incompetence from me. A seasoned liar you are not, lady Sith, do you really think you can fool me when career politicians and professional suck ups have failed?" Wu curled an eyebrow, teasing smile still firmly in place.

Kuh-!

"There's no need to be so alarmed, you know? You're among peers here, why not share why you're here? Is the reason really quite so embarrassing?" Carmilla asked.

Baobhan did not reply, instead exhaling and taking a bite of her lasagne to give herself time to think.

….for peasant food, this isn't all that bad, I suppose.

"Well?" Wu pressed again, after Baobhan had finished her mouthful. "What is it really? Are you that embarrassed by it that you don't want to share?"

"You needn't worry about any tattling from any of us. We are not children spreading gossip for fun." Carmilla assured her.

Mmmm…What do I really have to lose? I doubt they'd break their word, they have too much pride for that. I'd always make sure to carry out my knight duties whenever mother asked me, after all.

"All right then. But you MUSTN'T tell anyone else." Baobhan narrowed her eyes at the three Assassins.

"As I said, there will be no tattling from us." Carmilla simply took another sip of wine, waiting for her friend to start her story.

"Do you really think the Heavenly Empress' word means so little?!" Wu squawked indignantly.

"Who would be interested in embarrassing you here?" Semiramis asked. Off Baobhan's sigh and half-nod, she shrugged. "Then there we have it, whatever embarrassment might come with your duty will not spread beyond this table."

All right then. Here we go.

"Okay. The truth is that I'm here to…meet someone. On mother's orders. To…to see if…if I can b-become…..f-f-f-f-friends with them." Baobhan stuttered and stammered her way through the explanation, already feeling the blood rush to her cheeks all over again.

The three Assassins stared at her blankly for a few moments, processing just what it was she said.

Followed by exchanging looks with one another.

"W…well?" She asked, looking between the trio, her cheeks still burning.

"Snrk. Uhuhu."

Wu didn't manage to cover her mouth fast enough to hide it from Baobhan.

"Fu."

Carmilla was more restrained, but did absolutely nothing to hide the sly smile on her face.

"I had no idea the Winter Queen was in the habit of setting up playdates for her daughter." Semiramis remarked, the crinkling of her amber eyes the only hint to her mirth.

Oh for-!

"I-it's not a habit and it's not a playdate! It's a MEET UP, okay!? And this is the first time she's done something like this!" Baobhan squealed in protest, now thoroughly embarrassed as she took a large gulp of her water to try and cool her flaming cheeks.

"And why is that? What sort of exceptional circumstances could drive her to do this?" Carmilla asked, swirling her wine glass idly as she mulled it over.

"W-well, it wasn't so much just one exceptional circumstance as an…ongoing test for me."

"An ongoing test? To do what?"

"To, um…t-to make friends." Baobhan mumbled, eyes glued to the table and cheeks flushing even redder.

"What was that?" Carmilla asked, amusement tinging her soft voice.

"To make friends." She mumbled again.

"Could you speak up a bit dear, I didn't quite catch that?" This time, the Assassin smiled slyly as she spoke.

"TO MAKE FRIENDS!" A frustrated Baobhan leant over and yelled in her ear, leaving Carmilla flinching in her seat and nearly spilling her wine.

Wincing in pain, the noblewoman sighed, setting down her wine glass and rubbing her ears.

"Well, I can't say I wasn't asking for that." She mumbled, glaring at Wu and Semiramis for a moment as the two raised their eyebrows back at her, as if to say "really?".

Huffing, Baobhan took another sip of water to soothe her throat.

"Even though I've already got you lot as friends, mother's still not satisfied. She thinks I need better friends..." The Archer muttered, grumpily digging into her lasagne for the first time.

…I guess it's not that bad for peasant food.

Her attention was drawn back to her companions with a rather aggressive throat clearing. Looking up, she noticed Wu staring at her with nostrils flaring.

