Knight of Avalon
Chapter - 15
Morgan, Artoria, Kay
Winter Palace, Camelot, 2019 EoHQ:
Morgan sat on her throne, looking at her three Tam Lin and the Slave Knight Captain. Melusine stood still, silently staring off into the distance, Barthes fidgeted slightly while her daughter was engaged in a conversation with the Captain, who nodded along quietly.
Others would think the Captain was ignoring her, but Morgan knew that was just his way of showing he was listening. Sith and the Captain both had a sibling like relationship. After her, Sith was closest to the Captain and
loved speaking to him about a number of topics
Speaking of her daughter, Morgan could see the changes appearing. Sith had grown less brash and was speaking less about violent topics than she usually did. She hadn't even killed a single maid in the Winter Palace yet, which is quite a surprise.
Is Woodwose delivering results? Morgan thought, her face stone cold but inside having pride swell within her.
But enough about that, there were more pressing topics. Specifically the case of Sheffield. News had just come in that Boggart had declared his breaking away from the Ashen Throne's authority, so Morgan had gathered the Tam Lin as well as the Slave Knight Captain.
Sheffield was a stubborn fortress that refused to fall, and in terms of a rebel insurgency, did not pose as much of a threat to her as Cnoc Na Riabh did. She was perfectly aware of the intense militarisation Cnoc Na Riabh was engaging in to challenge her for the throne. She was recruiting remnants of Brân's army of Giants as well as creating her own version of enhance humans through the mystery and mystics of the Northern Fairies, although her dislike for humans ensured she did not use them. Morgan even suspected Cnoc Na Riabh may be attempting to reestablish control over the Shadow Isle of Ireland.
Even if I am much stronger, underestimating Mab's successor would not be ideal. Morgan thought.
A part of her was hurt, hurt at the prospect of facing Mab's successor. A part that Morgan continued to suppress still deeply cared for her former friendship with Mab. But there was no choice.
Besides that were the Round Table in Londinium. She had very little concern about them, even less than Sheffield. And the fact that they were attempting to use Uther's name felt….wrong.
How could these humans possibly take Uther's legacy, when they don't even know him? I was the one who stood by him in his desire to unify Britain. I was the one who heard and listened to his hopes and dreams. I know him better than any of these rebels. Morgan thought.
But a part of her wondered how would Uther react to the New Round Table Army. Would he join them, or would he see them as threats to the peace and stability of Britain?
All these conundrums…Morgan will have to see to them in the future.
"Mother, if I may speak?" Sith asked as Morgan nodded.
"Do we really need to send in all the Tam Lin, as well as the Captain of the Slave Knights to crush one city?"
"Sheffield is not just 'one city', Tristan. It is the most formidable of the fortresses of the Warrington Belt, and it has seen its share of sieges. Although, I do have to agree with her point about sending all three of us and the captain." Barghest spoke.
"Could you not send down your wrath upon Sheffield, your majesty?" Melusine asked.
"No, Lancelot. Not while there's the looming problem of the Calamity of Norwich. Wasting mana with a city is not something I intend to do. And besides, Sheffield will serve as a demonstration for our might."
Morgan stood up.
"It has been 200 years since the last major conflict. Ever since then, many factions have grown complacent. They think we are weakening because of the period of lasting peace. It doesn't help that the three of you haven't been allowed to show what you can do against a strong fortress."
The Captain nodded.
"So, you intend to make an example out of Sheffield, your majesty?" The Captain asked calmly.
"Yes. Let Britain know Camelot's authority as the imperial capital is still to be respected."
"Your Majesty…" Barghest began.
"Yes?"
"Before we go for force, is it not better for some negotiations? Sheffield is still an important part of the Warrington belt, and it would be preferable to keep our borders intact,"
"What?" Sith looked at her. "Are you mad? Do you think that madman Boggart will listen to you?"
"Tristan raises a good point, Gawain." Melusine spoke up. "Why should we be considering peace right now?"
Barghest frowned as the Captain hummed.
"Enough. This is all left to our majesty to decide." He spoke as Morgan closed her eyes.
"As far as I am concerned, Boggart refused your previous mission of diplomacy, why a second time?"
"Your majesty, this time shall bring my armies as well. We will give Boggart one last chance. But if he refuses, then we shall launch our attack."
Morgan stared at her silently.
"You may send envoys. But if he refuses, then prepare for the siege."
"Thank you, your majesty."
"This is a risky venture, for I am using the Imperial army itself rather than gathering forces from the Lords at the Seelie Parliament. I shall fund the siege from my treasury. This shall be a demonstration of how much Camelot's armies have changed since the Caterpillar war."
"And aside from the present, this will also be important for our future plans. The Northern Fairies have begun raising armies, and I am sure Cnoc Na Riabh will declare war and bring about civil war on Britain. When it happens, we need the Warrington Belt to be fully under the control of the Ashen Throne. Hence, Boggart's revolt must be crushed."
"Secondly, Boggart will be looking to reclaim his former position as the Lord of Norwich. If Boggart does so, then he will practically cut us off from Norwich's industrial might, which would further affect our abilities to produce weapons for the future civil war."
"Not to mention our secret project to crush the Round Table in Londinium will be exposed." The Captain spoke.
"Indeed. No matter what the Lords and the Seelie Parliament think, Britain is heading down a path of civil war like I expected. We must make sure the Separatists of Sheffield do not win, otherwise we will not only have the Warrington Belt compromised, but put the Iron City in danger as well."
"Yes, your majesty." All four spoke.
