FATE/CURADH BEAG
"Little Champion"
Chapter 1: Divergence in History
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This and any future stories involving Connla will assume that you have read all previous stories, so some details already covered there will not be explained here. If you haven't read those, I recommend you do so before this one so you aren't too confused. This particular chapter happens immediately after the final chapter of Fate/Parallel Colors as well, so there will be spoilers for that story's ending.
In the Chaldea Security Organization's medical bay, five figures stared at a sixth who entered one of the spare rooms. Only the sound of the heart monitor attached to a healing pod beeped around the dumbfounded quartet of men as they gazed at the new visitor with abject astonishment. The remaining person held a video camera and was taking pictures of this moment for later viewing pleasure.
"Um… hello, everyone," the purple-haired teenaged girl finally murmured, breaking the tense silence.
"Wha-?" Cuchulainn Prototype gaped, unable to think of anything to say.
"It can't be…" Cuchulainn Caster uttered.
Cuchulainn Lancer couldn't even so much as move. Cuchulainn Alter quickly looked back and forth between the visitor and the child Servant sleeping within the healing pod. They were the same person, yet the sleeping Servant was seven years old, while the newcomer was easily 10 to 15 years older than her counterpart. Alter thought for sure he was going mad, seeing two of the same girl in the same room as him.
She looked around, then fidgeted with her hands and asked, "Maybe… this wasn't such a good time?"
"It's all right. They'll snap out of it once they hear your story," Leonardo Da Vinci replied, still fixing the camera on the girl's timid expression. She panned towards the four men and explained, "Fellas, this is Connla Aibi. She's a version of Connla who came to us from a parallel world to aid us in our fight against Daoloth."
"A parallel world… you say?" Lancer murmured, quickly realizing what was going on.
"So she's kind of like Cliste, in a way? Except that instead of us going to her world, she came to us?" Prototype wondered.
"That's right," Da Vinci replied.
"Well shit. Why didn't you say that before bringing her in?"
"I thought it would make for a good laugh to observe how you guys reacted to seeing a second Connla."
"You need to do something about that sense of humor, woman," Caster grumbled, feeling worn out from being the victim of such a ludicrous prank. "Not everyone finds that kind of joke funny, you know."
"Ah hah hah, sorry about that! I just thought I'd spice things up a little after all of that doom and gloom we had to go through with Daoloth's invasion."
Aibi noticed that Alter was staring at her fervently, so she cast her eyes down at her feet and mumbled nervously. Da Vinci ran up to her and pushed her toward the crowd, imploring, "Come on, don't just stand there! Sit down and relax with us! Since you're going to be an important part of our recovery team, it would be best for you to get to know everyone else."
"Y-Yes, of course," Aibi moaned and sat down on a chair several feet away from the Cuchulainns.
Caster asked, "She's going to be helping us?"
"Yep," Da Vinci said. "She'll be assisting you and Sigurd with restoring Connla's cranial Runes, along with strengthening her connection so that she can return to our world without incident."
"You don't say…"
The older Connla wasn't sure how to begin any sort of conversation with who were essentially four counterparts of her father. This became especially awkward since she was now about the same age as Lancer and Prototype, and only a little younger than Caster and Alter. Conversing to them as a child was one thing, but to regard them as her father figures when she was so close to their age didn't sit so well with her. Being a Servant certainly was a weird experience – they could meet all kinds of people from their own life, while simultaneously being summoned at different points in their lives. Perhaps a man who became a hero in their adult years would meet his equally famous father when he was still in his childhood. Maybe a mother who never got to meet her daughter would meet her for the first time as a Servant. An adult could also meet his sworn rival when they were a child. This kind of discrepancy made her extremely uncomfortable to just casually chat with them straight away.
"Are you okay?" Prototype asked.
"Mm… I'm not sure…"
"It's okay. Take your time. Some of us might look scarier than others, but we're not going to bite."
None of them knew how to initiate any sort of conversation with each other. Aibi sat there for a long while, unable to look any of them in the eye. Da Vinci figured this was no longer the appropriate time to record them on film, so she turned off the camera and approached the REM Catcher to see if it was operating normally. However, she stopped and yelped when she saw one of the monitors flicker.