"Better friends, you say?" The empress asked, narrowing her eyes and leaning forward.

…ah.

Cursing inwardly for her slip of the tongue, the Archer swallowed hard before refocusing.

"Um, what exactly do you mean, Empress Wu?" Baobhan asked nervously.

"What of us? Are we not good enough to be your only friends? After all, we share interests, we get along just fine and have quite invigorating conversations from time to time. Why exactly would your mother deem other friends better than us, mmm?" Wu's glare practically bore into Sith's skull with how intense it was getting.

"Could it be, perhaps, that this new friend is supposed to be the first of our replacements?"

Where did she get THAT idea from?!

Carmilla and Semiramis' gazes both flicked back and forth between Wu and each other, before they rolled their eyes and sipped at their drinks.

"Here we go again." The Assyrian queen muttered, shaking her head and sighing softly.

Again?

"That's not what-" Bobhan tried to explain, only for Wu to cut her off.

"Well, this shall not stand! I don't care who your mother thinks she is, to have the AUDACITY to try and replace ME! If this friendship is to end, it will end when I decide it does! Hmph, when she gets back, I will have a very long talk with her about overstepping her bounds!" Wu ranted, summoning her spiked pointer and slapping her free hand with it threateningly.

Eh?! But she can't do that!

Mother will crush her if she tries to order her around! She really will want me to end these friendships then, won't she!? If any of them tried attacking mother then I'd drop them like trash, after all!

"You mean to challenge her?" Carmilla raised an eyebrow in amused scepticism. "Well, I would wish you good luck, but I fear that all the luck in the world won't save you if you make her angry."

Aaaahh, I need to do something!

"Just wait a moment! Wait! Waitwaitwaitwait!" The words spilled from Baobhan's mouth at an increasingly rapid pace as she held out her hands pleadingly.

"Look, it's true that mother wants me to make more friends, but she's still okay with us being friends! She…doesn't think you're a good influence on me."

Baobhan winced a little at Wu's raised eyebrows, narrowed eyes and nostril flare, the empress blowing out a rough breath in offence.

How would mother do this? How did she handle the Clan leaders again?

Muuuu…

Ah, I got it! I need to make an appeal!

"So, ah…do you really want to prove her right? Because there's no way mother would approve of someone who tries to argue with her. How would…if one of your kid's friends tried to argue with you, how would you feel about them?" Sith tried asking.

Wu huffed, turning up her nose and placing her hands on her hips.

"Well of course I would feel insulted! Who is this upstart daring to try and question ME and MY decisions over what is best for MY heir!" She snapped.

"So, can't you understand that mother feels the same way about me? I mean, you're right, we've got a good friendship here already…do you really want to threaten that by going against mother?"

Comprehension and understanding finally dawned in Wu's eyes, the hot air leaving her lungs and her posture slumping a little.

"As Lady Sith said, Queen Morgan already seems to think of us as…not quite the right sort of friends for her. If you do try to argue with her and force the issue, you may only succeed in reinforcing her beliefs." Semiramis pointed out.

"...I….I-I suppose I can be lenient. For now." Wu mumbled, slumping fully back into her seat, de-summoning her pointer, and picking up her cutlery to begin picking at her food again.

"So, who is this 'friend' that you're meeting?" Carmilla asked, trying to distract Wu further by getting the conversation back on track…and also satiate her own interest in her friend's new circumstances.

"Well, mother said that she was a royal like me, but that she didn't act like it. She…didn't give me all that much to go on." Baobhan admitted, blushing lightly.

"Mmmm. I see…did your mother describe how she acts at all?" Semiramis asked.

"No. Only that she doesn't act like a typical royal."

"Well, that certainly narrows things down." Semiramis muttered, looking off to the side and contemplating something. "Still…"

"Very few of the ex-royals here act like it 100% of the time, anyway. That doesn't prevent you from befriending them at all if you make the effort, does it?" Carmilla shrugged.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much. How bad can she truly be, anyway?"

