Immortal: AAAAARGH! I'm here! I haven't given this up! Honestly, I don't blame my readers and reviewers for being upset, disappointed, or let down by my long ass delay. Seriously, this story would seem dead otherwise and I can do nothing else but sincerely apologize again from the bottom of my heart for delaying this story so long. I still have major life things going on that will delay this again, but I will tell you all that the nature of my work demands a lot of my time and I can't exactly say why here.

Gudako: This one involves his livelihood, so he gets a pass. I'm in a good mood since Immortal got Melusine and NP'd her to 2 and got the Dark Koyanskaya.

Immortal: Not just that, but I also spent time to update Legacy of the Saber King's chapters to correct grammatical errors and to make it easier to read. Nothing about the plot changes, but I seriously owe it to you all to do better. As a certain God of War once said, "We must be better.". So I WILL be better. But another saying, "Words are wind." applies as well. All I can do is continue to reassure you all that I will never give up on this story and I ask that you all don't give up on me or this story either. Now to avoid confusion for this chapter, Morgan and Morgause have swapped bodies, but I will be writing from their perspectives and refer to them by their true names. Everybody else will view them as Morgan or Morgause as is appropriate.

Disclaimer: This fanfiction is fan-based writing. All characters and locations are held by their respective owners for the Nasuverse as well as Arthurian mythology. I do not own them in any way, shape, form, or concept to include Reality Marbles, Singularities, or Lostbelts. Please support the official release, but don't go too crazy spending your money on the Fate/Grand Order Gacha!


The Adventures of Sir Mordred

The Fracturing of the Orkney Clan

447 Anno Domini

Gareth

Gareth awoke early as she always did at the crack of dawn to begin her day. Ever since the arrival of her newest sibling, she felt more excited than she had been in a long time. While she loved her other brothers and especially Gawain, she felt a unique kinship with Mordred ever since she had accidentally discovered that she was also a girl who was forced to hide her true sex. Although she was uncouth and unused to affection, Gareth was perceptive enough to guess that Mordred also had it rough when it came to hiding her true sex like Gareth had. Due to her father's private edict of making her hide her true sex at all times, Gareth had learned early to be observant of everything she did to avoid making mistakes that would give her away. All those who knew the truth had long since vanished from Lot's service save for his family. Lord Lot had promised her when she was old enough to understand that if she ever let it slip that she was a girl, he would disown her before he would ever say that he had a daughter.

Gareth had protested at first as only a child could in an attempt to be brave like her brother Gawain. She simply couldn't understand why Lot would tell her she was his son instead of his daughter and her mother also argued against it when the truth was so plain. Lord Lot had coldly told her that he had it in his power to disown Gawain as well and what happened to him depended on them both. The Knight of the Sun may be more powerful than Lot ever could hope to be, but to protect Gareth would mean that Gawain would have to go to war with his father. If there was one thing that Gawain prized above all else, it was his family and he would never go against his father nor any of his family members. So Gareth had been defeated and had become a son.

Gawain's love for Gareth prompted him to have a long and fierce argument with his father, but he reluctantly gave in to his father's command when Lot told him that Gareth would be disowned if he disobeyed.

Gaheris didn't care one way or the other and just treated his sibling the same as ever, but he did wonder how long the deception would last. Lot told him to be silent and that was all he needed to do.

Agravain was told he had a new brother after returning from a long departure, but when he looked at Gareth with his dark raptor-like eyes, she knew he could tell that their father was lying and that he cared even less than Gaheris did.

At first there had been confusion and distress because she was a plainly a girl, yet she was now to believe and make others believe she was a boy in body, mind, and soul. Thankfully, Gawain and her mother had reassured her that it was not Gareth's fault that her father made such an edict. They explained that there was no shame to be had in being seen as a male, nor was there a wrongness to being a female. Women may not be powerful like men were in the ways of martial prowess, but they could be clever, wise, and powerful in their own right. Her brother regaled her in those days of his adventures with their uncle, King Arthur Pendragon and his beloved brother-in-arms Sir Lancelot du Lac as examples to lift her spirits.

The tales of Sir Lancelot and the Lady of the Lake captured her heart in a way that she had never known. His chivalry, skill-at-arms, comradery, and valor were all spoken of in glowing tales by Sir Gawain. Even the Knight of the Sun admitted that the Knight of the Lake was the pinnacle all knights should aspire to emulate, and he himself had learned a thing or two from Sir Lancelot. It had been then that she knew she wanted to be a knight the same as her brother and Sir Lancelot. To be a part of that life, filled with heroics and romance alongside her brother and Sir Lancelot was henceforth her dream. Mother had even told her that her father's edict would work in her favor,

If Gareth must pretend to be a boy for as long as their father commanded it and since females couldn't be knights, then there was nothing holding her back from that now was there? Not only that, it would be perhaps the best way to prove her father wrong. So she made it a point to always watch her siblings and learn everything she could while they trained and to practice all she observed. But when her father caught wind of this, he told her that she could practice all she wanted and as long as she hid her gender, he would see to it she received proper education and if she served well then perhaps Gawain would find her a suitable office for which her abilities would best serve their family when Lot was gone. But her lord father made it clear that he believed that her endeavor would end in failure and that he could only pray that he would be long dead before Gareth shamed herself and their family when she was found out.

This had hurt Gareth deeply even though she tried to hide it, but as long as she obeyed her father he would keep his word. But the problem was finding somebody whom she could squire for or at least learn how to be

Agravain was almost never home and when he was, he had no interest or desire to help Gareth further her training. Gaheris wasn't that great of a teacher, being in training himself and far too impatient to instruct anybody even if he could recite what he learned from books with perfect memory. Gawain of course was an excellent teacher, having all the qualities of being the perfect knight which he was only too happy to help pass onto Gareth. But he was away so often that Gareth's lessons with him could be only be counted on one hand and still have fingers left over.