"What's the matter?" Caster asked.
"It's happening!" the inventor blurted. "Connla's reached her destination!"
Alter nodded. "Yeah, I can feel it. The kid's mind has successfully connected with a counterpart's body."
"Oooh, please work, please work, please work…"
Da Vinci kept saying those two words over and over again as everyone fixed their eyes on the monitor. Of all the computers being used to operate the healing pod, this one had the most important job – to capture Connla's brain waves, transform them into images, and record them. If everything went well, they would essentially be watching a movie of this unknown counterpart's experiences in a parallel world.
All they could do now was wait and see if such a delicate connection would hold steady.
Sinking…
Sinking…
Sinking…
There was nothing the young purple-haired child Servant could do but watch herself plummet further into an abyss of random colors. Her body was so weak that she didn't even have the strength to move a finger. No matter where she looked, all she saw were shifting hues. It was a terrifying sight, yet she was accustomed to it by now.
She understood what was happening – she was falling into another dream. This was an ability she gained from her maternal aunt, Scathach; Imbas Forosnai, the 'illuminated inspiration'. This gifted one a form of clairvoyance by engaging in sensory deprivation techniques to enter a deep trance.
The girl's particular form of Imbas Forosnai worked differently though. Instead of seeing the future, she would instead fall into this realm - the Kaleidoscope, a gateway to countless parallel worlds stemming from deviations in Proper Human History, allowed to exist and flourish in their own way so long as they did not stray too far from the path of human progress. Each 'color' she witnessed was actually a full-fledged world in its own right, and there was any potential of her falling into a random one. The main caveat was that there needed to be an alternate counterpart of herself to 'receive' her stray psyche and surreptitiously implant herself into the counterpart's cranial Runes. This phenomenon allowed the traveling Servant to witness her counterpart's entire life as if she were present, even though her body was still back in her home dimension.
So far, the child Servant had three such major experiences like this; the alternate Fifth Singularity, the alternate Fifth Fuyuki Holy Grail War, and the war against Rex Magnus within the Moon Cell. All of them happened after she either received grave injuries or was undergoing an intense operation. It was likely that the weaker her body was, the easier it was for her mind to fall into slumber and become detached like this. She didn't know what happened this time for it to occur, but the fact of the matter was that she was here.
She couldn't say a word as she descended upon a specific 'color', becoming swallowed up by one lone hue before the world turned completely black. All that there was left for her to do was to experience this new life as a record of her counterpart's exploits.
The year was currently 1 AD.
Deep in the highlands of Scotland's Ben Nevis mountain range, there was an isolated cabin inhabited by only two people; a mother and her young daughter. It was a quaint hovel suitable for living a hermit-like lifestyle, but there was actually a more sinister purpose for its existence - the mother purposely wanted to sequester her daughter from any semblance of civilization so that she could abuse her as she pleased. Furthermore, living out in the wilderness meant that the daughter would not be able to hear other people's points of views, and would mistakenly take in her spiteful mother's abuse as a form of endurance training.
Indeed, this house belonged to none other than the Scottish warrior woman Aife and her young child Connla, who was born after a certain Ulster hero essentially raped Aife after defeating her in battle. That traumatic experience was now seven years in the past, meaning that Connla had now finally reached that age. Despite having to sleep outside in her usual dog house in freezing cold temperatures, she was too elated to notice how frigid she was.
For perhaps the only time in her life, Aife had given her a very special gift for her birthday… Or rather, four gifts at once. Three of those gifts were her iconic geasa. The last was the ring that her unknown father had left behind for her to wear when she came of age. Aife absolutely refused to talk about Connla's father, and if the subject ever came up, the child would be beaten so badly that she risked shuffling off her mortal coil multiple times. Of course, Aife would never actually kill Connla. If she felt she had gone too far, she would stop and nurse her daughter back to health. After all, she was an important part of her plot to exact vengeance on the man who sullied her dignity.
