"I will never forget the day we really are met. Lostbelt Britain didn't count. We both had obligations to fulfill there, so there was no time for us to get to know each other back then."
Memories of Chaldea:
A Fateful Meeting
A summoning had been successfully accomplished, and a figure finally emerged.
'It's...!' The Master of Chaldea widened his eyes, not expecting this surprise.
"I am..." A female voice paused for a few seconds, thinking about something, and then corrected herself."No, you can call me Mélusine. In Lostbelt Britain, they called me the strongest Tam Lin." Then, as if realizing something, Mélusine sighed contentedly, and a stunning smile appeared on her face."...I see," she continued, this time with obvious happiness in her voice. "Even in this shivered state, I can still be of use to you as a Servant."The former called Tam Lin nodded to herself in appreciation."...Good. I'm very happy to know that." Their eyes locked together. "Though it may only be during this fleeting dream, I will spread my wings for you," she stated as if swearing an oath to her master.
Yes, it was definitely her. The strongest and most beautiful Tam Lin of Faerie Britain. Mélusine.
Back in the Sixth Lostbelt, Ritsuka never had the chance to take a closer look at her, but her long, silky silver hair, her gorgeous golden eyes, and an enchanting voice that was as soft as it was melodious. She was truly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
Her now Master returned her smile in kind.
"I am Ritsuka Fujimaru. Welcome to Chaldea."
"Ritsuka..." she repeated his name, pronouncing each letter carefully. "Well, I remember. You introduced yourself at the Gloucester Ball, after all."
"Really? I didn't think you'd remember my name."
"What can I say? Perhaps you left me a strong impression, Master of Chaldea." A hint of amusement shone through her eyes.
"You definitely did for me."
"Is that so? I'm glad to hear it."
Both laughed slightly as he extended his hand to her. "It's a pleasure to have you here, Mélusine."
The female Servant noticed the gesture, and after a while, she laid her hand delicately on top of his."The pleasure is shared, Master."
The two, Master and Servant, could feel a connection between them as they felt a warm sensation from their skin contact.
The sound of footsteps echoed through the corridors as her Master led her on a tour of Chaldea.
"I had no idea this place was that big," the silver-haired woman commented in surprise, walking alongside her Master.
"Yeah, it's definitely bigger than before."
"Before?" She raised her eyebrows in curiosity.
A tinge of sadness appeared in her Master's eyes, something that did not go unnoticed."In truth, we have already lost the original Chaldea..." he trailed off for a few seconds before to continue."This place has been developed to be a kind of second Chaldea."
"Lost the original Chaldea..." His new servant pondered the emotions her Master had expressed earlier. "...I guess that also means casualties."
"Yeah..."
"..."
"..."
"My apologies for the inconvenience."
"Huh?" He blinked.
"It was insensitive of me to bring up the subject," Mélusine admitted in an apologetic tone.
"Don't worry, I'm used to-"
"You shouldn't," the female dragon interrupted him."You are a human and still young at that. Whatever may come, you shouldn't be used to such things." Her eyes saddened for a moment. "If so, it would mean that you have lost a part of your humanity."
Her Master was left speechless by her statement.
Silence fell between them for an instant as the black-haired man processed what she wanted to mean.
"Thanks." He finally broke the silence with a grateful tone."I really needed to hear that." A brilliant smile appeared on his face. A real one, one he had not had in a long time.
"You are welcome, Master. It is my duty as your servant to protect you. Whether it is from your enemies, or from yourself. In addition..." Mélusine continued with a wry smile,"...I am the one who should be grateful to you. You are the one who gave me a second chance, after all."
"Actually, you're the one who gave us all a second chance." Ritsuka pointed out.
She tilted her head in confusion."What are you talking about, Master?"
Ritsuka scratched his cheek, remembering that moment."Long short story, we were all trapped in a black hole, and at the last moment, you had fired your heat ray, making an exit for us to escape."
"Is that so?"
"Don't you remember that?"
A few fragments of memories appeared in her mind.
'Fly... fly ... fly... though... you... may... be... but... corpse...!'
A pained expression crossed her face as Mélusine put her hand to her head.
"You're all right?" her Master asked her with a concerned look.
"Y-yes..." the silver head reassured him, feeling better already."I think I'm remembering now."
"Really?"
"I am happy," she said suddenly, with a dazzling smile on her face."I am so happy to know that this desperate and useless attempt to get rid of that thing has helped you. I am happy to know that I was of some use to you at least once in Lostbelt Britain."
"Yeah, we all owe you."
"And I owe you too, now."
They stared at each other for a moment and came to a realization.
"It means we're even now, right?"
"It seems so."
Then, all of a sudden, both of them broke into a giggle.
"Thanks a lot, really, Mélusine."
"You are most welcome, Master."
A few minutes earlier
"So, you summoned Albion now?! I think I really need a big cake," a blond-haired man in white clothes exclaimed as he left the command room.
"Hehe, it looks like everything is a good excuse for him to eat." A brown-haired little girl grinned wryly."Anyway, good to see you again, Mélusin-... unless you still want us to call you Lancelot like before? By the way, you're still as beautiful as you were when we first met!"
"I'm glad to have you on our side, Mélusine-san!" A girl with purple hair and glasses bowed politely."I'm looking forward to fighting alongside someone as strong as you!"
"So, it's Albion, hmm..." a black-haired man with an air of mystery thought aloud."A pure-blooded dragon turning into people is fascinating, indeed."
"It seems you guys met a lot of interesting people in the last Lostbelt," a twin-tailed woman remarked, her hand on her glasses.
"So, Gordolf, Da Vinci, Mash, Sherlock Holmes and Sion," the silver-haired woman listed the people she had just met today.