"Oi! For the last damn time, I didn't say you could come with me! The hell are you doing!? You wanna get hit!?"

Teeth grinding, she turned on her feet and began to stomp back down the corridor, towards the small group of followers that had done a rather poor job of concealing themselves in their pursuit of her.

"Calm yourself, Sir Mordred." A firm hand on her shoulder, plus a commanding voice in her ears, stopped the knight in her tracks.

Flinching on instinct and turning her head, Mordred found Artoria staring at her. Despite the firm edge to her voice, the King of Knights had a small smile on her face.

"B-but faaatheeer…!" Mordred cursed inwardly at how petulant and whiny her voice sounded. "This was s'posed to be something just for us, why do they need to come along?!"

"I just want to support my cute little sister! It's always great to see her branching out!" Gareth cheered, the Beautiful-Handed Knight having done very, very little to conceal herself well, if at all. She would have openly approached Mordred and tried walking alongside her had the more sensible members of the group not encouraged her to at least keep some distance, for the sake of her sister's pride.

"It's not often we get to see you make a friend, after all. We just want to make sure this goes well…and perhaps get some of it on film to have proof of your soft side." Gawain smiled, offering a thumbs up as if he hadn't just said what he'd said.

"I ain't soft at all, boneheaded gorilla!" Mordred cried, cheeks flushing red.

"Well, you're much cuter than the Mordred I knew." A new voice cut in, sending another rush of blood to the Knight of Treachery's cheeks and prompting a new round of smiles and giggles from her following friend group.

"E-eh!? I…I'm not-!" She sputtered.

Arthur Pendragon simply laughed softly, before reaching over to tousle her hair playfully.

"Yep, definitely cute."

"I-I'm not cute at all! Y-you've got some nerve, male father!"

"Now now, Mordy, c'mon…listen to your dad, yeah?" Caenis didn't bother to hide her amusement, the Lancer grinning cheekily.

"Mordred…definitely…very cute." Berserker Fran managed to say, offering a smile of her own.

"She's definitely on the nice list for Santa this year!" Santa Lily added, beaming from atop Spartacus' head. "I've got a nice, uh….lion plushie ready for her!"

"Oh my, we can have a wonderful tea party to give it to her properly!" Nursery giggled.

"Yep! Knight mommy is really adorable when she gets red faced like that!" Jack the Ripper insisted, popping out from behind Spartacus' legs with a smile just a bit too cheshire-esque to be wholly innocent.

"Indeed. It's such a pity that she insists on oppressing her cuteness." The gladiator decided to join in himself, making a show of wiping a tear from his left eye.

"We really should've dressed you up better for this! We can still go back to pick a nice dress for you!" Gareth added, glad that it wasn't her on receiving the end of the teasing this time…even if she felt a bit bad for her sister.

"Rrrrgghh… I'm not… I'M NOT CUTE DAMMIT! SHUT UUUUUUP!"

Finally overwhelmed by the teasing, her frustration reaching boiling point, Mordred threw up a one-fingered salute that she waved around frantically, tearing herself out from under Arthur's hand and practically sprinting off down the corridor towards the cafeteria, head in her hands to hide her flushed cheeks as she mumbled and griped under her breath about having "shitty friends".

"Uuuuuuu…" Fran mumbled, looking a bit dejected at her friend stomping off. "We... too far?"

"Don't worry about it. Maybe we pushed a bit too much there, but Mordy'll get over it soon enough." Caenis assured her, giving the Berserker a pat on the shoulder.

"Though perhaps an apology, should she ask for one, would help in that regard?" From Artoria's tone, it was quite clear that it wasn't actually a question. "Though I doubt Mordred will hold a little teasing against her for too long, just in case she doesn't, I think it's best to apologise for taking the joke a little too far for her."

A mumbled chorus of "yes, ma'am" and "yes, my liege" rose from the group.