At long last, Connla was finally able to talk about her father without Aife going ballistic, particularly since her mother was the one who brought up the subject this time. The moment Aife slipped the golden ring on Connla's right thumb, it seemed to affix to her skin and refused to be taken off. At first Connla panicked, but Aife explained that it was a special ring that her father crafted, which would permanently attach itself to anyone possessing his bloodline, and would serve as proof of her heritage. Although Connla didn't know what her father's name was, she was happy to know he was thinking of her even when she hadn't been born yet.
The girl was so excited that she had some trouble falling asleep for a couple of hours. All she could do was stare at the ring and imagine what kind of man her father was. Was he some kind of druid? Or perhaps an infantryman? She knew he had to be strong, or else Aife would not have been defeated by him. If she feared and respected Aife's combat strength, she couldn't imagine how powerful her father must have been to overcome her mother.
The next few days would be spent preparing herself for the journey to Ireland, in eager anticipation of meeting her long lost father and training under him from now on. In Proper Human History, Connla would have been slain in combat by him over her mother's petty scheme for vengeance.
However, in this history, destiny had different plans for the ill-fated father and daughter…
In this moment of the Ulster Cycle, the Tain Bo Cuailgne, also known as the Cattle Raid of Cooley, was approaching its final days. It was an epic war waged between the provinces of Connacht and Ulster to claim possession of the prized stud bull Donn Cuailgne. It lasted for roughly as long as Connla was alive – about five to six years, although the exact specifics were lost to time. It was because of this war that Connla was not able to live with her father while growing up.
All of Ulster's men were unable to participate in combat due to the Curse of Macha, but one warrior was the exception to the curse's rules. His childhood name was Setanta, but the world would come to know him as Cuchulainn, or Culann's Hound, sometimes addressed as the Guard Dog. True to his epithet, he single-handedly defended his home from Connacht's forces for all of those years. To be fair though, he actually fought a long series of duels rather than challenging an entire army all at once.
Of course, no ordinary man would have been capable of such an impossible feat. Cuchulainn was the son of the Celtic God of Light, Lugh, and a lovely yet humble human woman named Deichtine. This made him a demigod possessing such sheer strength and tenacity that even his own allies were scared of him whenever he became upset. Even so, Cuchulainn likewise had someone he deeply respected and feared; the infamous teacher of warriors and Queen of Dun Scaith, Scathach. Back in his late teenaged years, Cuchulainn ventured to the Celtic underworld to train under her. One thing led to another, and he had a fateful encounter with Scathach's sister Aife. Although he didn't possess an unshakably deep love for Aife, he respected her abilities in combat and, after defeating her, insisted that they have a child together.
That child would turn out to be Connla, Cuchulainn's one and only scion.
Aife named her according to Cuchulainn's instructions; it was a derivative of Conlaoch, or 'Chief Hero', symbolizing his lofty expectations for his child. Aife was also told to give Connla the thumb ring he had crafted as proof they were father and child. It was a special ring made out of Runestones forged from his own blood, or Bloodstones as they were known. Once the Bloodstones made contact with Connla's flesh, they fused with her and would never come off. The three geasa that Aife put on Connla, however, were not part of Cuchulainn's instructions. They were part of her plot to make him suffer for defiling her body, by pitting father against child without one knowing who the other was. It was a cunning and cruel scheme, with no one meant to be the true winner.
In this timeline, none of that mattered anymore. Towards the end of the Cattle Raid, something unexpected happened, which caused history to careen far away from what Proper Human History would allow. Normally such an aberrant world would be quickly pruned from the greater collection of timelines, but for some reason, this one managed to survive its destined erasure and thrive.
So what exactly occurred for everything to go so wrong here?
"… Mn…"
Cuchulainn's eyes cracked open, allowing a little bit of light to burn his tired retinas. The first thing he noticed wasn't what he saw, but rather what he smelled. It was a thoroughly dank and unpleasant stench that made him nauseous. As he looked around, he quickly realized he was in a dungeon. His extremities and lower torso were all tightly bound with metal restraints to the stone wall, which he noticed were enhanced with Runes. To add further insult, there was a chained dog collar wrapped around his neck and a muzzle covering his lower face.
Shit. Guess I was captured, huh?