"Gawain. Go and raise forces in Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool. Have them weaken Sheffield's defenses to make things easier for the Imperial Army."
"But the cities…"
"I shall talk to Woodwose. You will not expect any resistance from Oxford regarding this."
"My daughter. You and the Captain will lead the Imperial Forces while Barghest softens up Sheffield's defenses."
Sith smiled at the Captain.
"Is Beryl coming?"
Morgan was silent for a moment. "Tell Beryl in Darlington to come over."
"Yay!"
"Lancelot. Your task is simple - kill Boggart. But only when the Imperial reinforcements arrive. Britain must see what all three of the Tam Lin are capable of together."
"As you say, your majesty."
"Once our forces are mobilised, I shall take to the Gladstone terrace and inform Britain of my intentions with Boggart. I have told you what is at stake here. And I expect success."
The four of them bowed.
"Good, you are dismissed." Morgan spoke as everyone left.
Morgan slumped back to the throne, all alone now in the Winter Hall.
"You know your subjects wouldn't be very scared if they see you this exhausted." The Worker spoke popping up beside Morgan.
"I'm not exhausted." Morgan spoke.
"Yes you are. You know one part of the energy requirements has been fulfilled by the World Tree. Now you just need Cernunnos' corpse."
Morgan nodded slowly. "How are you faring?"
"I've converted the curses covering the head into liquified mana. But they're still pretty dangerous. Also, I might have an idea of what the calamity of Norwich may be."
"Hm?"
"It'll be one of his cursed hands,"
Morgan frowned. "Is that so? But the archives I collected from York say it will be a monster?"
"You know Cernunnos' hands can be considered monsters on their own."
"Fair point. Then I will have to reevaluate my strategy for dealing with the Norwich calamity."
As for Sheffield….you're aware the other Avalon Le Fae is there."
Morgan sighed softly.
"I'd hoped that she would die in Cornwall, but she clearly has more competent companions than I expected. Now, she is backing Boggart." Morgan spoke.
"And you still won't acknowledge her as a worthy opponent?"
"No. You and I both know Ainsel's prophecy points to a completely different outcome. Artoria caster does not need to defeat me to fulfill her duty. Not to mention my kingdom is no longer a lost belt. Excalibur's forging will not affect it. In fact, I could use it to deal with the creature slumbering in South America. That's the next big problem once I turn this world into a land of fairies."
"As far as I'm concerned, Artoria Caster is not my enemy. It doesn't matter whether she joins the Separatists or not."
"Yet I detect dislike…no, hatred for her." The Worker noted as Morgan scowled at him.
"Is it not because of our proper human history counterparts?"
The Worker snorted. "You'd have already declared her an enemy if it was that simple. No, I sense the hatred coming not from Morgan Le Fae, but from Aesc the Savior."
Morgan's tilted down, her eyes slightly glowing. "I'd suggest you tread carefully with what you say next?"
"Don't need to. Even you can't deny it. But anyways, I need to go talk to my contacts." The worker spoke.
"And word of warning…the prophecy says Artoria must complete her pilgrimage, not mentioning if she has to beat you. But it also does not say she has to let you rule. Fate has given her that choice, and with how things are going down…your paths will cross…"
"Just like he predicted."
Morgan's eyes widened.
"Should you choose to defy fate and create your kingdom, then it will be destroyed by the invader."
"So don't lie to yourself, and start getting concerned about her. Anyways, toodles…" the worker spoke vanishing off to contact his ally.
Morgan's scowl deepened.
"She will not destroy anything…she won't be even able to finish her pilgrimage…" Morgan spoke.
Now, she'll get to her speech regarding the Gladstone address.
Far way, someone sitting on a rooftop perked up.
"Ah, finally. How's our grumpy little ash tree doing?" They spoke.
"She's continuing with the façade. Pretending to be uncaring and strong, but inside exhausted. You know how much the Summer War scarred Aesc. This Civil war…it will be something much bigger. One that will tear apart the clans themselves. And it won't be Cnoc Na Riabh who does it. No, it will be Artoria who ignites it. Aesc in her arrogance just can't see that." The Worker's voice spoke in their mind.
"Can you blame her? The Avalon Le Fae don't start getting problematic in the grand scheme of things until they've rung at least 2 bells…But even though I understand her reasons, she's still not right in her assessment." The person spoke.
The person sighed as he lit a little fire on his palms.
"Its not always about shooting beams of energy all over the place to influence the minds of people. Names and branding matter a lot too, and can often shape reality itself." The person spoke with a smirk.
"Right now, she's weak. Artoria caster does not have enough power to go up against Aesc. But who cares? The fairies believe she's prophesied to beat Aesc and that's all that matters to them. Who knows, maybe that belief will drive her to actually get stronger."
"...Or she could collapse under its weight."
"Depends on how she takes it. What about our Chaldean guests?"
"I was hoping Aesc would just get rid of them. But its clear she's got other plans for the master."
"You hope? What, are you actually scared of chaldea?"
"Of course not. Every time they need some outside help or the other to be able to succeed. Tell me, just how many lostbelts has Chaldea managed to beat completely on its own? I am not in the slightest way afraid of Chaldea…I'm just a little smidge worried about the allies they make."
"And by allies, you mean Artoria?"
"...I need her for now. But I cannot let her live after that. I've seen it. I've seen what her survival entails for me."
"And it terrifies you."
"..."
"Don't say anything. I already know. In the end, you're not really afraid of Chaldea. You're just afraid of Artoria becoming friends with the Chaldeans, because with them, she actually will become a threat to you."
