Dragon of the Eclipsing Moon: It is commonly accepted that the Arthurian legend goes through several eras of writing (Welsh, French's Manière de Bretagne, and English) but... it is just a way of classifying things, it is not really a chronology. Besides, French and Welsh authors continued to write stories during all the medieval era... and beyond.

Moreover, each author of the Grail Cycle has written his own version of the Grail legend.

For example, Thomas Mallory's Le Morte de Arthur takes up very old Welsh themes that had not been exploited by the French (like the fact that there was a "fake" Guenivere). English, French, and Welsh authors copied each other and some forgotten themes of the Arthurian legend may have reappeared in the pages of more recent author centuries later. There is no chronology in the Arthurian work, no official list of characters. Have you heard of Looys? Yet it is a Knight of the Round. And Keus d'Estrax? Another Knight of the Round. Even places change from one author to another. We always think of Camelot when we talk about King Arthur... but Camelot is probably a bad spelling for "Caerleon" by a French copyist (the city of Wales where Geoffrey of Monmouth places the court of King Arthur). Each author describes an alternative version of the Arthurian Cycle with different chronology, places, and characters.

Boyzilla: Yes it's ALWAY the fault of the Elves. And the Dark Elves are worse than the common batch. And, in your little list, you have forgotten the Aldmer in the Elder Scrolls series. Finally, there is only in Tolkien where elves are friendly (suddenly remembers Feänor... the massacre of the sea elves by the Noldor, the abandonment of the sons of Fingolfin on the pack ice, the bloody vendetta of the sons of Feänor, the elves of Mirkwood who abandoned the Dwarves to their fate when Smaug attacked the Lonely Mountain)—uh... forget about what I just write.

Yes Hakuno with Artoria it's always a cutie (they are a pack of two cuties!)

Bulla Regnum

(Medallion of the King)

"Who are they? They are sorrow. Pain. Misery. Misguided souls bound to darkness led by a damned prince who refused to accept his true destiny and will one day suffer as no other because of it. They embrace Chaos with open arms and much of their debauched society is given over to worship of Khaine, the Lord of Murder. They live in fear, comforted only by the lies they repeatedly whisper to each other as they nurse old wounds. They are terrible, seek them not. I will say no more."

—Lord Alasir, Elven Ambassador speaking about the Dark Elves

The silence was made in the narrow hiding place of Werner Gauss. Hakuno looked in turn at Artoria, Lancelot, and Günter Braun before turning to their host.

Finally, it was Saber who broke the silence.

"Can we trust Mizhan's word?"

In their situation, this was obviously the most important thing. Lancelot straightened up as if he were going to speak, then... hesitated before closing the mouth without saying a word, the forehead barred by a wrinkle of anxiety. In fact, he wanted to reply that the Druchii had no honor, but... he realized that this was tantamount to saying that they would not come out of the ruined city alive. The knight refused defeatism. Nor was he one of those who liked to discourage his allies.

The two Sigmarite archaeologists did not know much about the Dark Elves but they were agitated by dark thoughts. They breathed a discouraged sigh and shook their heads without saying a word.

Strangely, if it was the silence that prevailed in the hideout... inside Hakuno's head, it was rather noisy.

[The Dark Elves never openly break their word...] began Agravain.

[Druchii culture emphasizes respect for the word given... at least its respect for appearances. Their leader must constantly demonstrate to his subordinates that he keeps his word if he wants to be respected...] Kay intervened.

The two Heroics Spirits 'spoke' simultaneously which caused a real cacophony in the brain of the Inheritor of the Moon. They had a spiritual connection only to their Master... and not to each other. That is, each Servant was therefore unable to hear the words of the other Servant. Hakuno had to ask them to speak one after the other to understand what they wanted to explain to her. Ironically, as they spent their time arguing... they were for once in complete agreement.

Both Servants believed that the Dark Elves always kept their word to the letter. This might seem paradoxical, but because the Dark elves had no form of trust, respect for the given word was even more important than in humans. A leader must constantly prove that he keeps his word if he wants to keep the trust of his soldiers. It was the only way to get their loyalty... or its closest Druchii equivalent. However, at the same time, because the Dark Elves were fundamentally dishonest, they had no qualms about interpreting an agreement in a way that was most beneficial to them.