Still, Gawain and Gaheris were home, which meant that their siblings always awoke early to conduct their morning training and she was certain that Mordred would join them. But Gareth quickly reminded herself as she put her hopped on one foot while putting her leg through her tan hose to not let slip Mordred's secret. She had promised after all and no true knight would ever break a promise. As she finally changed and used her bedroom mirror to look herself over, she nodded in approval and giggled as her black hair tufts flopped. She finished putting on her boots as the last piece of clothing she would wear and tapped the toes on the ground before she headed out.

But as she rounded the corner of the corridor to leave to the courtyard, she bumped into two bodies so hard that they both stumbled and nearly toppled over while Gareth actually fell backwards onto her butt.

A pair of strong and gentle hands quickly helped her to her feet, but when she looked up she flinched slightly as she saw that it was her aunt who helped pick her up. Morgan le Fay had always made her nervous because of how much she looked like her mother and instinctively made her feel uncomfortable with a strange dislike she didn't understand. She heard rumors and whispers about how Morgan le Fay was a witch who was proud and as cruel as she was beautiful even if Gareth never witnessed it herself. Her aunt's face was expressionless as ever beneath her black veil, but her touch was gentle as she helped her stand up and in the cool morning her hands felt warm too.

"Gareth, you need to be more attentive."

Her mother's voice was curt as she pulled her away from Morgan le Fay and she hugged her to herself as if protecting Gareth from her aunt. Morgan le Fay said nothing and looked away from Gareth after a brief exchange of glances before adopting a look of bored indifference. Her mother on the other hand smiled down at her and smoothed Gareth's hair with a somewhat chilly hand. Gareth was reminded of a feeling of foreboding as her mother smiled at her as she looked up at her. What was this sense of danger Gareth was feeling? There was an awkward silence before Morgan le Fay greeted her with a good morning that was returned politely. She explained that they were going to see Mordred to help him put the finishing touches on his armor with a prayer and since she didn't know where he was her mother Morgause was gracious enough to guide her.

"Until you bumped into us."

Although the words were spoken lightly and almost playfully as her mother sometimes did, Gareth felt that there was something of an accusation in her mother's words, which took her slightly aback. When Morgan le Fay glanced back at her again, Gareth knew instinctively that she ought to stay and walk with them… just in case, plus she told them she could take her new brother over to the training grounds afterwards.

"Gareth."

Mother's gentle voice was curt as she told her that she shouldn't trouble herself. She and her sister had things that they needed to talk about between them anyway, which would require some privacy.

"I won't say anything. I can just listen and help too.", said Gareth, feeling more determined now to stay.

Mother once more smiled down at her in a way that didn't quite reach her eyes before her aunt spoke in an annoyed tone, "It wasn't a request Gareth. Go on ahead. Now."

Her aunt placed a hand on her shoulder and urged her forward as she and her mother slowed their pace. Hesitantly she began to pick up the pace before she looked back to see her aunt shoo her away before she hurried to the stables to fetch her pony that would take her to the training grounds.

/~/

Morgause

Morgause watched as Gareth hurried away and felt her heart slow down with a sigh of relief. Morgan was furious with her due to the previous night and she wouldn't have put it past her sister to be cruel enough to inflict a curse on her youngest child. But Morgan was smart enough to self-regulate herself even despite the furious and humiliation-filled grudge she harbored. Morgause had relished in her temporary freedom when she denied Morgan le Fay from undoing her evil. It was indeed an act of cruelty and pointless revenge, because as her sister had pointed out, if she hadn't decided to engage in her own petty revenge then it would have completely ruined everything Morgan le Fay had tried to build. Morgause tried to tell herself this was another one of Morgan's cruel games to torment her, but she couldn't help feeling that her sister was right.

God help her, but it had felt good to deny Morgan any chance at redemption by repeatedly letting her get close to freedom and experience hope only to yank her back and laugh at her pleading for mercy, mock her apologies, and yanking her hair when she begged to be released. Yet by doing so, Morgause had doomed herself as well because her sister had promised that she would utterly ruin her sister's life for seeing her weakness and shame. Morgan had not said when and how she would do it, but Morgause knew that not knowing too was a part of the torment.

Morgan had re-established her control in the early morning hours and the pair were right back at their usual state; Morgan le Fay as the puppeteer and Morgause the obedient puppet. They could perfectly imitate each other's personalities and mannerisms and every time they swapped bodies, they would also be able to gain the memories of the other to stay up-to-date on any new changes. But Gareth had still appeared to be wary and although neither gave anything away, Morgause was able to tell her sister was silently perturbed by Gareth's caution. They may have been inhabiting each other's bodies, but it was almost as if Gareth could tell in some small way that something was not right. Her precious daughter… despite Lot's command, Morgause never stopped loving her as a daughter even though she encouraged her dreams against the expectations of their society.

Morgause shifted through Morgan's memories as she led them to the guest room where Lot had told her Mordred was staying. Despite knowing perfectly well where Mordred would be thanks to the memories Morgan had from Morgause, the witch had a plan to enact for which she would need to be present for. Mordred would have to actually don the armor and Morgan would cast a particularly potent spell over it, which would require for Morgause in the body of Morgan to do on her behalf.