"Well, let's get going, shall we? Don't want to miss the big meeting." Arthur said, smiling encouragingly.

"I get that she's not super social, but is Mordred meeting someone new really that big of a deal?" Caenis asked.

"Well, it is to me. I… didn't get that chance much with the Mordred from my world, and by the time I got here she'd already got herself a nice group of friends to rely on.

"Call it a bit selfish but… it's one of those things I'd like to experience at least once. Even if she's not really my child, I can't just ignore her." The Once and Future King said, rubbing at the back of his head and offering a shrug as the group began making their way to the cafeteria again.

The kids awwed, Gareth beamed and whispered "that's so cuuute!" under her breath, while Gawain smiled lightly.

"What about you, king mommy? Is that why you're coming along too?" Jack asked, tugging on Artoria's leg.

"That is certainly part of it. Lady Raikou's advice seems worth heeding this time." The King of Knights replied, reaching down to pat the Assassin on the head before continuing forward.

"However, it's mostly the other girl, this "Baobhan Sith", that concerns me… I've heard some rather unpleasant things about her simulator sessions, not to mention her demeanour in general. While I have no doubt that Sir Mordred can take care of herself, I… thought it best to supervise. Just in case. That is what a 'good parent' does, or so I've been told."

Another chorus of aaawing sounded in her ears, almost all of it from Gareth this time, who barely held back from squealing.

"If only it was just the girl…" Arthur mumbled to himself, his voice trailing off.

Despite that, Artoria was close enough to overhear.

"...I take it you're concerned about si- about Queen Morgan?" Artoria asked, barely catching herself in time.

It just felt so natural to say that, even now…

"And you aren't? Even a little?" There was no condescension or contempt in Arthur's voice, just genuine curiosity. "I know that she isn't the one we know, but you and her still argued on that Rayshift to Connacht, didn't you?

"I don't know how it went for you in your life, but I had to keep myself alert and on guard at all times. After all, I could never be sure when my sister would strike next. If there's even the slightest chance that this is an attempt by her to get back at you…"

Arthur sighed and slumped a little, stopping his tracks and rubbing at his arm this time, causing Artoria and the rest of the group to halt as well.

"I can understand your concern. Believe me, there was a part of myself that wanted to stop Mordred from accepting this meeting… wanted to stop her from taking that risk. However, I have faith that there are no tricks here to be wary of." Artoria assured her counterpart, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

"I'll admit that I can see much of my.. well, much of our sister in her, that much is true. The unshakeable resolve, the ruthlessness and… and the trauma. However, I believe I can say with confidence that they are also very different, different enough that we don't need to worry about any tricks from her.

"It might be difficult for you, but could you place a little faith in her, just this once? If not in her character, then in the belief that she wants what is best for her daughter. Why would she do anything to sabotage this meeting when she wants her to make a new friend?"

Arthur paused, pursing his lips as he thought it over. Eventually, he sighed and smiled lightly.

"All right then, perhaps there is such a thing as being too cautious… but you know, I'm surprised to hear you speak on her behalf."

"Believe me, I'm quite surprised to be speaking on her behalf, myself." Artoria admitted. "But after getting to speak to her in person and working alongside her, I've seen for myself that she is not the same person that our sister became. She has a gentler heart. Buried under a great deal of pain, anger and resentment, yes, but it's certainly there.

"That's why I think it's best to give her the benefit of the doubt for now and let her find her place in Chaldea as best she can. Who knows, she might just surprise you too, if you only give her the chance."

"...perhaps she might." Arthur conceded.

A small "eeeee!" drew the two monarchs' attention over to the others in their group, where Gareth was grinning like a fangirl and practically vibrating on the spot, so much so that Gawain had to put a hand on her shoulder to slow her down a bit.

"Awfully trusting of 'ya to just let bygones be bygones like that, just like Master really… but then again, who am I to judge?" Caenis shrugged.