He grit his teeth, not out of humiliation, but more of deep worry for his homeland. Without him around to defend Ulster, what would keep Connacht from invading while the Ulaid were crippled by Macha's Curse? He especially knew what Connacht's royalty was like. Their king Ailill mac Mata was a man of reputable wealth in his own right, but it was the queen who was more infamous; Medb, the Eternal Lady of Connacht and a notoriously promiscuous woman who bedded many kings and warriors. The Cattle Raid was nothing more than a rich man's game to them – in order for Medb's wealth to be perfectly equal to Ailill's, she initiated the raid to obtain Donn Cuailgne so it could match his bull Finnbhennach.
Although Cuchulainn wanted nothing more than to rip Ailill's heart out for allowing this war to happen, he wasn't so sure when it came to Medb. There had been one time during the Cattle Raid when the two encountered each other on the battlefield. She had attempted to advance her army into Ulster, but was predictably stopped by the youth warrior, and he captured her. However, despite his own penchant for loving multiple women as much as she loved multiple men, he harbored no such romantic feelings for his sworn enemy. Cuchulainn instead ensured that Medb returned to Connacht in surrender, without even bringing shame to her by defiling her body and/or pride as a queen.
Here in this dungeon though, the Celtic hero already knew who was responsible for imprisoning him. He thought back to when he was last conscious, trying to sort through these strange feelings of confusion and bewilderment.
I was about to fight Ferdiad, wasn't I?
Ferdiad was another powerful warrior who trained alongside Cuchulainn in the Land of Shadows, but was loyal to Connacht rather than Ulster. They had become like blood brothers during their time under Scathach's brutal regimen, and Ferdiad never grew jealous when she bestowed Gae Bolg to Cuchulainn rather than him. Alas, their loyalties to their nations were stronger than their personal bonds, so they had parted ways after returning to Ireland. In Proper Human History, Cuchulainn and Ferdiad met each other again in heated combat against each other during the Cattle Raid, and Ferdiad would be the first of Gae Bolg's two most famous victims (the other being Connla).
Here though, something occurred before the fateful killing blow could be delivered. A sickly sweet scent permeated the area, practically incapacitating Cuchulainn before he knew what was happening. He struggled to stay awake, but could only fall to his knees and stare at Ferdiad's surprised face. That was when Cuchulainn spotted her…
Medb had returned. This time though, she was wearing a different outfit consisting of a black bodysuit that was sheer enough to show her white underwear, white ruffles around the collar of her black jacket, a fluffy white scarf draped over her shoulders, and pitch black high heels. There was an unusually long and thin scar running down her upper chest, starting around the base of her throat and reaching to between her cleavage. The outfit was one thing, but Cuchulainn never saw her with that huge scar the last time they met. Furthermore, Medb's countenance seemed a bit different… as if she was some inhuman tyrant staring down at a couple of gnats.
Cuchulainn could tell that Ferdiad was trying to talk to her, but he couldn't make out the words before passing out. The next thing he knew, he was here.
Medb… what in the world happened to you?
He wouldn't have to ponder that question for very long. The heavy wooden doors to the dungeon were swung open by two muscular prison wardens. Standing between them was Medb, her narrowed yellow eyes and curled light smile filled to the brim with arrogance and contempt. She stepped into the dungeon, and the doors closed behind her so that she was alone with her prisoner.
"Hey…" Cuchulainn growled. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Medb asked as, without hesitation, she pressed her chest against his torso and ran her hands along his bare pectorals. "I'm finishing what we started last time."
"The hell does that mean? I let you go home peacefully under the condition that you stop messing around with the treaty's rules. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing left to discuss between us."
"Oh, but there's plenty left for us to talk about! Did you think a woman of my nature would allow such a fine gentleman to be taken by another woman's wiles? We may be sworn enemies, but I couldn't help feeling aroused by your incredible display of restraint and respect for my royal stature."
"Y-You've got to be kidding me…"
"I'm being very serious here. Fergus always tells me about what a strapping lad you were growing up, and that even he sometimes had a hard time handling your unpredictable behavior. So that got me to thinking, 'What if I were able to bring you to heel the way Fergus wasn't able to'? Plus, let's be real here – you're not exactly innocent when it comes to promiscuity yourself."