[Master, imagine Mizhan solemnly promising that he will not attack you. Could you trust his word] asked Agravain.

Hakuno made a Head Tilt without noticing the reaction of the two archaeologists who blushed and forgot to breathe.

[No?]

[If he swears, he will keep his word to the letter. So he will not attack you... at least personally. However, as it is only a commitment that he will not attack you... it will not prevent his men from attacking you, or the necromancer's ghosts. If you're going to make a deal like this with Mizhan, you have to make him swear not only not to attack us, but also not to order others to attack us, and even make him promise to protect us from any attack. We must not leave any loophole that he can exploit.]

Hakuno summarized Agravain's arguments to Kay.

[Mister Sinister is right... this time. For a Dark Elf, an agreement is a form of combat between two individuals. Little Mouse, it is very important that you understand this: for a Druchii peace, respect, love or friendship are only illusions. The fact that humans believe in this kind of thing proves that they are weak and hypocritical. ]

[Hypocritical] questioned Kishinami.

[The Druchii have never received love, friendship, or respect. They are therefore absolutely incapable of experiencing this kind of feeling] explained Arthur's foster brother. [Since childhood they have been raised to consider their existence solely from the point of view of power, with on one side the strong who have all the rights and on the other side the weak who can only suffer. Their education has stripped them of all that we consider good. And these feelings are so foreign to them that they do not believe that others really believe in their existence and certainly not that they feel them. For the Druchii, words like 'love', 'friendship', or 'respect' are just emotional blackmail. Pretending to feel love and friendship, or pretending to believe in the word given 'proves' that we are incapable of forcing others to obey us. So humans are weak. In addition, among the Druchii, only young children (before education had its effect) used emotional blackmail. So it's also proof that we're childish and stupid. On the contrary, an adult Dark Elf 'knows' that an alliance is always circumstantial and that betrayal is inevitable. The first to achieve his goal will get rid of the other so as not to have to fulfill his part of his contract. Also, he must be the first to betray if he wants to survive. Never forget, Little Mouse... Druchii is the elven term for 'strong'. They think that by having abandoned all the 'illusions' in which we believe they have become 'strong'. The division between strong and weak and its inevitable corollary (the absolute right of the strongest over the weakest) is the sociological basis of the Druchii's civilization. And since humans are weak, stupid, and childish, we are naturally destined to be their slaves. No Dark Elf will ever consider a human as his equal. Although their arrogance is irritating, it is also a weakness ready to be exploited. Because Druchii doesn't see us as equals, they will underestimate us.]

The Victor of the Moon nodded silently. The Druchii were too different from humans to be able to have a peaceful relationship with them. If the Druchii had a clear advantage, they would attack without restraint. If they were facing a stronger opponent than themselves, they would resort to cunning, poison, or conspiracy. By nature, they were unable to imagine a non-confrontational relationship. The only time a dialogue was possible was in a situation where the Druchii faced adversaries as strong as themselves. If the Druchii were in a situation where any conflict would end in mutually assured destruction and had no time or possibility to plot, they could agree (uneasily) to make an agreement. That was exactly the current situation. Mezhan has no time or resources for fighting Hakuno and her Servants because he had a priority mission in progress.

[How do I deal with the Dark Elves?]

[Mizhan is sure of his intellectual superiority over you] replied Kay. [He will seek to conclude an agreement... an agreement which he will respect to the letter... but which he will not be faithful to the spirit. And from his point of view, his behavior will be perfectly honorable. He will have nothing to reproach himself for. If you are not careful enough, smart enough, or cunning enough to identify loopholes in the deal, he will have no qualms about exploiting them against you. And for him, it will be your fault, not his. If one Dark Elf murders another in broad daylight and there are witnesses, the murderer will be tried and convicted. The judges, the soldiers who captured the murderer, the executioner who executed him, and even the passers-by, all will rejoice in belonging to civilized society (the only real civilized society... at least for the Dark Elves) with laws that are respected. But if the same Dark Elf had used poison, a plot, or some other sneaky way to eliminate his rival... that he had taken his fortune and his hierarchical place... Do you know what would have happened? If there had been no witnesses, there would have been no trial, no conviction. And all the Druchii would have applauded. The Dark Elves only respect the appearance of justice or legality. If someone is not strong enough, smart enough, sneaky enough to protect himself from his enemies and he gets in trouble... well the Druchii laugh and says that he got what he got coming to him. ]

Hakuno nodded again and addressed the archaeologists and servants:

"Artoria and I will talk to Mizhan."