"I gave it all I had, at the end. Put my life on the line for one last go at it. One last go at… at living up to his expectations for me. Why bother dragging all that baggage with me here, eh?"

"I suppose it is. But if there's one thing I've learnt from our Master, it's that sometimes a little trust and faith can go a long way indeed."

"That's mommy all right, they see the best in everyone!"

"Mmm hmm! That's why he's definitely on this Santa's nice list!"

"Well, now that that's all done with, we gonna get going again? At this rate, Mordy's gonna screw up before we ca- OW!"

"Uuuu! UUUUU!"

"Exactly, you shouldn't oppress our expectations about Mordred like that. Why, as an expert in rebellion, I have no doubt that she will surpass them with flying colours! This other girl will surely want to be her friend!"

"Yeah, don't be mean!"

"Yeah, knight mommy's way better at this than you think!"

"'Ey, now you three are getting on my case?! Geez, it was just a-"

Shaking her head as her daughter's friends kept bickering in the background, Artoria shared a small smile with Arthur and indicated them with her head.

"In the worst case scenario, at least Mordred already has them to rely on."

"True. That's already more than enough for me…but a new friend couldn't hurt."

"Precisely."

"Ugh! She's late!"

Baobhan huffed in irritation, folding her arms and tapping her foot relentlessly.

Carmilla cast an idle glance at the cafeteria clock, snorting softly.

"It's only been eight minutes, you know? Perhaps exercise a little more patience."

"No, you are quite right to be angry!" Wu insisted, slamming her hand onto the table indignantly.

"How dare this princess keep you waiting when you grace her with your time and presence! Royalty especially should know the importance of good manners and punctuality! Why, if anyone dared to keep me waiting like this, they would surely face the wrath of my torturers!"

"That might be a tad bit extreme, Empress Wu…I would settle for a warning for their tardiness, as long as their excuse was reasonable, of course. No use wasting what might be a perfectly competent servant or potential ally over something like that." Semiramis said.

"Mmmm…good subordinates and allies were hard to come by in my reign, now that I think back." The empress mused, rubbing at her chin and tucking into what was left of her lunch. "But still, to let such tardiness slide like that, it doesn't seem-"

As her friends continued their discussion, Baobhan allowed her attention to wander as she cast her gaze around the room, idly picking at the last few bites of lasagna left on her plate in the meantime.

Remembering the lessons Morgan had taught her about Reinforcement Magecraft, the Archer sneakily tapped and traced at her ears to apply the appropriate spells, while also toning down the dampening spells she'd previously applied to block out the worst of the noise, wanting to see if there were any juicy conversation topics being shared around the cafeteria.

Wincing a little at the slight spike in volume, Baobhan quickly shrugged it off and began to focus, idly chewing on lasagna as she directed her hearing at each of the surrounding tables and their occupants, trying to single out what the various Servants were talking about amid the cacophony of voices.

Upcoming training schedules…practice drills…Servants wanting to go on outings with Master (seriously, what was it with this human that had all these people fawning over him like this!?) continued planning for something called 'Nerofest'...

Hmph. It's just the usual chatter here, nothing I've not heard from them before, but at least it beats staring at the table like an idiot.

Who knows? Maybe if I wait a bit, they'll surprise m-

"-ush me!"

"- ou've…-nding here for…-ust go and-"

Oh?

That was a new voice, wasn't it? Coming from the cafeteria entrance, too.

Let's see if they've got something interesting to eavesdrop on.

Angling her ear towards the now open door and tuning the enhancement spells, Baobhan narrowed her eyes in concentration, trying to pin down the new voices in the sea of ongoing conversations.

A little fiddling, and…

"C'mon Mordy, just get in there!"

"Are you…afraid again?"

"And you wouldn't be?! I've never had to do something like this before! I-I mean, not with any expectations like not-mother piled on me."

"That's who you're worried about? Look, even if it doesn't work out and she gets pissed, she ain't laying a finger on you while we're around, alright?"