"Well yeah, but-"
"So what's the problem? You denied yourself the right to sully your captive's body, so I'm giving you another chance!"
Cuchulainn's ruby eyes flared as he shouted, "Don't screw with me, bitch! Not only are you the queen of the invading province, you must also have every STD under the sun! I'm not going to ruin myself like that before obtaining Emer's hand in marriage!"
"The daughter of Forgall Monach, huh? Unbelievable. I have all the wealth, beauty and charms a man could ever ask for, yet you're more interested in a nobody like her?" Medb grumbled, looking thoroughly unimpressed. Then that sickly smile returned as she said, "Maybe if I took her and every other prospective woman out of the picture, then you'll change your mind."
"You wouldn't!"
"Then obey me, Cuchulainn, or else the lives of those you care for will be forfeit. Well, assuming that Ulster is willing to quietly surrender to Connacht after my army's oh-so thorough invasion following your defeat."
"Ah…"
"How about it? Do you want more boy-troops to be slaughtered by my bloodthirsty soldiers? Do you want Ulster's villages plundered and razed to the ground without mercy? Do you want all of Ulster's men castrated and its women raped by Connacht's men to completely quash Ulster's legacy from human history? The future of your kingdom depends entirely on what you say, here and now."
"You… you… monster…"
"I know. I just can't help being ruthless like this. It's simply too much fun to succumb to my carnal desires."
Cuchulainn clenched his teeth in despair, knowing that the Cattle Raid turned out to be a spectacular failure. Yet, he knew it wasn't entirely his fault. So many factors came together to put Ulster in such a fatal disadvantage – the Curse of Macha, the ownership of Donn Cuailgne, the soured relationship between Medb and Ulster's king Conchobhar, Fergus' betrayal of Ulster and subsequent allegiance to Connacht, Ailill and Medb instigating the war over some innocuous bed talk…
But worst of all was Medb herself. Even with her natural penchant for wickedness, Cuchulainn could sense that something wasn't right with her. He knew that for all of her wiles and cunning, she wasn't particularly evil at the core. She was just living up to her legacy of raising guileful queens. There wasn't anything inherently wrong with following in the footsteps of her previous generations. He knew that Connacht's royalty weren't normally capable of such barbaric acts without a good reason, yet Medb was whispering such threats in his ear as callously as if she were talking about the weather. Something happened to her between their previous meeting and now, and it twisted her into a disgusting monster wearing a beautiful lady's skin.
After an uncomfortably long silence, Cuchulainn finally said, "Look… you don't need to make such a huge deal about enslaving me. You want me as your newest toy to break? Fine, you have me. Just leave Ulster alone. No one did anything to earn such meaningless wrath from you."
"Ahh, good boy! See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Medb smiled radiantly. "Oh, but don't get the wrong idea. Sometimes, people don't have to do anything to become the targets of an enemy's madness. Just the act of being alive can be considered sinful at times."
"Gh…"
"Well, don't you worry. I'm a woman of my word. Ulster will ultimately be absorbed into Connacht, but its men and women will be allowed to continue living as normal. Obtaining Donn Cuailgne was my original objective, but to also acquire an entire province as well as its hero as additional parts of my total wealth is a huge bonus. Ailill's possessions will never be able to compete with mine anymore."
"Pardon me if I'm sounding a little blunt, but your reasons for starting wars are complete bullshit."
"Can you blame me? My pride was on the line. Nonetheless, what's happened has happened. Curse me all you wish, but there's nothing you can do about it. Oh, and before you think about escaping, just note that I spread some rumors about the hero Cuchulainn refusing to fight his beloved brother Ferdiad and joining Connacht, thus betraying Ulster when it needed him the most. The lowly rabble are so desperate for peace and gullible enough to believe such obvious lies that you might not have a home to return to."
"Tch. At least you're thorough with shaming your enemies," Cuchulainn snarled.
"Yes, indeed. So now that you know what the stakes are, quit resisting and become mine," Medb said as she opened her shirt more to show off her pale torso.
However, he couldn't look away from the unusual scar. He asked, "By the way, how did you come across such a large injury on your chest? I don't remember you having that last time."