Personally, Morgause didn't understand why she needed to be there at all and why Morgan couldn't do it herself while inhabiting her body. The witch had no interest in explaining herself, but Morgause guessed that she was trying to keep something from Mordred as well or do something to her. They walked in silence as Morgause shifted through the memories to find out how best to interact with Mordred with Morgan's memories and personality. What she felt enraged and devastated the mother within Morgause.

Mordred must never expect any kind of overt affection to be given to her. She must withhold any kind of praise or affection unless the homunculus performed something above expectations. Praise must be very sparingly given and any seeming act of kindness will only serve to create an intense hunger in Mordred to make it desire her praise and love at the exclusion of all else. She must balance this with strict discipline to both make Mordred fear her and to give her the respect and love she is owed. But most importantly, she must never waver in any way about how she should feel about Mordred. The homunculus will have a tragically short life-span, but it the fault of Artoria for forcing this drastic measure to obtain which is hers by right.

The fact that in her memories, Morgan adamantly referred to her child Mordred, but when she was in a less than charitable mood, Mordred was referred to as, "it" or "the homunculus", yet there was a single flaw in this thinking. She had only guessed this, but now Morgause knew for absolute certain that she was right.

In her memories, she recalled how Morgan's empty feeling grew worse and a gnawing hunger of her own filled her concerning Mordred. Whenever Mordred expressed feelings of love, embraced her with all the might in her little body, or looked at her in fear at the threat of punishment, an ache and dismay filled Morgan that she could only bury with cold rationality or burning anger. She saw in her mind how she had pulled Mordred's hair, roughly handled her, spoke words intended to cow Mordred into meek obedience, and so much more acts that were the antithesis of being a mother. Morgause glanced at her sister sideways as she re-affirmed her private thoughts that Morgan hated these feelings perhaps more than anything.

Morgan hated Artoria, she hated her father, she hated Merlin, and she hated her late husband Urien of Rheged. She especially hated the fact that she must go through such lengths to fulfill a purpose for the land that Morgan was specifically born for, yet unable to fill it because of the paradoxical nature of her existence. Hate, hate. There was so much of it in Morgan le Fay along with… no, it was too frightening to think about that. But mostly, Morgan hated herself. She hated what she did to Artoria after previously loving her so much. She hated the fact she sullied her body through meaningless acts of pleasure in order to obtain what she needed to survive or provide some form of relief from the endless depressing malaise that came with an incomplete soul devoid of any positive feelings.

The feeling that Morgan hated most of all, above even Artoria and herself, was that she could not reciprocate genuine love. Mordred was too innocent to know any better, but she sincerely still loved her mother and had never stopped wanting her love in return. Morgan had not felt these since Artoria and her was close and caring as siblings could be. But to go back to these memories only furthered the ache in her heart and so she continued to bury them. Then once she obtained the throne, she would start over. Morgan would rule the land she loved and would finally be able to fulfill the purpose for which she was born to finally erase the endless darkness in her soul.

The more that Morgause shifted through her sister's memories, the more she felt that pity giving way to disappointment. She could not outright hate Morgan still, but she now felt more afraid of her than before. But it was only minutes later before they arrived at the door of Mordred's room. Morgause would enter, help Mordred into her armor and then recite the words Morgan would tell her. Her sister produced a bag of dust that made a jingling noise like small bells in her palms and was heavier than it looked and she opened it up to look inside. It was a combination of a finely ground reverse scale from a dragon, powdered scales fallen from the wings of fairies, and the finely ground claw and tearstone of blood from the Questing Beast.

The reverse scale of the dragon would connect Mordred to her armor through the blood of the dragon she inherited from Artoria to allow her to channel her mana through the armor. The powdered scales of the fairies would protect her so that no weapon forged by man could ever harm her. Finally, the powdered claw of the Questing Beast combined with the other two aforementioned ingredients would make complete her Helm of Hidden Infidelity as the most important part of Mordred's armor. As the Questing Beast was the most elusive of all beasts, so too would Mordred's very identity be the most elusive of all. The magic powdered combined with her magic, not even Merlin would be able to see Mordred for who she truly was.

Morgause had seen from the memories of her sibling that the gathering of this particular alchemical concoction had been painstakingly gathered over many years, with every single item processed through an exhaustive and exacting manner that could not be rushed.

After receiving her instructions from Morgan, Morgause let herself into Mordred's' room. She saw Mordred was looking over her armor. The young knight greeted her politely, but Morgause saw that there was a tension in Mordred when she told her that she was going to help her don her armor. But first, she would need to also wear the under clothing for it.

"You fight enough to face common foes, but once you don your armor you shall be invincible against all but the strongest of weapons. Did you see the undergarments?"

Mordred told her that she had not and so Morgause instructed her to pull it all out of the drawers before placing them on the bed. As she pulled out the individual items including the heeled boots from the drawer, Mordred looked more curious until she pulled out the last piece, which was a skimpy piece of triangular cloth held together by two golden rings. Mordred had never seen anything like it and looked it over in wonder before she added it to the other items.

Morgause watched all this before she received more instructions from Morgan. She was only the puppet subject to the whims of her puppeteer, so she reluctantly obeyed

"Undress. Every bit of clothing must be worn exactly in order to connect you to your armor."

"You mean in front of you? Mother, I can dress myself."

"Mordred, I have seen you in the bath often enough. What is there to be ashamed about? Besides, I need to enchant your garments as well."

Mordred frowned at her, but as she started to remove her top, she asked for her to look away. Thankfully, Morgan allowed Morgause this, so she turned around. She heard Mordred discard all her clothing, bit by bit. But Morgause saw everything in the mirror as the knight undressed herself bit by bit When she removed her top, Morgause saw that the yong knight's skin was slightly tanned from her outdoor training, but there was hints of muscle on her lithe and athletic form. The muscle contours of her back stood out as a result of long drills with swordplay and there was an hint of a scar on her back. When had she been injured? It looked almost like an arrow-wound.