"It's okay knight mommy, we're all here to support you!"

"If it helps, Mordred, think of yourself as a diplomatic representative. Perhaps that will help you focus."

"Th-that just makes it worse!"

"Way to pile on the pressure!"

"Ah…my apologies."

"Well, how about-?"

Oh ho, what's this? Maybe I'll have some fun after all, watching this "Mordy" girl fail. Baobhan chucked to herself.

"What are you looking so amused about?" Semiramis had finally noticed Baobhan's lack of contribution to their discussion, the queen raising an eyebrow and leaning forward in her seat.

"Mmmm? Oh, just some incoming entertainment, that's all." The Archer smirked, eyeing the open door again.

"Really? Well, as long as it doesn't bother me…" Semiramis began, only to trail off as she gazed past Sith and towards the door. "Ah."

Baobhan did not miss the audible exasperation in her friend's voice, nor the way her face scrunched up in distaste.

"What is it?"

Semiramis sighed heavily.

"Just an old…acquaintance-" she almost retched on the last word, managing to restrain herself to just a shiver "-one I was so dearly hoping not to run into here any more than I absolutely have to."

Turning around and then back to her friend, Baobhan saw that not only was a new group loitering around the café doorway, but Semiramis was eyeing the blonde girl, the one with the ponytail, with a look of what could only be described as distaste.

Well, who could blame her? With those ratty peasant-esque clothes (her shorts were cut off at the bottom, even!), that messy, barely-cared-for hair and her shamelessly loud hollering, she must be a commoner.

What are those brats doing there? Why is that girl wearing a wedding dress!?

Hold on…who are those two knights with them…are those crowns on their heads!?

What's royalty doing palling around with a bunch of freaks like that?!

"Quite a sight, isn't it?" Semiramis muttered, cutting through Baobhan's thoughts and bringing her attention back to the Assassin.

"It's something, all right…" Baobhan said. "So, what happened between you and that peasant girl?"

"Peasant, is that what you think she is?" Semiramis chuckled softly. "You mean to tell me you've never heard of the Pendragons in your time here?"

Pendragons?

…

Oh.

OH.

That gir- that woman? SHE'S the one mother's always complaining about!?

Why does she look so short and so young!? She could give Melusine a run for her money!

Is this who that dirty, stupid, no-good Caster girl would have grown up to be?! Urrrgghhh…

"Mother always complained about an "Artoria" all the time! I don't remember her mentioning anyone else!" She hissed back.

"Well, now you know. As infuriating as it is, that girl there is royalty…even if she barely acts like it." Semiramis snorted, rolling her eyes and sipping at her drink to settle herself.

"No manners, no filter, poor character, sloppy in combat, overly aggressive and brash…how someone like that became a knight is beyond me. Were standards in Medieval Britain truly so low?"

"Hmph, I guess that's this history's Britain for you, just as inferior to mother's Britain as I thought!" Baobhan sniffed, turning up her nose. "Of course the royal heir there wouldn't know how to-"

Her complaint died in her throat, a very grim realisation forming in her mind.

"That girl there is royalty…even if she barely acts like it."

"Even if she barely acts like it."

…oh no.

No.

NO.

NONONONONONO-!

Moootheeeerrr! WHY!?

WHAT COULD I HAVE IN COMMON WITH HEEEEEEERRR!?

"Calm down." Semiramis soothed, patting the Archer on the shoulder, understanding shining in her eyes. "You never know, it might not be her you're here to meet."

"Y-yeah…maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions." She mumbled, twirling strands of her hair between her fingers, heart thumping in her chest from the nerves.

Unfortunately, it only got worse from there.

"Excuse me." Looking up, Baobhan and Semiramis found the male knight, bearing remarkable similarity to Artoria, staring down at them, a polite smile on his face.

"Ah, Sir Arthur. Do you have business here?" Semiramis asked, perhaps noticing that Sith herself was far too busy having an internal breakdown to pick up the conversation herself.