"The broken god, the lost demigod…the fairy of paradise. That's what she said…" The worker mused to themselves.
Even then, should we do something about Chaldea?"
"No. While I don't want Aesc to be getting close with the Chaldeans, I don't want them gone as well. They've still got a lot of good things to look into. If I wanted them dead…I would have blasted their ship to smithereens the moment they entered the Lifeless Sea. I could still do that right now to their vulnerable ship."
"Ah, glad to see you're still that overconfident."
"What about Oberon? You got a little too close to him at Gloucester."
"Oh come on! I just dropped a little riddle. Can't I have some fun while I'm waiting to get the jump on him?"
"Remember, Oberon's right now our main target. If we are to make sure things go right, we have to extract it out of him."
"Don't worry, he's losing his mind over how different things are getting in this lostworld. Its gradual, but our fairy king is slowly feeling that fear." The person spoke grinning.
"The fear of losing control. The fear of the unknown. I know someone who feels the same."
"Ignoring that little jab, your strategy is working."
"That it is. But we still need to cause chaos and change. Get him more desperate and mess up big time. Then he'll be ripe for picking."
"Hopefully Artoria also grows in power while we wait."
"She will. She's starting to get better. But even then…"
"There's still chance for what was meant to be to happen again. The original story that was meant to play out."
The person frowned. "Sheffield. It all hinges upon Sheffield."
"All the changes that occurred will be for nothing if Sheffield falls."
"Does that mean I have to help out with Sheffield?"
"Yes. I've been assisting Aesc for a long time now. But its clear she's a lost cause. Its time we started afresh with Artoria." The worker spoke before going silent.
"Alright then." The person spoke getting up, his grin turning into a frown as he gazed upon Sheffield Castle nestled at the top of the hill.
"We are approaching the crossroads of destiny now. Whatever happens in Sheffield, there's no going back on it." The person spoke.
As the Worker had observed, Sheffield previously only had an amnesiac Mash Kyrielight, who was overpowered by Melusine, while Barghest's armies laid waste to Sheffield and Baobhan Sith inflicted fatal wounds on Boggart.
That is what was supposed to happen. Now, there were so many more powerful people to help with Sheffield's defense.
Hopefully, the extra manpower should be able to turn the tide and convert what was meant to be a losing battle to a defiant victory.
The person summoned a staff and jumped down to a street, walking alone in the night, before he started chuckling.
"Ah…changing so much stuff and driving Oberon crazy. This is fun."
The person then walked next to a torch, their body suddenly bursting into flames as they warped into the torch and disappeared.
"The only thing I can teach you is runes. Seidr is strictly forbidden for anyone outside of the Völva to learn and Galdr requires a deep understanding of our language and poetry." Helga told Artoria, the two of them sitting in a room with Da Vinci off to the side tinkering. Helga's runestones were scattered on the bed as she was doing some kind of weaving.
"Really? No one's actually learnt Seidr?"
"Seidr was created by the Vanir gods, gods who have a deep connection and attunement to the World on a level humans cannot even hope to reach. It took a Vanir goddess for the knowledge of seidr to be taught to a specific group of humans who would become the Völva. But if you want to know, only one person's ever been given a slight tidbit of the knowledge."
"Who?"
"A mage from Danmarkr named Kischur Zeltrech Schweinorg, who migrated from our cold tundras to prosperous kingdom of Asaland ruled by a wise ruler named Solomon." Helga spoke as Da Vinci perked up.
"The Wizard Marshall? Practitioner of the Second True Magic?"
"Of course. Seidr is after all very closely connected to what you term the Kaleidoscope. According to my elders, Zeltrech learnt very little of Seidr from a Völva while he still was a young mage in Danmarkr before he left for Asaland to learn under Solomon. He learnt it because the Völva wanted to learn more about the Kabbalist magecraft of Israel."
"Knowledge of Solomon extended as far as Scandinavia?" Da Vinci asked in curiosity.
"Only amongst us Völva. We were aware of a king of Asaland who had received immense knowledge and wisdom from his god like the god Vili blessed mankind with Oð. It was quite a sensation as many young mages wanted to go to Israel and learn from Solomon. Zeltrech was one of those, and he met a Celtic druid from Gaul named Brishisan and traveled with him to Israel."
"Well, well, well. I didn't realise I'd get this much information about the Clock Tower's director. Did you see into the past, Helga?" Da Vinci asked.
"A little bit. But most of the information actually came from Brishisan himself. Kay and I met him in Ynys Mon during the hunt for Cath Palug. He helped us quite a lot in tracking down the beas and told stories about his time as Solomon's disciple all those years agot."
"Can you have this discussion later? You're distracting her, Da Vinci!" Artoria spoke with a pout.
"Sorry, sorry." Helga spoke. "But anyways, the only thing I can teach you is runes."
Artoria sighed. She really wanted to learn Helga's magecraft, but it was clear there was a difference between learning from her and learning from Merlin.
"But even that still requires you to do some language learning."
"What?!"
"Well, we decided to make our script based on the primordial runes."
"Why is this so difficult?!"
"Its not. You're just being lazy."
"Oof." Da Vinci spoke from the side as Artoria shot her a glare.
"You have learnt a lot of spells from Merlin, no?"
Artoria nodded.
"Then experiment with whatever you have. Even I started doing that after some point." Helga spoke with a smile.
"But don't be dejected. All you need is some determination, and you can learn my people's language. Do that, and you'll be able to access both runes and Galdr chants." She spoke slapping a hand on Artoria's shoulder.