When she turned slightly to put her tunic on the bed Morgause also observed the muscles of her abdomen being quite prominent. If it weren't for the breasts that had begun to grow on Mordred, she could understand how the young knight was able to pass off as a boy. Her nipples were a light pink color and very small, but a woman could easily recognize breasts even if they were smaller than the palms of her hand. Mordred seemed to hesitate a bit and looked over her shoulder, but when she was satisfied that Morgause was still looking away from her, she hooked her thumbs into her leggings before hesitating momentarily as she slide them down her legs and let them drop to her ankles before stepping out of them.

Mordred clenched her fists and unclenched them as she stood completely nude in the room with only her "mother" there to observe. Morgause still didn't look directly at her, but she tried to let Mordred preserve her dignity as much as she could.

'She looks so much like Artoria.'.

The thought came unbidden to Morgause and she felt disgusted with herself for having this thought from Morgan. The memories of Morgan's deception came to her as well. This was her own child, yet Morgan was thinking of how she raped Artoria!? Was she thinking of doing the same to her daughter or God forbid, force Morgause to assault Mordred using Morgan le Fay's body!?

'Oh don't be so disgusting.', came the voice of Morgan and she sensed the revulsion in her voice, 'Artoria had the seed I required and so I did what I must then. I am not so monstrous that I would sleep with Mordred or even look at her in that manner. What kind of devil do you take me for?'

Morgause didn't even want to entertain answering before Mordred loudly said she was ready for her instructions. So Morgause, using the instructions that Morgan gave her instructed Mordred.

/~/

Mordred

"First, the underwear. The triangular cloth. That will cover your... woman parts."

Thankfully Mordred understood easily how it was to be worn and so she put it on per Mother's instructions. Although her mother had seen her naked before, it was when she was younger and bathing or when she had been injured and needed to be tended to like during her battle with the Assassin Knight. So why was she feeling so uncomfortable being naked in front of her now? Was it because she was starting to develop breasts? Mother had always emphasized to her on the importance of hiding her sex and Mordred had been flat-chested for so long that it made it easier to believe herself to be a male.

After she put on the underwear she realized the fabric felt surprisingly nice even though it just barely covered her womanhood and only just covered her buttocks. What was the point of this? Perhaps it could prevent her from sweating down there? But then she quickly observed as she moved that it felt more comfortable for her. Unlike her braies which was stuffy and made her hot in the summer, this thin strip of cloth didn't feel as stuffy. In fact, because of how high the waistband was, she would be able to move more easily in battle!

"The stockings and bottoms next.", came her mother's curt instructions.

These stockings were long and were so long they almost reached above her thighs and were connected to an odd girdle that had a loincloth connected to it. They were crimson and lined with a gold color to give her a more regal appearance. All of these were connected and after she put it all on, the loincloth covered the thin strip of cloth, the "underwear". All of this felt really light and she felt like she could move in these garments much better than anything she had ever worn!

"The top."

This next piece of clothing was also strange. It was also a matching crimson and gold with two black straps on the back. How was she supposed to wear this? Just put it over her head? But then she saw that the gold design in the center was actually a button with a slit to keep it in place. So she undid it and struggled to get it on correctly. But Mother came over and helped her get it on her correctly. Her breasts were covered, but what was the point of the design? Maybe this would suit her better at covering her breasts as opposed to simply wearing a tight cloth that would make it hard to breathe.

After that came the arm pieces and the choker and finally the ankle-high heel boots. Mordred looked herself over in the mirror and found that this garment that Mother swore was made to connect her to her armor was... quite amazing! She could move with greater agility than before and from the looks of the armor, it would be a blessing because the armor looked quite heavy. It was then that Mother told her that she would now cast the enchantment to prepare her for the armor.

Mordred felt uncomfortable, but she obeyed nonetheless. Every time Mother had used her magic directly on her, healing or not, it felt uncomfortable. But this time, she felt a light sprinkling of dust over her as Mother spoke words in a language she didn't understand before she felt hot and cold all at once. Thankfully it was over quickly as Mother informed her that she would now be able to put her armor on at long last.

/~/

Morgause

The sabatons, cuisses and poleyns were placed on first. Next came the layered faulds and large tassets that encircled Mordred's waist and covered her legs like a dress or rather like folded dragon wings. After these the cuirass was placed over her head and to Mordred's surprise, they connected the ends of her undergarments via the gold linings and the inside of the armor felt as comfortable as a silk shirt. Additionally, there was a gorget that circled around her neck, also made of the same enchanted metal as the armor, but when she moved her neck to adjust, it moved with her quite easily and felt neither confining nor loose. Mother explained that the armor was designed to be intimidating and with protection in mind, but comfort and ease of movement was also vital seeing as Mordred fought more like a Norse Berserker of old and so agility was vital.

Morgan informed Morgause that agility was in mind, but the armor was certainly heavy and even Mordred would feel slower for wearing it. She also felt Morgan's slight disappointed that Mordred had not seemed as humiliated or ashamed to wear such revealing and unflattering underclothes. All Mordred had cared about was that they felt comfortable and allowed for ease of movement since she had no reason to understand why wearing such clothes was not something a lady would be caught dead wearing let alone a man.

Then after the large pauldrons and rondels were fitted onto the armor, Mordred placed the spiked gauntlets on her hands herself. They too felt a little heavy, but they weren't stuffy or confining like the training gear that she used to wear when practicing with her former master or Gaheris. Moreover, the vambrace parts of the armor reminded her of the pictures of dragons due to the layered way they connected to her gauntlets. Even the palms were lined were a crimson leather to allow for a better grip on anything she put her hands on.