Arthur? That's WAY too similar to be a coincidence! Is THIS what mother meant when she ranted about all those "copies" that one time!? How many of them are there!?

"Not personally, I'm simply here on Mordred's behalf. You wouldn't happen to know where I could find someone called "Baobhan Sith" would you?"

…oh no.

Baobhan shot the Assassin a glare that was half threatening, half begging.

"What a coincidence." Semiramis smiled pleasantly at Arthur, before gesturing to Sith. "As a matter of fact, she's sitting right here."

DAMN YOU!

Quickly wiping the look of anger off her face and replacing it with her most polite smile as Arthur turned to her, Baobhan got up and curtsied to him.

This is what nobles do to be polite, right? Mother and that hag Aurora did it in meetings all the time.

"Erm, h-hello there. D-do you have business with me?" She asked, copying Semiramis' greeting.

"Ah, not quite with me. But I understand that you have a…meeting arranged with Mordred today?" Arthur asked.

"Yes. I…I might well do. Mother did ask me to meet someone, but didn't specify who."

"Well don't worry, she's the one." Arthur assured her, glancing back at the cafeteria door. "Would you like to meet her?"

No! Absolutely NOT! I don't want to meet some badly behaved filthy lout like that!

"O-of course! I…it'd be my…m-my honour."

That sounded so wrong. I shouldn't have to say things like that! I'm mother's heir, I should be able to do and say what I want, damn it!

But this is for mother's sake, isn't it…?

Shooting Semiramis a glare and slashing a finger across her throat as Arthur strode off, Baobhan got up and walked stiffly over to the cafeteria door, a feeling of dread building in her stomach every step of the way.

Urrggh, I don't want to associate with someone like her…but if mother thinks she's okay, then I'll give it a shot.

"Why are you like this?"

…I won't disappoint her. I WON'T.

As she drew closer to Mordred, Baobhan spied the rest of the group out of the corner of her eye, all watching with varying levels of interest.

Ugh, as if it wasn't hard enough to act like this with just one person, now I've got to do it in front of an audience too!?

Moootheeeeer, why did you do this to meeeeeee….?

"So, uh…you're her, right?" Mordred mumbled, drawing Sith's attention to her as the knight swallowed and looked around nervously. "The one I'm meetin' up with?"

She even TALKS like a common peasant too…?

Glancing and shooting a glare at the onlookers, Sith coughed and cleared her throat.

"Y…yes. I…I suppose I am."

Both paused again, shuffling on their feet and trying their hardest to look anywhere but at each other.

Sensing the sheer awkwardness in the corridor, Artoria cleared her throat and turned to the others.

"I think perhaps some privacy would be appropriate here. Come along, everyone. Let's give them some space to talk."

"What!? But this could be some quality entertainment here!" Caenis protested.

"But we want to stay and support knight mommy!" Jack insisted.

"B-But my king, I want to support my little sister!" Gareth pleaded, giving her finest puppy dog eyes.

"I too would like to bear witness to this-" Spartacus began.

"Now, if you please." Artoria's gaze turned cold in a heartbeat, her voice gaining a harsh, commanding bark to it that had even Baobhan flinching and snapping to attention.

Geez. She almost sounds like mother did when she caught that useless worm Spriggan dozing off in a meeting…

"M-m-m-my most sincere apologies, my queen, I was just-"

"If you truly find my council to be such a waste of your time, Lord Spriggan, then I'm sure I can find something a little more engaging for you to be doing instead. Taking on a few extra land redevelopment and housing construction projects up in Manchester this year should suffice, yes? They've still not quite recovered from the last Calamity, and the Earth Clan's assistance in rebuilding would be greatly appreciated, I'm sure."

"A-ah…well, you see my queen, I'm afraid the Earth Clan's yearly planning for construction and redevelopment projects just concluded earlier this very week, and our schedules are rather full-"

"Then you will have to make time, won't you?"