"Now, why don't you teach me your magecraft?"
"H-Huh, m-m-me?" Artoria spoke.
Did Helga ask me to…? She thought. Helga was someone she looked up to as a caster of spells, someone she thought was much wiser and superior to her. To think of her being Artoria's student…
Helga laughed at Artoria's flabbergasted expression.
"Oh, that reminds me of my reaction when Brishisan asked me to teach him about Galdr. But seriously, my magecraft isn't really geared towards the explosive destruction yours does. A little lesson would definitely help."
"I, uh, oh, uh…"
"Oops, looks like that was a bit too much for your mind." Helga spoke laughing as she ruffled Artoria's mind.
"You know what? Take a walk around. Take some time to think. And besides, you still have Kay's sword training coming up."
Artoria stiffened.
Kay's going to teach me melee combat. Artoria thought.
After so many years, she was going to learn to fight in ways other than her magecraft.
"Right…what are you going to do now?"
"What I was doing before you came in." Helga spoke looking at the spindle with which she was spinning the threads, glowing slightly green.
"Practicing."
"Weaving yarn? Thats a weird thing to do."
Helga giggled. "The deities of fate usually construct destinies through weaving, you know? Who knows, may I'll be weaving your future?"
Artoria shivered.
"Oooo~ I'm weaving your future right now, Artoria~ I'm going to make you kiss a pig's arse today in front of everybody~" Helga spoke waving her hands in an exaggerated manner.
"Gah! Don't!" Artoria screamed as her face went red in embarrassment, as Helga and Da Vinci laughed.
"I'm joking, i'm joking." Helga spoke as Artoria sighed.
"Well, good luck." She spoke as she got up and walked out of her room.
These last few days had been tense for Artoria, knowing that a battle with Morgan was approaching.
It would be her first proper confrontation with Morgan's forces, and she was a bit scared.
Is Morgan going to come herself? Or is she going to send in the Tam Lin? Artoria thought, thinking back to Ector telling her the true names of the Tam Lin.
"Be careful when you reveal their true names. All it will do is show you the way to defeat them, not weaken the Tam Lin themselves."
Artoria gulped as she remembered Ector's warning. She'd met Barghest once, fought Tam Lin Tristan- no, Baobhan Sith once and hadn't really encountered Melusine yet. But if who Ector said was the weakest of the Tam Lin could beat her, what chance did she have against the stronger ones?
Lost in her thoughts, Artoria bumped into someone.
"Oomph! Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry!" Artoria spoke hastily as the person looked back.
"Right, you're the little squirt leading our group, no?" Senji Muramasa spoke as Artoria tilted her head.
"Y-Yes."
Muramasa looked down at Artoria's hands and raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"You do smithing?"
Artoria looked down to see her bare hands, since she'd taken her gloves off at her room.
"A little bit. A fairy taught me." Artoria spoke, frowning at the thought of Ector.
Muramasa smirked. "Swords?"
"For my mentor's customers."
Muramasa hummed. "Well, would you look at that."
"Um, Mr. Muramasa…"
"Don't call me 'mister'. It makes me feel old."
But you are old. Artoria thought in confusion.
"Really? I'm much more healthier than you, squirt." Muramasa spoke as Artoria bristled.
"H-Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"
Muramasa grinned. "I don't know."
Why am I getting a sense of familiarity from this? Artoria thought, before Kay's smug grin appeared in her mind.
Artoria grit her teeth in anger. Right, it was familiar because of this was reminding her of her daily torture of insults streaming out of Kay's dirty mouth.
"Dirty mouth? Don't take the high ground, master! You're just as bad as me!"
She could imagine Kay making a snarky comment like that if she said her thoughts aloud. All in that condescending voice of his.
Oh, Kay…I love and hate you at the same time. Artoria thought before looking at Muramasa.
"So, Da Vinci said you're…"
"An Apostle of the Alien God, yes. I'm Chaldea's enemy, in a sense. Although I don't get why I'm an apostle. I'm not much for all that cleric work. That's that madman priest Rasputin's job."
"So, you all serve the Alien God."
"Rasputin's technically the only one actually loyal to the Alien God. Koyanskaya's just there of her own desires, our mysterious third Apostle disappeared before this entire mess with the Lostbelts began and me? I'm just doing what I do…"
"If you're Chaldea's enemy, why're you helping us?"
"Think of it as common enemy stuff. Your oh so almighty majesty has plans that could screw up the Alien God's plans, plus she's withered and burnt down her Fantasy Tree."
"Right, you're the assassin who tried to kill Morgan."
"And I would have succeeded if not for that Tam Lin brat. The little blue one. She got me into a stupid fight I didn't want and chucked me into the pit outside of Camelot. I don't know what happened after that, but I found myself laying on the ground outside."
"Huh?" Artoria spoke in confusion. "But how did you end up there?"
"Again, I don't know. I guess someone pulled me out, although the god in my head does say that he helped out as well. Because I woke up and lost consciousness, and just before I went unconscious, I remember somebody dragging me through the grass."
"Who were they?"
"I just saw red hair. And heard their voice saying some sort of language I don't understand. But whoever they were, they must have saved me, although they just vanished from that. After that, you know the rest of the tale."
"So, you're doing this because…?"
"Two reasons. First, the god in my head did save me from whatever monstrosity was sleeping in that pit. I owe him one, and he's asked me to stick with you. Second, Morgan's my enemy in this place. Since she's yours and Chaldea's enemy as well, that means you guys are my allies for now."
"I see." Artoria spoke, before Muramasa grunted.