Finally, after all the bits and pieces were assembled, Mother handed Mordred her the greathelm.

"This is the Helm of Infidelity: Secret of Pedigree. This is the most important part of the armor."

"The Helm of Infidelity.", echoed Mordred as she held it in her hands and stared at the faceplate. A pair of horns with black and red designs on the base ends jutted out from the sides to add to its fearsome appearance, which seemed somewhat impractical in an armor. The "face" part of the helm was a dark-gray color with narrow eye slits, making it look as though it was always glaring. But admittedly, Mordred found that it looked quite splendid in adding to the Wyvern Armor's fierce appearance.

"Listen to me carefully.", said Morgause as she parroted the words Morgan fed her from the other side of the door, "You must not remove it. Under any circumstances. If you remove your helm, you will be truly seen as you are. Merlin will find you out and he would tell King Arthur without the slightest hesitation. Even your brothers cannot be trusted. You can trust NO ONE with the secret of your face or your lineage. Furthermore, as long as you do not hold a blade in your hand, the helm's enchantment shall remain in effect as well. So you need not worry about eating, drinking, sleeping, or bathing outside your armor."

There was another addendum to this, but Morgan didn't feel the need to have Morgause explain it to the young knight. Only she had ever perceived Mordred outside her armor, so there was no reason to speak of it.

"This armor shall also be bonded to you once I complete the enchantment, so you can wear it and your undergarments at will. All you need is to will it and your armor can be worn or dismissed. Your undergarments can be worn as ordinary clothes as well and even should you take them off to bathe, you need only will your armor to you in order for your full ensemble to be worn. But should this helm be destroyed, the enchantment will be destroyed and you shall no longer benefit from its blessings.

After Morgause completed the explanation, she ordered Mordred to put the helm on to connect it to her. Even with her crowned braid and ponytail, she saw Mordred slowly lower the helm over her head with no difficulty. There were a series of metallic clicking sounds as the helm integrated with Mordred's armor before it finally bonded.

As Morgause looked at Mordred, she began to lose the picture of the girl's face in her mind. Objectively, she knew what she looked like, but just staring at the silent armored figure made it difficult to piece together in her mind without an effort of will. Morgan mentally shook her from the distracted thoughts as she gave her further commands to complete her task. So Morgause opened the bag with the alchemical powdered mix. She approached the silent knight, feeling a little intimidated herself in spite of her concealment of the fact. Then she reached into the purse and began to sprinkle the golden dust over Mordred, lightly rubbing it on the armor as it was absorbed by the enchanted metal and the undergarments.

"No spear, no sword, no arrow, no lance, no blade, no weapon forged by man will harm you whilst you wear this armor."

Red lightning crackled and snaked around the young knight's body as the enchantment took hold. A smell of ozone and mana filled the room as she saw Mordred took deep breaths and endured the feeling of the armor be bound to her.

"Now... command your helm to withdraw.", Morgause ordered.

For a moment there was only silence from Mordred, but then the pieces covering her jaw disassembled and slid upwards to the side. The mirror in the room showed that the nape of the armor slid backwards behind the young knight like the back spikes of a dragon. The pauldrons flexed like muscles as the sides of the helm along with the horns slid downwards to fit in place seamlessly while leaving the top part of the helm along with the gray faceplate to hide Mordred's face. Finally, the faceplate and helm split in half and folded on the sides to fit into the armor and leave Mordred's face exposed as her ponytail hung freely when it was released from its confines. But even with this, Morgause still couldn't quite perceive the face of Mordred. She could see a face, but she could not put it together and identify who she was looking at.

So Morgan instructed Morgause to instruct Mordred to pick up a sword and hold it as if prepared for combat. The young knight obeyed and grabbed her sword that was propped against her bed before turning around sharply and pointing it away from Morgause in a high-guard stance. The obscurement vanished right then and there as Mordred's face and identity came into view for her. Mordred's face was serious for a moment, but then she hefted the sword onto her shoulder and gave a fierce smirk. Morgause noticed that Mordred looked taller, stronger, and certainly more fearsome with her armor on, but she was perceptive enough to note how Morgan's enchantment specifically mentioned weapons forged by man as being incapable of harming her. But it seemed already that Mordred believed herself invincible, but Morgan made Morgause disabuse that notion immediately.

But this didn't deter Mordred's excitement nor her enjoyment of the armor. If anything, this made her more excited.

"Good. It'd be boring if I was invincible. I wanna have a good fight and only the best deserve to take a shot at me! Plus, what are the odds I'll face weapons not made by man aside from the Round Table and King Arthur?"

"You'd be surprised.", was all Morgause had to say.

After that, she made Mordred practice dismissing her armor to her undergarments before putting it on again. All of this came easily to the young knight, but in her excited haste, she went so far as to completely dismiss her armor to the point where she stood nude in front of her Mother. Morgause quickly looked away as Mordred re-summoned her armor and full helm. Satisfied that Mordred had become proficient in her armor, now was the time to put it to use. The others were at the training grounds and so Mordred had best hurry there to test the Wyvern Armor in combat.