Negotiations were to take place at their former camp at the entrance to the city, just where the ruins of the guard tower stood.

Hakuno Kishinami was moving quietly. During the seven weeks of conflict in the Moon Cell, she had learned to save her energy before any confrontation. And - undeniably- the meeting with Mizhan was going to be a confrontation... and victory was not assured. Words could be dangerous weapons. After all, a clash of ideas and intentions was at the root of all wars. The discussion with Agravain and Kay made it very clear. If the Victor of the Moon showed any weakness, she would die. If she proved useless to the Druchii, she would die.

The only way to stay alive was to be smarter than the Dark Elves.

Artoria Pendragon walked next to her master ready to summon the Sword of the Wind King.

The Astralized Servants were deployed as a scout. They would make sure they weren't ambushed.

Attentive, the legendary king of Britain managed to hide her anxiety but... the Druchii were exactly the kind of enemies she hated. They never fought head-on if they could avoid it, preferring poison and murder. Worse they pretended to be honorable while they constantly reinterpreted their agreements to find an opportunity to break their word! 'Duchii' and 'chivalry' were two completely antagonistic terms.

Hakuno shuddered when she heard Gawain's mental voice:

[Master, I have just arrived at the ruins of the Guard Tower. Three Druchii are waiting for you. One of them is a woman and, of the other two, I recognized Mizhan. ]

[Thank you, Sir Gawain.]

[It's a pleasure, Master]

The other Servants reported within minutes. Thirty skeletons and a Dark Elf were hidden in the ruins of the market. Kay stressed that for an ambush they would have dispersed all around the tower to encircling them. The Seneschal of Camelot thought for a moment before adding that it was probably a security measure. Being basically traitors, the Druchii must have suspected treason on the part of the other side. Agravain was of the same opinion.

The Victor of the Moon nodded and went around a partially collapsed wall. The camp was on the other side of the empty space which had been a marketplace.

Mizhan turned towards her and greeted her with a nod before seeing Artoria. His eyes narrowed briefly while he took note of the young woman's armor and the resolute expression on her face. A warrior recognized another at first glance...

Hakuno's eyes passed over the second Dark Elf. He stood by his leader, his hand on his sword. He had a well-waxed leather suit, partly concealed by a long black cape. His ogival metal helmet was adorned with a black feather. His focused attitude and watchful eyes betrayed a bodyguard.

As for the woman...

Elven women were often very beautiful.

This was also the case with the Druchii.

But this woman would have attracted the attention of men among a thousand other beauty. She had an oval face, with perfectly drawn features. She was absolute perfection... except for a scar splitting her left eyebrow. A band of goldwork made of golden skulls held back her black hair, long, smooth shiny, except for a long white strand just above the split eyebrow... probably another effect of an old wound. Her lips were painted black. Like the other two Druchii, she wore black leather armor with intricate interlacing shoulders. Her pointed ears were adorned with dragon-shaped earrings.

Very beautiful, yes, but her eyes of a tempestuous violet had nothing reassuring, too big, too fixed, too intense... There was in these eyes a hunger never satisfied. Hakuno was a good judge of personalities. And, by comparison, Mizhan seemed much calmer. The leader of the Druchii had to be an 'honorable' and 'respectable' person... at least according to Druchii standards. The woman, on the contrary..., was a rattlesnake in a humanoid form... all right a gorgeous and seductive rattlesnake... but it only made her more dangerous.

The leader of the Dark Elves waited for Hakuno to stop ten paces away to greet her with a slight tilt of the bust while placing a hand on his chest.

"I am Mizhan of Nagronath, I lead this expedition. This is my sister, Sithel." He says nothing about the third Druchii, confirming that it was a simple bodyguard.

Politely, Hakuno saluted like Japanese, holding hands with a courteous bow.