"Damn it, I know, I know! You don't need to point that out."
"What?"
"Sorry. I don't know what your witch did to me, but I now have some god making unwanted comments in my head. Gives me a damn headache."
Höðr. Artoria thought.
"So, is he the only one?"
"No, of course not. You see, we apostles aren't just your run-of-the-mill servants. We have the divine cores of some deity or the other jammed into us in order to give a bit of a boost in power. I got the god you called Hoodl or something as well as…well, a bit of a personal favourite of mine."
Muramasa crossed his arms and grumbled something in a different language in what sounded like dissatisfaction.
"But anyways, I heard you're learning to make a sword, Squirt." Muramasa spoke.
"My name is Artoria, not squirt."
"Don't care. With that noodle body of yours, maybe I should call you Squirtoria or something."
"Grr!"
"You're not a dog, Squirt. Stop growling."
Artoria nearly popped a blood vessel. As if Kay wasn't bad enough, she'd found another person who delighted in her suffering.
Muramasa snorted. "Well, looks like I've found some fun other than smithing, of course."
Artoria slumped.
"By the way, i noticed you've been on edge, squirt." Muramasa spoke as Artoria looked at him.
"Pressure of the big battle getting to you?"
Artoria pursed lips and nodded slowly.
"Ah, its okay. No need to be ashamed of it. Its natural to be really stressed out before the big event happens." Muramasa spoke slapping Artoria's back.
"Speaking from personal experience, the pressure's always the highest before the battle. When that fight happens, you just get distracted from that pressure and get way too focussed on winning to really be able to pay mind to that stress. So hold on there, squirt, we're all feeling the same way and we'll get through it together."
Artoria looked at Muramasa in surprise. After the mocking and teasing, she didn't expect Muramasa to give her such…encouragement.
"Ah, I don't know why I said that. Its weird…there's something familiar about you. This is the first time we're properly talking to each other, but I feel like we've known each other for years."
Artoria also noticed that. Aside from the parallels to Kay, there was also some other sense of familiarity to Muramasa.
"Shirou…"
W-What was that? Artoria thought shaking her head violently.
Is the stress getting to me? Am I going insane? Artoria thought with a shiver.
She hasn't even faced Morgan and she's already losing her mind. What kind of black magic did Morgan put upon her?!
Before Artoria could open her mouth, she found herself being lifted off the ground.
"Its time, master." Kay spoke in a calm voice as he slung Artoria over his shoulder.
"Honestly, I thought you had better manners than running away from your lessons."
"I wasn't!"
"Don't lie to me." Kay spoke as Artoria spotted a tiny little twitch of his lips into a smirk.
You… Artoria's eyes widened. Kay was teasing her again!
Kay nodded to Muramasa, shooting him a knowing look as he turned to carry Artoria away.
"I'll get you back, Kay…" Artoria grumbled as Kay dragged her off. Muramasa waved goodbye as Artoria sighed and did so as well.
Kay dragged her off to the stables, an open field as human servants walked by.
"Why the stables?" Artoria asked as Kay smiled.
"I trained my little sister with a sword next to the stables by our house. Consider this…nostalgia." Kay spoke before handing Artoria a stick.
"Wha…?"
"I first need you to know how to at least handle a weapon before I start with swords. We don't have much time before a confrontation with Morgan, so you'll have to practice a lot harder than most."
"O-Ok…"
Kay then gave her a stone-cold stare.
"But that does not mean you'll do anything like pushing yourself beyond what is healthy for you. You're not a demigod, so don't do anything like that. If I see you doing anything stupid like practicing with a sword all night or neglecting everything for just training…" He spoke with a cold voice as Artoria shivered in fright.
"Y-Yes, sir!"
"Good, now let's start…"
As Artoria grabbed the stick, Kay sighed softly.
I don't need to know that master is stressed, Muramasa. He thought. He'd raised Artoria alongside his father. This Artoria had similar mannerisms and he could tell the pressure of the coming siege was getting to her.
So, he had a little plan. For his master to vent out all that stress.
Later in the day, anybody passing through Sheffield Castle's stables would see a young fairy with a wooden stick being beaten to the ground by her human servant. Interestingly, those swords lessons would later devolve into shouting matches between the fairy and the human, who would constantly egg her to insulting him in the best way possible.
"WHAT WAS THAT FOR, YOU BLOODY TOSSER?!"
"Every young man is a tosser, master! If you want to throw out insults, at least throw out some good ones!"
"OH, YOU WANT GOOD INSULTS, KAY?! HOW ABOUT YOU #$%^#% PUT YOUR $*&$ IN AN ASS'S %^%^&*# BECAUSE YOU LOVE CALLING ME THAT SO MUCH?!"
"Finally! Now we're getting real dirty! Although, maybe not as dirty as your $#% , those would make even a $#% % jealous!"
Inside the castle, Da Vinci sighed as she drew up designs for the castle's defenses while listening to the shouting match.
Somehow Kay had managed to really rile up Artoria with his insults and smug expressions. And of course, Kay, being the responsible older brother he is, got excited by that and was basically egging Artoria into insulting him because he was enjoying watching his little sister's lostbelt counterpart run her mouth in such a foul manner.
"Well…I certainly didn't expect King Arthur to have such a foul mouth. Although, Considering what the merchants back in florence say about the british common folk, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised." Da Vinci mused, remembering the disgusted expressions of merchant of her hometown when they recounted the words they heard being exchanged between british people in London.