/~/

Gareth

The training grounds were outside the fortress of Din Eidyn itself, so Gareth rode her pony and saw that her brothers Gawain and Gaheris were practicing their jousting. Gawain had donned his silver armor without its cape while Gaheris was wearing the heavier training plate armor. The Knight of the Sun and his squire charged at each others training dummies and successfully landed their blows with the lance. Gawain's lance broke off and he rode past the dummy expertly before Gaheris followed suit. Gareth cheered for them both as did the others in the grounds. Gawain waved cheerfully at Gareth before he looked over her and his expression slowly faded from cheerful to a slight frown. Gareth was slightly confused and she followed his gaze as she saw a lone rider approaching on a black charger. They wore heavy plate armor with a fully concealing greathelm with large horns. The faceplate made it look like it the figure was glaring at you and even the people around her seemed to be nervous. There were whispers of uncertainty and even fear as the figure rode closer.

The galloping horse slowed to a canter and then a trot, showing that the knight was clearly an experienced rider.

"And just who do you think you are coming in here like that?", called Gaheris in challenge.

The knight however didn't even look at him and instead he guided his horse into the jousting pit.

"Oi, I'm talking to you knave!", said Gaheris, irritated that he was being ignored.

"Gaheris, cease this at once.", ordered Gawain sharply before he called over to this mystery figure and asked him who he was.

"Hello... brothers.", came the voice, obscured by the helm, but sounding deep and reverberating like a growl, "How do you like my new armor?"

Wait... it couldn't be, could it?

"Mordred...?", asked Gareth cautiously.

"Yes. It is I. Sir Mordred."

Gareth felt a slight chill at the intimidating armor her sibling was wearing and she disliked the way Mordred's voice came out so harshly because of the helm.

Gawain's face became calmer as he said, "Well that armor... is quite intimidating Sir Mordred. Will you not take your helmet off so that we can talk better?"

"No."

Gawain was slightly taken aback by the flat refusal of his younger brother, but he had the calm sense to ask why.

"I swore a holy vow.", was the reply and Mordred would not say any more on the matter.

"Very well then. If it is between you and the Lord God, then I shall not pry."

Gawain was fine with letting it at that, but Gaheris instantly began to pick at the armor. It was too bulky and was likely to get caught on things. Not only that, but it just seemed too heavy and wildly impractical to wear in serious knighthood. He even questioned if the armor was ceremonial or was meant to be worn.

"Care to pit your strength against it?", came the reply. Gareth was surprised at just how confident and daring Mordred sounded, but she was even more astonished when she said, "No, not you Gaheris."

Mordred pointed a finger at the Knight of the Sun and said, "You. If I am to be a Knight of the Round Table, I want to pit my strength against the best."

Gareth and Gaheris as well as the other people standing in witness were in frank astonishment at this declaration of challenge. Only few have every walked away from a duel with Sir Gawain himself! Sir Gawain's prowess was so great that only the best Round Table Knights had been able to give him a decent challenge and there were too few foes who had ever been able to give him trouble. All watched with bated breath at how Sir Gawain would take such a challenge.

But then Sir Gawain laughed gently and he rubbed the back of his head. Gaheris's mouth hung open as his older brother even was blushing!

"Well thank you sincerely for the compliment my dear Sir Mordred. I often imagined only King Arthur or Sir Lancelot being better than me, but to hear such praise from you is really meaningful!"

Gareth giggled a little to herself. Of course Gawain wouldn't be insulted by such a bold challenge from his brother and instead only feel complimented. Mordred's hand wavered slightly and she made a growling noise before Gawain cheerfully informed her he would gladly train with her.

So the two knights went to the dueling pit just outside the jousting pit as the people began to cheer for their beloved Knight of the Sun. Gareth however cheered for both her siblings as the two knights picked their steel longswords that were blunted for practice. The dueling pit had training dummies on the edges near the wooden fence and was a large circular arena with a dirt floor. Sir Gawain and Sir Mordred bowed their heads to each other before getting into their respective stances. Gareth saw Gawain adopt his unorthodox stance with his sword held under his opposite arm as if in preparation for a backswing. Mordred on the other hand had the high-guard stance with the tip pointed at Gawain.

Gaheris shoved his way past the serfs and soldiers to get next to Gareth as she watched the two combatants circle each other.

"How long before Mordred yields?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen Sir Mordred fight, so I don't know how well he'll do.", admitted Gareth.

"Eh, Mordred fights well enough, but he lacks in technique in favor of using brute strength and savagery."

Gareth glanced up at Gaheris to scold him before the crowd cheered as Gawain and Mordred began their training duel.

/~/

By the time the, "duel" was finished, Gaheris and Gareth watched in stunned silence at the destruction of the training grounds. The practice battle had become a stalemate where neither side had been able to truly hurt the other, but Sir Gawain and Sir Mordred had gotten too into their duel. Gawain was all but invincible when the sun was at its peak thanks to a blessing from a saint that increased his strength threefold during certain hours of the day. But Mordred had proven terribly tenacious and stubborn thanks to his new armor. Nothing that Gawain got his hands on harmed Sir Mordred in any way. They had broken practically every weapon they could each get their hands on and even imbuing their weapons with their mana had done little to change the stalemates.

Gawain's flame-infused weapons shattered on their every strike as did Mordred's red-lightning infused weapons. Fires were started and just beginning to fizzle out as the pair had eventually gone down to their fists to make the others submit. Despite the new armor he wore, Mordred was unable to effectively fight Gawain without a weapon as every blow was shrugged off by the more experienced and powerful knight. But Gawain's own fists were able to pummel the younger knight and knock him down over and over. But Mordred continued to get back up. Both Gareth and Gaheris watched from a safer distance in astonishment as they saw Gawain panting and looking a little tired as Mordred got back up yet again from being knocked down.

"Enough...!", panted Gawain, "Yield brother! You are a splendid knight, but please give this a rest-"

Mordred roared as he charged in and leapt at Gawain before stomping on his face with an armored foot before landing back on the charred earth. Gareth covered her mouth in shock as Gawain took a step back from the blow and reeled backwards. Even Gaheris looked with wide eyes in disbelief. But Gawain suddenly recovered and with blinding speed he charged forward and rammed his shoulder into Mordred to knock him back onto the ground.