"Oh, this? Eh he he he… Do you really want to know?"
"No, but you're not exactly giving me a choice here."
"Okay then. Since I've been taking so much away from you, I'll give you at least one reward in return. Yes, my Cu… Let me show you… the truth!"
She pressed her fingers on each side of the scar… and it slowly opened up. His mind went blank as he tried to process what the hell he was looking at. In that moment, he fully understood why the Cattle Raid had gone so horrendously wrong.
This is bad…
What followed after that grim reveal would be a full week of torture and intense physical pleasure the likes of which no man ever deserved to have to endure. Medb subjected Cuchulainn to all sorts of humiliating acts and 'games' to satisfy her unending lust. As much as he hated every moment of it, he kept quiet about wanting her to stop, lest she turn such insanity upon Ulster. After seeing what her 'secret' was, he was absolutely terrified of her capacity for ruining an entire province the same way she was sullying him. Every day seemed to bring a new level of terror and agony for him, until he no longer wanted to imagine what lurked within the darkest parts of her imagination.
If he knew what she had in store for him on the final day, he probably would have preferred a lifetime of being her prisoner to this.
Cuchulainn had been heavily sedated after going through his sixth consecutive day of punishment. His eyes were groggy and his body weak from exhaustion and starvation. He couldn't move at all, yet he knew he was being transported somewhere judging by how four burly Celtic warriors were hauling him by his wrists and ankles like he was a huge sack of produce. Crickets chirped everywhere, and the air was frightfully cool, meaning it had to be nighttime. If he had even just a little bit of strength, he could rip these guys apart with his bare hands. Just the mere thought of moving on his own volition was painful enough for him though.
"All right, boys, this ought to do it," Cuchulainn heard Medb say to her guards, and they stopped somewhere. That was when he the sound of waves crashing against rocks.
He tried to speak, only able to feebly utter, "Ungh… where… are…"
"Ah, good morning, Cu. In case you can't tell, we're not in the castle anymore. We're on the very northern coastline of Sligo. Why, you may ask? It's simple, really. I'm giving you your reward."
"Re… ward?"
"Ahhh, you've been such a good concubine, obediently playing along with every single one of my whims. Some of them were so extreme that not even Fergus would want to partake in them. However, I've grown bored of your refusal to completely break down for me. So I had a brilliant idea, then one thing led to another, and here we are. Look to the ocean, Cu!"
He managed to open his bleary eyes enough to gaze at the Atlantic Ocean stretching for miles on end around him. There were the usual characteristics of a coastline – craggy rocks, crashing waves, howling winds – but there also seemed to be something huge lurking about in the middle of the sea. He thought it was a small island, but there were no maps detailing any sort of detached landmasses in northern Connacht.
What… the hell…
Suddenly, Cuchulainn's body began to hover off the ground thanks to a spell that Medb cast on him. As he slowly started to drift toward the sea, she said to him, "Congratulations, my slave. I'm setting you free from my domination. But I also can't have you running around causing trouble for my newly expanded kingdom, now that Connacht has amalgamated Ulster. No one wants their hero to return to them as a disgrace, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. You can become a new type of hero – one capable of defending two entire nations instead of just one. However, it'd be a little difficult to do that when you're just a single man, wouldn't it?
"That's why I'm going to introduce you to my new friend. The two of you will be working together to bolster Connacht's power, both as a weapon for conquering other countries, and as a shield for protecting your queen's territory. I can't promise that you two will get along right away, but I'm sure you can work out the kinks there yourself."
Cuchulainn was now heading straight for whatever the bulky 'landmass' was. The last thing he heard Medb call out to him was an acerbic, "Slán go deo." †
He kept falling, closer and closer to whatever this thing was. That was when he spotted them… A pair of bright blue eyes opening within the pitch darkness. Before he realized what was going on, he descended into a pitch black pit of nothingness, unable to see even his own hand in front of him. He felt like he was being absorbed into the creature's innards and slowly digested into raw proteins.
Unfortunately, reality would not be as kind to him as he expected.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
How much time passed?