"Haa…savior of Britain, ladies and gentlemen." Da Vinci spoke with a sigh as she wrapped up the paper, before getting up and heading off to display the designs to Boggart.
Artoria panted as she lay on the ground, a light drizzle of rain falling on her as Kay looked up at the sky.
"Ah, finally. I was getting a little sick and tired of the bright sunlight every single day." Kay spoke as he looked down at Artoria.
"Open your mouth, master. Even the gods are taking pity and giving you a little cool drink after that session." He spoke looking at Artoria's wooden stick lying by the side.
Artoria weakly raised her arm and flipped him off.
"Ho, ho! I didn't know the bird also existed in this version of Britain!" Kay spoke, unperturbed by his master's obscene gesture.
Good to know this Artoria is just as much of a menace as my sister was as a child. Kay thought with a sad smile. Artoria pendragon had completely locked away her more rowdy side in favor of her 'perfect king' persona, and as time went on, that perfect king truly became her real self while the foul-mouthed, rowdy little girl Kay knew became a distant mirage.
He'd cracked open the anxious and 'child of prophecy' persona to reveal Artoria Caster's inner gremlin, and he hoped she didn't lose that as well in her attempt to put up a 'Child of Prophecy' persona.
"Ignoring that, master…" Kay spoke kneeling down.
"How're you feeling?"
Artoria sighed, her rage fizzling out. "I feel…relaxed."
"Good. Muramasa's already given you the talk about pressure, so consider that last few minutes of insults to be my way of having you vent out that anxiety."
Artoria looked at him. "Kay…how are you feeling?"
Oh, looks like its time for another talk. Kay thought sitting down.
"About the Battle of Sheffield? Stressed. Just like you. Boggart's forces are good, but Helga says all three Tam Lin will be fighting in the upcoming battle."
"But you don't look like it?"
"Because I'm used to it." Kay spoke.
"Did I ever tell you I was King Arthur's first knight?"
Artoria sat up. "Really?"
"Yeah. I was there with him when he pulled out the blade Caliburn and embarked on his quest to unite the Britonnic tribes against the traitor king Vortigern."
Artoria frowned at that name.
"Back then, it was just me, Arthur and Merlin traveling around Britain, helping people and building Arthur's reputation. Soon, more knights began joining us and more kings began pledging their allegiance…until Arthur round up a coalition of kings and confronted Vortigern at his capital Londinium. At that time, the Jutes of Kent, the Saxons of Norfolk and the Angles of Northumberland were merely allies who supported us, because they did not like Vortigern at all and couldn't resist joining his enemies."
"The Siege of Londinium…it was something that seemed like a distant dream to me and Arthur when we first started. In our diplomatic mission to King Lot of Orkney, we felt the same pressure you do now. The pressure of taking that big step. At that time, Londinium seemed so far away. And then what do you know, the two of us are on horses leading the coalition army along Watling street from the lands of the Ordovicii tribe to march upon the great capital."
"I can't imagine what you must have felt…"
"Oh no, you will. This is your first big step. And before you know it, you will also find yourself at the head of an army marching towards Camelot."
Kay put his hand on Artoria's hair.
"Then you won't have to imagine what I felt. You'll experience it yourself."
Artoria smiled back. "And you'll be there, right?"
"Of course I will. What a stupid question to ask."
The two shared a laugh as as Kay closed his eyes with a smile, taking in the raindrops falling on his face…
Kay giggled as he ran through the muddy fields, Artoria in tow behind him. Their tunics had been completely soaked in the rain and their hair stuck to their faces.
"Father's going to be angry, Kay!" Artoria spoke as Kay laughed.
"What can we do? How were we supposed to know it was going to rain? Its cloudy all the time but it doesn't rain normally…bwah!" Kay grunted as he slipped on some mud and fell down.
"Kay, KAY!" Artoria screamed as Kay dragged her down with him, the two siblings rolling down the mud and stopping.
Kay's and Artoria's faces were both caked in mud, while their tunics had also been stained as well.
The two looked at each other…
…Before they burst into laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! You look so *wheeze* stupid, Kay!" Artoria spoke, wheezing with laughter.
"No-HAHAHA-Not as much as you! Finally you've exposed your true self as a pig!" Kay spoke laughing as well.
"How many years its been since I remembered that piece of the past?" Kay spoke before looking at his master.
"Master, could you get up?" Kay spoke as Artoria got up, noticing that her entire back was stained brown with mud.
"KYAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" And the day ended with Artoria's scream of horror.
The days passed on, as the citizens of Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds witnessed a significant chunk of their garrisons marching on the streets towards Sheffield. Even in Camelot, people gossiped about the recent increase in the number of imperial soldiers on the streets. Most were sure that this was going to be followed by an address by Queen Morgan herself.
That would be confirmed when the High Queen's secretary Meredick announced across Camelot's communication channels of mana that Morgan was about to issue an announcement on Gladstone terrace.
On a cloudy day of Frïgdæg, Camelot came to a standstill. Shops had to be closed due to custom, and fairies flocked to the streets, looking up to the glistening blue walls and spires of the Winter Palace, sitting on the highest point of Britain.
Elsewhere, people in Salisbury flocked to the bakeries and pubs to watch Queen Morgan's announcement from through Hornby Mirrors installed at the bar.
Gloucester's residents sat in their houses, feeding mana into their Bell devices to be able to hear the High Queen's address.
In Norwich, the Marconi communications company set up massive Bell devices on the top of cramped apartment buildings and connecting them to the city's ley lines with the help of Lughesen Power works while Ironbridge's factories declared the day off for the workers.