Gawain's eyes glowed dangerously as heatwaves began to simmer off him. His eyes glowed yellow as he wiped blood from his nose and glared at Mordred who was struggling this time to get back to his feet. The heat began to grow more intense before Gareth couldn't take it anymore.

"Stop it! The both of you!", she shouted as she ran to Gawain and quickly wrapped her arms around his waist to halt his movement. Thankfully Gawain put himself back under control before his mana could burn his little sister.

Gawain blinked and the dangerous look vanished as Gareth pleaded for both of them to stop fighting. Mordred got back to his feet finally and somewhat unsteadily walked forward. The dirt and burn marks faded as Gareth saw him get closer before she placed herself in between Gawain and their half-brother.

"Please!", she said firmly with tears forming at the corners of her eyes, "No more fighting!"

She pouted a little and adopted the puppy-dog look from before and despite the helm, she could tell Mordred was hesitant to move any further. Finally, Mordred grumbled that it was only training and that he got what he wanted.

"Hell of a match though, huh Sir Gawain?"

The youngest Orkney looked over her should to see Gawain looked around before he sighed at the destruction. Their father would not be happy about this and she heard him mutter that didn't even want to guess the cost of repairs. But still... she knew that her brother had not cut loose like that in so long a time and as bad as the damages were, he was still holding back. Gawain placed a hand reassuringly on Gareth's shoulder before he stepped around her and approached Mordred."

Gareth watched as the two regarded each other before they both clasped each others arms in a firm and brotherly shake.

"It was indeed a fun match Sir Mordred."

/~/

Mordred

Lot had indeed been furious over the destruction, but he only yelled at her and Gawain for a good thirty minutes before he told them to get out of his sight until supper. Mordred had gone back to her room and dismissed the armor in favor of her undergarments. She felt quite sore from the beating that Gawain had given her even with the armors protection. Mother's enchantments had worked better than she expected. None of the weapons that Gawain had used were able to harm her and even when infused with his mana they did little against her. In truth, Mordred was privately surprised how much stronger Gawain was. She had read and heard of his exploits, but to see it in action was quite another thing.

In fact, he probably wasn't even going all out. Mordred had to employ everything she knew just to keep up with him and Gawain was barely sweating from her efforts. This rankled her pride, but she tried to tell herself it was to be expected. Still, she hated that she didn't actually win. She wanted to at least knock the big lug down, but she couldn't even do that! She was so deep in her thoughts that she didn't heart the insistent knocking at her door. She hurriedly donned her armor before asking who was at her door.

"It's Gareth!", came the whisper from the other side and Mordred let her in somewhat reluctantly.

Ever since she had discovered her identity, Gareth had made ingratiating efforts to get closer to her. But Mordred found that the more she interacted with Gareth, the less annoyed by her she felt. She just took some getting used to even if all they did was just talk about things.

But Gareth held a sack with her as she entered Mordred's room and quickly went to draw the curtains to make sure nobody was watching. The room was still fairly lit thanks to the lamps in her room, so they could easily talk and see each other.

"Mordred? I have a request I wish no... I beg something from you."

Gareth set her sack aside before she bowed down on one knee to the surprise of Mordred.

"I will squire for no other knight besides Sir Lancelot, but I beg of you Sir Mordred, let me tend to you as a page. I can look after you too and take care of other needs!"

"So... just like a squire?"

"No! More like... a Big Sister taking care of her younger sibling."

Mordred groaned and made to dismiss her, but Gareth stood back up and held her hand.

"Please Mordred. I want to look after you and help you. It has been only so short a time since we met but I already dearly love you. "

Confusion and a jumble of emotions began to run through the young knight as Gareth held her hand tenderly.

Mordred yanked her hand and turned away, not knowing what she was feeling. Anger was one of them, so she focused on that as Gareth looked at her with distress.

"You don't even know me. All you know is my secret. You know nothing of what I've endured, so how could you possibly be able to care for me? Nobody has ever known me. I am a bastard born of infidelity. So what good would come of getting close to me?"

Her voice came out harshly, but Gareth had apparently decided to press on because she circled around and got in front of Mordred before she spoke again and placed her hands on her cuirass to stop her from turning away.

"Then let me get to know you! Let ME be the first."

Gareth looked up at Mordred and placed a hand on the side of the metal faceplate as she gazed directly at her sibling. It was strange, but she couldn't picture her sister's face. She knew who she was looking at, but it was like looking into a black void as she gazed into the eye slits. The longer she gazed into the eye slits of the armor, the more difficult it became to hold the gaze and her eyes became strained as if she were keeping them open for too long when she was tired.

"Mordred? Can you let me see your face. I beg you."

The knight took Gareth by the rest and firmly but gently removed her hand from the helm. But as she did so, Mordred saw that Gareth's hands were somehow captivating to the eye. Each finger was slender and the nails were perfectly manicured trimmed with a natural subtle and timeless sheen. The skin, smooth and porcelain-like, bore a natural blush, reflecting both youth and refinement despite their desire to wield a sword or couch a lance. Veins traced a gentle pattern beneath the surface, reminiscent of the intricate veins in a delicate leaf.

But with a force of will, her Helm of Infidelity retracted itself into her armor. Mother had told her that even with her helmet off, so long as she did not hold a blade. But Gareth was looking at her directly and she seemed to perceive her completely. Gareth's eyes widened slightly and she gasped softly.