"I am Hakuno Kishinami." She then turned to Artoria. "This is my servant, Saber."

"Very well. First of all, I would like to ask you why you are in this valley. What brought you here? Who knows you're here?"

"Archaeological expedition" was Hakuno's immediate response. "The expedition was authorized and partly financed by the Marquise Patricia of the Marches of Couronne. The Marquise will worry if we don't send a message."

The Druchii frowned. Understanding that time was against him. He was about to ask how long they were supposed to stay in the valley but...

"We could ask you the same question, Mizhan of Nagronath" commented Artoria. "Why are you here?"

This snap-out answer immediately gave birth to a nasty smile on Sithel's lips. She turned to Mizhan to watch his reaction. Nevertheless, she seemed disappointed when he replied calmly.

"We're looking for a locket that was held by a dignitary of this city at the time of his fall."

"A locket?"

The Dark Elf nodded. He pointed to the medallion around his sister's neck. It represented a bull's head and seemed to be the emblem of a function or a title.

"Yes, an object of the same size and shape attached to a black metal chain. The locket itself was carved from a volcanic black stone. Unlike Sithel's medallion, the one we're looking for must represent a dragon."

"Why is it important?"

This time Mizhan's face hardens.

"I have no reason to answer you, Saber. Just know that it's an ordinary object. It's not magic."

Artoria nodded.

"I see."

"All right, now, listen to my proposal. Help us find this locket. If you think about it, it's in our mutual interest. We can't let you go. Of course, I could leave you alone if you promise to do the same, but... let's be honest. It would inevitably lead to an incident...and we would end up fighting. There would be deaths on both sides. However, if we work together, the risk of an incident is reduced. Moreover, with your help, we will probably find the locket faster. The only way to avoid unnecessary deaths is for us to leave these ruins quickly... with the medallion, of course."

Mizhan had turned to Hakuno.

"Are you in charge?"

"Yes."

"Do you agree with my reasoning?"

Hakuno remained silent for several seconds.

"You'll only leave with the locket."

It was not a question and Mizhan realized he couldn't hide the importance of the medallion. Several expressions difficult to name briefly passed over his face before he regained control.

"You've never heard of this locket before today" he finally said. "It means a lot to me and nothing to you. You're not going to lose anything by helping us. It's not a bad deal, is it?"

Sir Kay's ironic voice echoed in Hakuno's mind:

[On Earth, Mizhan could have been an excellent used car salesman. Reduce all the arguments to a single alternative with on one side the right choice and the other the wrong, it's foolproof. But never buy him a used car, Little Mouse. He's the kind to sell a car with bald tread and a worn engine as if it was a golden opportunity. ]

[Sorry?]

Hakuno obviously did not understand the comparison... Sir Kay uttered a heartbreaking sigh:

[I mean, don't be fooled! Just because you don't know the value of that locket doesn't mean it's not worth anything to you or that it should be left to the Druchii. The value of a thing is defined by what people are willing to do to get it... and Mizhan has come here with a small army. This is no small feat. Don't forget that this city was razed to the ground and that thousands of people died. If this locket caused the ruin of this city, as I suspect, it could cause other wars in the future. ]

The warning was clear. If this medallion were to reappear, other people would surely die as well.

But what could she do? She had a choice between agreeing to help Mizhan... or having the ghosts chase them and kill them.

Mentally, she questioned the other servants while Sithel was surprised by her prolonged silence. Taliesin replied that it was necessary to learn more about the medallion and what it was used for. Gawain and Lancelot were against helping the Druchii, but they had no alternative. Artoria simply replied that her priority was to protect her Master. Agravain was the only one to propose something constructive:

[You have to accept, if only to spy on them. The more we learn about them, the more likely we are to be able to counter them if they become a danger.]

A quarter of an hour later, Mizhan and Hakuno swore solemnly to work together to find the dragon medallion. Once the medallion was given to Mizhan, the Dark Elves and the living dead would leave the valley, leaving behind their slaves (Artoria had insisted on including the poor people captured in the Druchii raids... this had surprised Mizhan, but he had quite easily accepted). Hakuno's group and the slaves should commit to staying in the valley for two days without seeking to follow the Dark Elves. In return, their safety and freedom would be guaranteed.