"Yeah. You may remember Mash as Tam Lin Galahad, and Da Vinci was with us in the Lake Region." They stopped their walk at a doorstep."So, this will be your room."
"I see..." Mélusine seemed to be in a state of deep thought, her hand resting on her chin.
"Something's wrong?"
"Well, this armor is good for fighting, but..." An uncomfortable look was on her face."...I would feel more comfortable if I was dressed in my usual clothes."
"You mean those you had at the Gloucester Ball?"
"Yes. It is a shame that I no longer possess them..." the former Tam Lin looked disheartened as she was saying this.
"I may have a solution to this problem."
"Really?" Mélusine showed a rare look of surprise.
"Yeah, I know the perfect person for that job." Her Master smiled confidently.
"So, is this the place?" The silver-haired beauty asked. She looked around and noticed that all kinds of clothes were displayed everywhere. This place looked exactly like a clothing workshop, and she could not explain why, but the atmosphere here felt so... peaceful and pleasant.
Ritsuka only had a smile on his face, as if waiting for someone. When Mélusine was about to ask something, a presence appeared in the room.
"It looks like you are in need of my help, Master," a woman with long red hair and extravagant clothes spoke.
"Yeah. Miss Crane, this is Mélusine. Mélusine, this is Miss Crane, an expert in the art of tailoring." The black-haired man made the introduction between the two women. "We have a favor to ask you."
"For you? Always," she replied pleasantly.
Ritsuka resumed the situation to Miss Crane, who listened attentively to each of his words.
"I see. Mélusine-san here present would like to get her usual clothes back, and you thought of me to weave the same outfit for her?"
"Exactly."
"Very well, that seems simple enough."
"Are you really going to be able to do this?" the formerly named Tam Lin finally voiced her thoughts.
"Dear, tailoring is my life's work. All you have to do is give me a description of what your dress looked like."
"Wonderful!" She smiled with excitement."I will tell you exactly what you need to know."
Mélusine described her outfit in detail, and Miss Crane nodded several times, taking notes the whole time.
"I see. It will probably be done in a matter of a few minutes."
"So fast?" The silver-haired woman expressed her surprise.
"Of course. I already know what I have to do, after all. By the way..." Miss Crane looked at the sole man in the room."Master, you should leave the room. I will call you when you can come back."
"No problem."
"Later, Master." Mélusine waved at him.
"And Mélusine-san? One last thing."
"Yes?"
"Please, don't look when I'm weaving," the tailoring expert added cryptically.
A couple of minutes later, Ritsuka heard Miss Crane calling for him. However, when he opened the door, the Master of Chaldea was spellbound by the sight. Mélusine was wearing exactly the same clothes that she had worn at the Gloucester Ball. Back then, he had too much to think about and had not really paid attention to her, but now the only word that came to his mind to describe her was "magnificent". The blue dress outfit was a perfect match for her, complementing her long silver hair and her golden eyes, but also accentuating all of her curves. Before, it had been difficult to take his eyes off her. Now, it was literally impossible.
"Then, Master, how do I look?" the beauty, now clothed in blue, asked with a charming smile.
"...Gorgeous," he let out loud, his face heating up.
"Really, Master? That makes me so happy!" Mélusine exclaimed with joy. Her cheeks flushed at what her Master had just said.
"Then it looks like my work is done." The redhead declared, amused by the way the two of them were interacting with each other.
"Really thank you, Miss Crane!"
"Yeah! Thanks, Miss Crane."
"You're welcome, you two, but you really should to go now, it's getting late."
At her words, Ritsuka looked at his watch and was surprised by the time.
"10.00 pm?! Already?!"
After expressing their gratitude again and saying goodbye to Miss Crane, they left the atelier.
The workshop owner, now alone, smiled knowingly. "Really, it's nothing at all. It's always a pleasure to be of service to soulmates as sweet as you are." Then her eyes began to twitch as she had been holding back her emotions for the whole time. "I can't stand it anymore...!" She almost fainted on the floor. "SHE'S SO C-U-T-E AND L-O-V-E-L-Y, I FELT SO MUCH IDOL ENERGY FROM HER!"
"Looks like it's time to go our separate ways for today." The young man scratched the back of his head.
"It seems so." Mélusine admitted with a sigh.
Ritsuka felt her reluctance and smiled gently. "Hey, we'll see each other again tomorrow!"
She cheered up slightly at his statement."Right..." The silver-haired woman suddenly approached him and grabbed softly his hand, startling her Master."Thank you very much for today, Master. I have enjoyed the time that we have spent together."
"M-me too," he stammered, slightly embarrassed by their proximity. They both remained in a peaceful silence that seemed to last for an eternity."So..." the Master of Chaldea interrupted their tranquil moment."I think it's time to call it a day."
"Yes..."
"Well then, have a good night, Mélusine."
"Thank you. Have a good night too, Master."
Somehow, reluctantly, they parted as her Master made his way to his room. Mélusine observed his figure go away for a few seconds before shifting her attention to her door. As the former Tam Lin was about to open it, she felt herself being watched, and saw that her Master cast a last glance at her. Realizing that the object of his attention had noticed his gaze, he abruptly turned away, embarrassed. She chuckled slightly at his behavior and finally entered her room.
Alone, she leaned herself against the now closed door. "Ritsuka..." she whispered her Master's name sweetly. A shining smile appeared on her face as she stated mysteriously, "It seems that the future is bright, indeed."
Author Note : Hello. It looks like some of you gave this story a chance and I'm grateful for that. I just hope that this chapter has met your expectations. I have a lot of ideas, but I need enough motivation and creativity to flesh them out.
Feel free to review on whatever was good/bad.
See you.