In Oxford, the people gathered at the Sheldonian assembly, set up with a massive Hornby mirror as classes for human slaves at the University of Oxford were cancelled for the day.
In Edinburgh, refugees from the South gathered whatever mana they could to feed into their bell devices as they listened to Morgan's address from the tents. In the castle, Cnoc Na Riabh and her Seelie Court frowned as they looked at Morgan's address from a Hornby mirror.
In the ruins of York, nestled in the wetlands of the Lake District, ghosts of the mirror clan suddenly looked in the direction of sheffield, sensing the coming of the battle.
In Orkney, a lone druid sat by a campfire, listening in with the help of his ravens.
In Sheffield, Artoria sat on her bed, waiting with bated anticipation.
And in Camelot, Morgan opened her eyes as she walked towards the doors to Gladstone terrace.
The High Queen stepped out, looking down upon Camelot and the fairies gathered in the streets from the balcony, the Captain and two other Slave Knights standing behind her.
The crowd, which had been noisy earlier, fell deathly silent as soon as the High Queen's gaze fell upon them.
"Citizens of Britain." Morgan spoke in a soft voice, but Camelot's spells in the air amplified her voice to be heard by everyone in the city, while also sending her voice to Bell devices across Britain that broadcasted her voice to the other cities.
"I have taken upon the terrace to inform you that Boggart, the 5th Earl of Sheffield, vassal of Woodwose, 2nd Duke of Oxford, has declared secession from my kingdom."
Commotion erupted in the crowd, fairies crying out in condemnation of Boggart's decision while some were confused that a secession had even happened.
"This is…certainly a surprising decision. As you all know, Sheffield had garnered a reputation as one of the oldest living fortresses of Britain, one that had stood by us in the most turbulent of times, from the Wars of the Seasons to the Caterpillar War. All these times, Sheffield has served as an imposing fortress to our enemies, one that always pledged its loyalty to the Ashen Throne. To see it turn against it…after so many years…"
Morgan shook her head.
"It is a tragedy. I am sure this decision was not taken by the people of Sheffield, who were born and brought up in the tales of their great city resisting the Mors, and instead had been taken by Boggart, the former Duke of Norwich."
Fairies murmured in agreement.
"Boggart's policies had impeded Norwich's development, which was why I had given him a city more suited to his liking. Yet…it seems it was not enough to satisfy him." Morgan spoke.
"I cannot understand why Boggart would do such a thing. Sheffield is the pride of the Fang clan, and Boggart himself requested he be handed the earldom over it. But it seems Boggart used my kindness as an excuse to further his ambitions." Fairies gulped in fright as Morgan's voice, which was calm and emotionless earlier, suddenly turned into a snarl, words being spit out with so much venom that fairies could almost imagine it dripping from Morgan's mouth.
Even in Sheffield, Artoria paled in fear at Morgan's snarl, as she looked at the enemy she was to face.
"Even then, I have decided to give him one last chance. Tam Lin Gawain is heading towards Sheffield with her forces gathered from the Warrington Belt. Boggart will be given one last chance to rescind his secession and swear his loyalty to the Ashen throne once again. If he still refuses…"
Morgan's eyes narrowed as they started glowing. Fairies in Camelot felt the mana in the air skyrocket as they felt some presence pressing them down to their knees.
"...Then he shall face the might of the Imperial army." Morgan declared ominously, as the cloudy sky rumbled with thunder and suddenly let down a light drizzle of rain, raindrops glowing with Morgan's mana as they fell upon the soldiers.
"My people, I thus declare that if Boggart refuses my offer, then I shall have him paraded through the streets of Camelot in chains in a week's time while Sheffield is liberated from his tyrannical amibitions. Let all Britain know what happens to those who challenge the Will of the Ashen Throne." Morgan spoke.
The crowd erupted in applause, some in support, some in fear.
"HAIL QUEEN MORGAN!"
"HAIL THE ASHEN THRONE!"
"DOWN WITH BOGGART!"
"LIBERATE SHEFFIELD!"
In Boggart's throne room, Artoria stared at the Hornby mirror in nervousness.
"And so it has begun." Boggart spoke in cold anger. "She has twisted the story with her lies. She believes I will beg for my life in front of her."
He shook his head. "Artoria Caster, let us prove this arrogant witch wrong."
Artoria nodded nervously.
At that moment, a Wulf soldier entered.
"Lord Boggart…" He spoke. "A massive army has gathered at our gates. They're being led by…"
"Tam Lin Gawain." Artoria muttered.
A/N: Happy New Year, everybody. I'm back from my vacation, so now I can get back to posting chapters. I was planning to release this chapter yesterday, but then Oxford sent me a take home assignment (A 1500 word essay related to history of science) and I spent the day dissecting and looking into the critcisms of Darwin's theory of evolution and the Copernician model of the universe, going on a grand journey of looking through texts and research papers. Thanks Oxford, for making me spend the first day of the year writing a college essay.
But anyways, I was thinking of starting off the Battle of Sheffield in this chapter, but when I got ot the segment of Morgan's address, I realised it was better to do it next chapter than stretching out this chapter for longer than it needs to be. So, more bonding between Artoria and Kay and of course bonding between Artoria and Muramasa. Next chapter the battle begins.