The negotiations were over and, for the moment, they were alive. It was already a first victory. Nevertheless, a question refused to leave Hakuno's mind.

What was this locket?

She felt it was a crucial question.

As she walked away, the Victor of the Moon felt a gaze on her and turned around.

Sithel had stayed behind and looked at the Japanese teen while rubbing her chin.

For a moment, Hakuno felt like a piece of meat on a stall. A customer who would have thought about the way to prepare it would have had exactly the same look as the Dark Elf...

After picking up Günter Braun, Werner Gauss, and Lancelot from the hiding place, the survivors of the archaeological expedition returned to the camp at the entrance to the valley.

There was no point in hiding now. On the one hand, a Dark Elf had tracked them to the hideout... and on the other, there was nothing to eat in Gauss's shelter. The food crates were left at the camp.

On Agravain's advice, Hakuno used the Regalia to verify that the food had not been poisoned by the Druchii... which fortunately was not the case.

Hakuno had taken advantage of the round trip to discuss mentally with her Servants and to summarize to each of them the ideas of the others.

Gawain was the first to make a proposal.

[My king was right to speak and prevent you from giving details of how long it will take Marquise Patricia to send a rescue expedition.]

In fact, there was no precise timetable for their return, but the marquise would probably start to worry in about ten days. A rescue expedition would leave within a fortnight counting the time to gather the men. It would still take ten days for reinforcements to arrive there... Altogether, it was necessary to survive twenty-five days... and it was an optimistic delay given the slowness of movement in these mountains!

But the Knight of the Sun continued:

[Nevertheless, we don't have to wait for the Bretonnians to realize that something unusual is happening in the Pale Sisters. The Dark Elves are not aware of our existence, the Astralized Servants. I can leave now. In three days (at the latest) I will be at Mess. I will make myself known to our friends who have remained there, and they will take charge of informing Marquise Patricia. Master, I can promise you, that the rescue expedition will be here in 15 days. ]

In other words, Gawain's travel reduced the deadline by ten days!

It was obviously the best thing to do. Hakuno immediately gave her permission. Gawain saluted and left without wasting any more time.

The second Servant to intervene was Taliesin.

[Master, I've been thinking a lot about what Sir Kay and Sir Agravain said about this locket. I am neither a diplomat nor a specialist in shadow warfare. However, Kay and Agravain believe that the medallion is the main reason for the destruction of the city by the Asur and the Dwarves. Be careful, however... This is a simple assumption and they can be wrong. After all, the High Elves and Dwarves have many reasons to hate the Druchii and they did not need this famous medallion to reduce the city to ashes. Its existence alone was a sufficient offense. Moreover, Sir Kay is sometimes too enthusiastic... and can jump to conclusions. Nevertheless, this is not the case for Agravain. I have no reason to think they could be wrong, especially since they came to the same conclusion independently. So while I would caution...they're probably right.]

Caster took a brief break.

[I don't know enough about the history of the Old World to be sure. However, I do know the history of Britain. If a medallion had caused the ruin of a city and had justified a search expedition from another continent after thousands of years...]

He paused. And Hakuno raised a questioning eyebrow:

[Yes?]

[Master, the only comparable object in the history of the British Isles is the Lia Fáil (the 'Stone of Destiny' or 'Stone that speaks' in Irish). This is the designation stone at Tara Hill in Meath County. The Irish and the Vikings, then the Irish and the English fought for centuries to control this stone. ]

Hakuno blinked.

[Why?]

[Because the Lia Fáil was the stone that designated the High King of Ireland and therefore the king could not be sacred anywhere else but on Tara Hill. A bit the Irish version of Caliburn...]

Hakuno Kishinami was far from being stupid, she had also studied the Arthurian legend. She understood that the Druid compared the medallion to some sort of proof of the royal character of an individual... something that any ambitious individual could covet.

In the afternoon, the small group settled at the camp and tried to recover from the emotions of the night. According to the terms of the agreement with Mizhan, they were to participate in the search that night and therefore needed to rest.

However, Saber came to wake Hakuno after only two hours. It must be said that they had a visitor...