"I...y…yes, my queen."

Mother should have put that snivelling toad in his place a long time before that! I should've put a curse on him for daring to doze off in front of mother!

Still, it was great watching him look so scared!

A chorus of "Yes, my liege!" and "Yes, ma'am!" (with a single "Okay, mommy…" among them) came from the group as they allowed the King of Knights to lead them away down the corridor, all except for Arthur. The Once and Future King remained behind just long enough to give Mordred an encouraging thumbs up and smile before taking his leave as well, leaving her alone with Baobhan in the corridor.

Both shuffled around for a few moments, the silence painfully awkward.

Aaaaahh! Why isn't she saying anything!?

Rrrr…I guess it's up to me! Just…do this for mother's sake!

But what to talk about, what could I possibly have in common with this ill-behaved brat!?

Muuuu…ah, I got it! That woman sounded a lot like mother earlier, and she and the brat look an awful lot alike, not to mention those knights called her "liege"…that must be her mother, then! I can talk about that! Yeah!

Clearing her throat, Baobhan spoke up.

"So…did your mother have to put up with lazy idiots on her council a lot too?"

Snapping to attention and focusing on the Archer, Mordred's face morphed into an expression of confusion.

"Huh?"

"Did your mother have to put up with idiots too?" Sith repeated, swallowing a growl of frustration at Mordred's lack of attention.

"Eh? My mum didn't have a council at all." Mordred replied.

Huh?

"W…what do you mean? Every queen has a council, mother told me so." Sith insisted.

"Well my mum ain't a queen." Mordred shot back. "Never managed to be before I bit it, anyway."

"But…but you're a princess, aren't you? Doesn't that make your mother a queen?"

"Nah."

"W-w...well what about that woman who just led everyone else off? She had a crown on her head and those two knights called her "liege", doesn't that make her a queen!? And who is she if not your mother!? You look so much like her!" Sith demanded, now getting just a tad bit irritated, stabbing her finger in the direction of Artoria and the others, who were now far away down the corridor.

Mordred looked at her as if she'd grown another head, infuriating the Archer.

At least, before she spoke up again.

"Obviously that's father."

…what?

"Buh?"

"That's father." Mordred repeated, as if it were the most obvious truth in the world.

What do you mean "that's father"!?

"B…but-" Sith whipped her head around, just to take another look at the distant figure of Artoria. "But she's a queen."

"Are you blind? Father's obviously a king!" Mordred insisted, her own eyes narrowing now.

"But she's a woman!"

"Hey, don't insult father like that!"

YOU LITTLE-!

"But she IS!" Sith screeched, stomping her foot as her anger boiled over. "Y…you're doing this on purpose, aren't you!? Is this your worthless idea of a joke!?"

"HAH!? You'd think I'd joke about the king like that!? Are you stupid!?" Mordred growled, stepping forward to get in Sith's face.

"Then why are you saying that a woman's your father!?"

"Because father IS father, you dumbass!"

…is…is that just how things work here!? No, that can't be it! That weird summoning system thing told me that women are also the mothers here, so she's gotta be wrong!

But she's such a blockhead that she's not listening! Why's she being so…ah, I got it! She's GOT to be messing with me!

"Oh yeah!?" Sith sneered, stepping back and stabbing a finger down the corridor again, this time pointing as close to Arthur as she could. "If the woman's your father, then who's that then, huh!? If you're calling a woman your father, then that guy's GOT to be your mother right!?"

Mordred sniggered, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms.

"Pffft, no. 'Course not."

"THEN WHO IS HE!?" Baobhan practically screamed in Mordred's face, raising her hands towards her throat and miming strangling the Saber.

"That's obviously male father."

Baobhan's hands dropped to her sides, her expression slacked into a disbelieving, open-mouthed stare. Nothing left her mouth save for a small, utterly lost and confused whine.

I…I…

Mother, I hope you're having an easier time than I am.