One last thing before we move on to the foot notes, I hate you Nasu. I hate you for making me run around in circles trying to make a sort of historically accurate backstory for Zeltrech and Director Brishisan. Since both of them were Solomon's disciples, they would be living in Bronze Age Europe. For Zeltrech, since he's a German, I narrowed his place of origin to be Denmark due to evidence of bronze age settlements being found there at the time. Now this makes things weird, because most Germanic cultures attributed magic to women more than men, which is why Odin is the only magical spooky male in Germanic myths with the rest being women. So, Zeltrech being a mage is really weird in regards to Germanic society. Plus, The Second Magic in Nasuverse and the way the Kaleidoscope works in suspiciously similar to Seidr magic of Scandinavian culture. So, It can't be too wild to assume Zeltrech probably knew some Seidr and reached the root using it.
As for Brishisan, I lost my mind trying to find the cultural origin of his name. The closest I got was Celtic culture, so I assumed Brishisan is a Celtic mage. Since there was evidence of migration from France to Britain in Brishisan's time, I assume Brishisan originated Celtic France, travelled to Israel to study magecraft under Solomon, and then return to Britain. On his way, I assume Brishisan made his way through Germany and met Zeltrech, who was coming down from Denmark, over there and the two of them travelled together to Israel to meet Solomon. That's what I can make in my fanon of their backstories.
Hope guys enjoy and constructive criticism is appreciated!
Foot Notes:
Hornby Mirrors: The Hornby mirrors are a lesser version of the Queen's water mirror spells created by Cornelius Hornby, an attendant in the Winter Palace, in 1928 EoHQ. It was further distributed across Britain's cities by Morgan, who allowed for its creation on the basis of the designs of her throne mirrors. The Hornby mirrors could show happenings from far away, but it had no other use. It was definitely not on the level of the Water Mirrors.
Bell Devices: The Bell Device was created in 1851 EoHQ by a veteran of the Caterpillar war named Alexander Graham Bell. It used the mana in the air to transport sound to other bell devices. The Bell device would be used only in Norwich until Morgan caught wind of them and set up spells to connect Bell device across long distances. It allowed cities in Britain to communicate with each other from far away.
Marconi Communications Company: The Marconi Communications company was set up by two humans in Norwich in 1902 EoHQ, building upon Bell's invention to mass produce them in Norwich. This company was responsible for popularising the bell devices and bringing them to Morgan's attention.
Lughesen Power Company: The Lughesen Power Company was set up by James Lughesen, inventor of the Lughesen Street Lamp, in 1905 EoHQ. It was given permission by Morgan to set up the Street Lamps across Britain and connect them to ley lines that acted as power sources to light up Britain's cities.
Sheldonian Assembly: The Sheldonian Assembly was founded by Woodwose in 1261 EoHQ in emulation of the Seelie Parliament in Camelot, named after one of his slaves who designed the building named William Sheldon. The Sheldonian Assembly houses a significant chunk of Oxford's population, and served as a town hall where Oxford's municipal policies were discussed. There were separate assemblies for Fairies and Humans, but Woodwdose presides Chairman over both of them.
University of Oxford: The University of Oxford was founded by Wryneck in 500 EoHQ as a way to cultivate human talent and harness it, for Wryneck saw humans as essential to Britain's development. The University was inaugurated by Queen Morgan herself in a personal visit to Oxford, and scholars from York were brought over to teach the human slaves in Oxford's colleges, created from estates donated by Wryneck. The foremost inventors and scholars of Britain's history were all graduates of the University, and Woodwose played a role in the University's reconstruction and preservation after it was damaged by Mors in the Siege of Oxford.
Library of York: The Library of York was established by the Mirror clan in their city in 670 FE. It was done after a Roman human who came to Faerie Britain on Flotsam encouraged the mirror clan fairies to record their visions and prophecies in written texts, in emulation of the 'Sibylline books' from his homeland of Rome. The Library of York was Britain's oldest and most extensive library, and was destroyed in the mysterious desolation of York. Queen Morga. preserved its texts and now keeps them in Camelot for her own use.
Response to Reviews:
Seeking the Miraculous Dream: Thank you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Juker: Yep, although Morgan's politics is more for to continue intimidating the fairies against challenging her authority.
Italiia: Character development for her. She'll be the one I focus on the most out of the Tam Lin.
Sword Boi hero: Like I always do with speculative reviews, I shall neither confirm nor deny your theory.
Pelican117: Oh, thank you so much. The Germanic Migration period is my favourite period to cover in European History, because of my fascination with Germanic society and culture starting from Scandinavia. I always feel bad whenever an adaptation of Arthurian legend presents the Germanic people as generic savages and ignores the complexities and nuances behind their societies and cultures. The Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes are so much more than the 'barbaric invaders who oppose Arthur' as they're usually presented and I'm glad Nasu at least acknowledges that in the Camelot Singularity.
I explodre Muramasa's aspects because I love Norse mythology way too much, and can't resist exploring the nuances in the charactesr of figures in the Norse myths. Although yes, I will be doing the same for Rasputin's aspects as well.
I do agree about the Muramasa bit. I was writing the chapter in midnight, the same day I returned to India from the UK and I was in a bad shape. My body hadn't fully recovered from the jet lag, and I couldn't sleep because at about 2:00 I was to leave with my family for the airport on a family vacation, from which I came back around 3 days back. So, I was in a really bad shape and could not find the energy to write more about Muramasa once I finished writing the chapter. Sorry about that.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
TalonScythe: Thanks, I was wondering what happened to you. My little trip with Oxford wasn't exactly a holiday (It was basically 2 weeks of get up, have your breakfast, attend lectures for the day, go back and study for your tutorial session, have those sessions, have dinner then sleep). But I did find some time to visit London and Winchester for sightseeing while I was staying with my uncle in Reading.