Sitting on a crate and showing her legs wearing long bibs, Sithel looked at her with a smile. And the female elf had a very pretty smile.

"Miss Sithel?"

"Sorry to bother you, Hakuno Kishinami, I didn't know you were sleeping. Nevertheless, I have a good reason to come."

The Dark Elves unfolded a map of the valley. A good part was covered with hatches.

"This is the current state of our excavations."

Her finger browsed the dug's areas.

"In one month we did research in just under half the valley. We are currently focusing on temples in this area."

Sithel designated the place where the valley ended.

"We are making very slow progress because the land-diggers are zombies. If you ask a zombie to bring you all the unusual objects, you will quickly find yourself submerged under a cluster of shiny pebbles, bones, dead leaves, branches and rats' corpses. We have about thirty human slaves who are used for all delicate manipulations or requiring a minimum of intelligence. But you have to push them to work..."

In spite of her charming smile, Sithel could not completely hide her contempt for humans. Hakuno shuddered as she thought about the slaves, poor people dressed in rags, exhausted, hungry, and regularly tortured to 'distract' the Druchii privateers. She decided to change the topic.

"How did you conduct your research so far?"

The female Dark Elf pointed to a spot on the map.

"After identifying the area of the city where the local aristocracy lived, we searched the ruins without finding anything."

Hakuno nodded.

"Conclusion?"

Sithel shrugged with fatalism.

"The owner of the locket did not die in the neighborhood where he was supposed to live."

"Looking for... a king?"

The Dark Elf stiffens imperceptibly.

"Something likes that, yes..."

Okay, dangerous subject spotted.

"I see."

There was a moment of silence and then Hakuno spoke again.

"And then what?"

"After the initial excavations failed, my brother asked Dargin, the necromancer of our group, to use the Shadow Mirror spell to summon the dead from the grave and make them relive their last day of life. We were hoping to identify the... king of this city."

With a slight hesitation Sithel had just confirmed that the dragon medallion was a royal emblem. An expression of anger passed through her beautiful face... but disappeared immediately, replaced by a pretty smile that might have seemed sincere.

"How many times" asked Hakuno.

"Sorry?"

"The Shadow Mirror, how many times have you used it?"

"Yesterday was the twelfth time."

"And you've identified the city leaders?"

"From the first night," Sithel confirmed, "and we found their remains (some scale from scale armors, or a rusty helmet, sometimes bones) as we searched the rubble over the next few days. But none of them had the locket. Later, we focused on the excavation of the temple district and Dargin used his magic to show us again and again the last day of the city. We were hoping to find a clue... so far in vain."

Hakuno nodded thoughtfully.

"The king of the city did not have the locket on him at the time of his death, and you did not find him in the ruins of his palace."

The beautiful elf acquiesced.

"Yes, that's it."

"I think the king entrusted this medal to someone before he went to fight, perhaps with the mission of trying to get out of town before it fell."

"This sounds logical Hakuno Kishinami. But it can be anyone."

Hakuno looked at the map.

"Can I keep it?"

"We have more. Any idea?"

"Not yet, Miss Sithel. Are we free to conduct the research as we wish?"

The immense eyes of the Dark Elf narrowed:

"Our only requirement is the medallion. If you give it to us, you'll be fine."

Hakuno noted the implicit threat and the burst of greed in Sithel's gaze. Uncomfortable, the Victor of the Moon focused on the valley map.

"All right, in that case, we'll move into the old royal palace."

The dark Elf remained pensive for a few moments then smiled.

"In that case, I'll come with you, I went through it several times during the use of the Shadow Mirror spell and I watched the day searches. I know the palace very well, both in its ruined state and at the height of the city, I will be useful to you"

'... and I could keep an eye on you,' Hakuno added mentally.

Author's note: this episode was difficult to write (and I'm not even talking about the translation that took almost six hours). I have rewritten at least four times the discussion between Hakuno, Kay, and Agravain... trying to explain the Dark Elves mentality in a simple and explicit way is a challenge. In fact, the Druchii are the exact opposite of "simple and explicit". With them, what is not said, what is implicit, hidden, secret, has more importance than what is shown... Their entire society is based on duplicity!