Cuchulainn wasn't sure. All he knew was that he had taken what felt like a short nap. He was partially submerged in cold water, but it actually felt pleasant to him. He tried to look around and move his arms. He had regained a lot of his energy back, yet his weight felt a lot heavier than usual. Why was that? He couldn't have gained any pounds after being so dangerously emaciated. His head throbbed so badly, he thought the world was experiencing earthquakes with each pound of his sore brain.
Then, he heard Medb's voice echoing directly into his mind, "Cu? Are you there, my Cu?"
"M… Me… db…"
"Oh, you're already awake. That didn't take as long as I thought it would."
"What… did you… do… to me?"
"Not much. You looked so battered and broken that I figured you'd do a better job if I gave you a new body. You two must be more compatible than I realized."
"A new… body?"
That was when Cuchulainn opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Sligo's coastline, but from the ocean's perspective. He caught a glimpse of Medb and her henchmen standing at the cliffside staring back at him. He raised one of his hands and noticed that it was covered in steely black scales and dozens of protruding spikes. Not just his hands… his entire body was blanketed in this hideous carapace! Not only that, he seemed to be much larger than usual, like he had suddenly taken on the role of a giant.
"Now that I think about it," Medb casually said, "you did wield Gae Bolg for a while, which was crafted out of your new friend's bones. Maybe that's why the transition went so smoothly."
He wished his heart stopped so he could die right then and there. If what she claimed was true, then that would imply…
"You… goddamn… whore…"
A shrill sound pierced his ears, as if Medb was punishing him for badmouthing her. She retorted in a condescending tone, "Nuh uh uh, none of the sass! You've become my Giant Brave, and you're going to do eee~eeeverything I say now! You may have the freedom to roam the seas during your downtime, but once your queen beckons, you are to respond to her summons at once!"
To make her point, she snapped her fingers. Cuchulainn… or whatever he was now, immediately felt an unnatural urge to lower his head in respect.
"Oooh, what a good boy you are! We're going to be a dynamic duo that will go to SO many places! England, Italy, Scandinavia, Egypt… Of course, we're not just going to go on a boring ol' world tour. No, in case my motives aren't already obvious to you, we're conquering them all! We'll go so much further than any conqueror in human history has done, all thanks to your command of the seas, my Cu!
"Oh, and just so you don't get confused, 'Cu' does not refer to Cuchulainn. I'm talking about your new form; the Beast of Billows, Curruid!"
He didn't know what to say or do anymore. She wouldn't even let him have a dignified death. He was going to become her weapon for world domination, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. As Medb's control over his mind overwhelmed his rational thoughts, he could only think of one last thing:
Someone… help… me…
Ben Nevis Mountains, Scotland
Connla's eyes shot open, and she inhaled sharply. Her chest felt like someone had stuffed countless boulders inside it, and her heart frantically raced. She felt a cold sweat drench her entire body, and she shivered even beneath her thick blankets. For some reason though, her thumb felt blazing hot. She glanced at the ring to discover that it was glowing a bright red color.
What's going on?
Panic overcame her, and she tried to shuffle on her hands and knees so she could crawl out of the dog house. However, she stopped when she saw a pair of slender legs standing in front of the entrance. The woman wore a deep purple bodysuit and high heel ankle boots. Connla knew of only one person who dressed that way, and it wasn't Aife. She poked her head out and stared up at the red-eyed woman standing before her.
"Aunt Scathach?" she mumbled, clearly looking dazed. "What are you doing here? Mother and I weren't expecting you."
Scathach, the Queen of the Land of Shadows, smiled lightly and said, "Apologies for the sudden visit, my child. How have you been faring? I understand that you just had your seventh birthday."
"Yes, I did!" Connla immediately turned joyful as she scrambled to her feet and showed Scathach the ring. "Look, Mother was finally able to give me Father's gift! Not only that, she gave me three geasa that will help me be stronger in battle. She said I was ready to go to Ireland and meet my father, but was worried that I might be ambushed by Celtic warriors along the way, so she gave them to me as a precaution."
"Is that right?" the woman murmured, then thought to herself, Damn it. I was too late.
"What's the matter? You don't look so thrilled," Connla wondered.
Scathach took her hand and said, "Come inside. You must be freezing when you're wearing nothing but your gown."
"I'm okay. I'm used to it. If I went inside without Mother's permission, she will get angry with me."
"You don't need to worry about that any longer."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"Just come with me. And get yourself dressed in your sturdiest adventuring garb."
"Um… okay."
Connla followed Scathach inside the cabin, and the child changed into her usual traveler's bodysuit, complete with a capelet and skirt, plus heavy leather gloves and boots. Once she was ready, she sat at the table with Scathach and asked, "Is something the matter? You've been dreadfully silent this whole time."
Her aunt suddenly stared her so hard in the eye that she thought she was glaring directly at her soul. Then she said in a plain yet terse tone, "You will not be journeying to Ireland. You will instead further your training under my instruction."
"What!? But Mother said I have to go there and-!"
"Aife is dead."
Connla's heart seemed to stop, and her eyes widened to saucers as she uttered, "… What?"
"Last night, she was mauled to death by a particularly massive Demon Boar that had wandered here from Ireland."
"No way… That can't be right…"
"I sincerely apologize. Even though I had arrived to slay the boar, it was too late for me to do anything for your mother."
The little girl fell silent and sat back in her chair. Eventually, she murmured in dismay, "I see."
"I cannot express my remorse enough for not arriving sooner."
"It's okay. If that's how it is, then I just have to accept it. It's just so sudden though that I need a moment…"
"Very good. It's that grounded, realistic attitude that will help you on your path to being a fine warrior like her, if not even greater than her," Scathach smiled. Then she turned serious as she continued, "In any case, I have decided to bring you to the Land of Shadows so that you may further your training. I refuse to allow you to journey to Ireland when I feel you are not ready to embark."
"Mother said I was ready though."
"Clinging to a dead woman's words is pointless. You must forget about what she said. From now on, you will obey me instead. If I say you're coming with me, then that is that."
Connla grew disappointed as she asked, "What about me meeting my father? I've been working and training so hard just so I could see him."
Scathach shook her head. "It's a long story, but Ireland is not safe right now. Especially Ulster, where your father lives."
"What do you mean 'not safe'? Isn't it always embroiled in some kind of territorial war?"
"This is much, much different than your average scuffle over territory."
The child became silent when she heard how serious her aunt was. She couldn't stop thinking about what was possibly going on in Ireland, which meant she had one obvious question in mind:
"Is my father… Is he okay?"
The normally stoic Scathach slightly balked at that question. A horrid chill coursed through her veins. She couldn't bring herself to tell Connla the truth, yet she needed to respond somehow. She forced a gentle smile on her lips as she replied, "Don't worry about him. If he was strong enough to defeat Aife, then he'll make it through anything that this crisis throws at him."
"I see. What a relief," Connla sighed. "Then I suppose I should train my hardest so that once I'm ready, I can join his side in battle."
"Precisely. He wouldn't want you to see him if he felt you weren't prepared to face Ulster's enemies. Set your concerns for him aside and get yourself ready for the trip to your new home."
"Yes, Aunt Scathach."
"Before I forget - you are to address me as Teacher from now on. Understand?"
"Oh, right. I forgot you prefer to be regarded as a mentor figure. Then I will get prepared for the journey, Teacher."
"Good lass. Be sure not to tarry."
Further out into the forest, Aife sat against a huge tree with her arms and legs splayed out. Her eyes and mouth were wide open with frozen horror. A lethal amount of blood splattered the base of the tree, all originating from a single wound on her chest. Her heart had been mercilessly blown out and was now resting a few feet away from its host. A familiar curse corroded her corpse, wearing away at her form until she would eventually be reduced into dust.
It was the curse of Gae Bolg… caused by her own sister.
AUTHOR'S NOTE #1:
† - "Good-bye forever."
AUTHOR'S NOTE #2: Well guys, here it is. Between the Celtic Lostbelt vs. the Babylonian Singularity rewrite poll I had in Parallel Colors, the Lostbelt won out by a 7:5 ratio. Very close indeed, but the winner for this year's story has been decided. For you Babylonia fans, it will have to wait until next year. Maybe I might post something here and there if I have any ideas, but the majority of my attention will be on the Lostbelt.