"Mordred you're so... so... comely! You look like the perfect knight only born of a damsel's dream."

Gareth moved her hand back to Mordred's cheek and although Mordred resisted a little at first from embarrassment and grumbled, but the youngest Orkney delicately caressed her cheek and smiled fondly at her. Mordred felt her will to resist slowly ebb away as she experienced something new. It was a gesture of affection so gentle that it felt like the first warm rays of sunlight after a prolonged winter. The touch carried an unspoken language of care and compassion that Mordred knew in her heart that was truly sincere. The sensation was unfamiliar yet incredibly comforting, as if a reservoir of emotions had been unlocked by this simple, heartfelt gesture that ate away at the previous flurry of hitherto unknown emotions.

It was then that Mordred sighed as she gave in to and despite herself she smiled. Perhaps it was because she had been denied a confidant for so long that the prospect of having somebody she could count on was something new she would try after all.

"Fine. Do whatever you want Gareth. If you're gonna look after me, then be prepared because I'm gonna work your ass off!"

"Language!", chided Gareth as she pulled her hand back and pointed her finger at her, "You are a knight, so you can't be so uncouth!"

"Aah whatever. So what are you going to do to start?"

"Well, what do you want me to do, Sir Mordred?"

But before her half-sister could answer, Gareth brightened and her hair tufts perked up as she said, "Oh! How about I comb your hair for you? It's a little messy from your training with Big Bro!"

So Gaheris went to the sack she brought and emptied the contents. Insider were combs, brushes, rags, oil for armor, needle and thread, and several other miscellaneous things that Gareth knew Gaheris used to assist Gawain as his squire.

She turned to her sibling and approached her with a comb and brush, ready to begin her Big Sister duties.

"We'll have to make this quick because father is dining with King Pellinore again tonight and he wants us all to be present."

/~/

Gareth

The sun had begun to set by the time she finished brushing her sister's hair. Mordred knew only the most basic of self-grooming and as the two talked, she began to learn about her half-sibling. Mordred had been alone for most of her life and with only Morgan le Fay to guide her. The knight she herself had squired for also hadn't taught her very much about self-grooming, but he did mention about how appearance was important for a knight in order to have the best possible presence they could in front of others.

But Mordred it seemed was glad to be able to have somebody to talk to even if she didn't quite realize it just yet. She even managed to get a smile from her more than once as she listened to Mordred's stories and of her feats. Gareth gasped in all the right places, she frowned or had a smile as was appropriate at the various point in Mordred's stories. But when Mordred dismissed her armor to reveal her scant undergarments, the Big Sister in Gareth was aghast at how her sister was so ignorant with how she was supposed to look. Morgan le Fay clearly had not explained to her that women were not supposed to show off... so much skin.

Mordred didn't understand very well, but she promised she would be careful to not show her undergarments anyway, although it was grudgingly done so. As a reward, Gareth made sure to trim Mordred's nails as well and removed the dirt under them. Then with a loving kiss on her Mordred's cheek, she gathered her things before she went to get ready for supper with her father and King Pellinore.

Later that evening, when she and the rest of her family were seated at a table with King Pellinore in a place of honor, the discussion was about territory, expansion of troops, the importance of loyalty and a great many other things that Gareth didn't really understand. But there was definitely tension in the air that made her feel uneasy. This only grew worse when King Pellinore approached her to speak with him about the gravest of matters.

/~/

Months later...

Mordred

The Young Knight of Orkney rode over the hill and sighed in relief as she gazed upon Din Eidyn in the distance. The fortress was surrounded by a thick fog, completely obscuring it from sight, but Mordred knew that it was there as ever.

"Come on men! Home's in sight!", she called over her shoulder to her soldiers and she dug her heels into her horse, "Midnight" to prompt her mare to begin trotting homeward. As she rode, Mordred began to reflect on her time at Din Eidyn.

In the months after she first donned her armor, Mordred had experienced a new life like no other at Din Eidyn. True to her word, Gareth would attend to her every day and watch her as she trained. Mordred even began to enjoy this newfound companionship and having somebody simply to talk to to and share her thoughts and feelings with. Gawain had departed a week after their arrival and Gaheris had gone with him to return to King Arthur's side. Mordred's role was to patrol the lands surrounding Din Eidyn along with a contingent of soldiers to ensure law and order was kept. She grew into the role quickly and found that despite her rough start the men were fast developing a loyalty for her and a respect for her strength.

Thanks to the enchantment of her armor, none of the men were able to view her as anything else aside from being a powerful knight of Lot. She also refused to let anybody else tend to her needs except for Gareth whenever she returned back to the fortress. The youngest Orkney was always faithfully waiting for her to hear about her stories and to learn anything Mordred could tell her about her adventures. When it came to her father, Mordred only interacted with Lot at mealtimes which he ordered his family to always participate in everyday they were together or when he gave her orders to follow.

But as time went on, Lot ordered her away on campaigns of her own and trusted her with more duties that would see her away from Gareth and her mother for weeks at a time. She even once led a successful raid against a Saxon camp, rescuing the people who had been captured. In battle, she was invincible in her armor against the weapons that her foes brought to bear on her and she cut enemies down as easy as a scythe cut down wheat. Despite the previous warning of the Green Knight, Mordred couldn't help but enjoy the thrill of real combat. To her, the foes she cut down weren't even real people. Mother and Lot had emphasized to her to close her heart to foreign invaders and even Gawain had told her that the Saxons weren't as important as their own people. So between her patrols and her training, Mordred looked forward to her time with Gareth.

Mother had departed from Din Eidyn while she was away and had only left a note for her to which a sorrowful Morgause delivered to her. She was to continue her faithful service to Lot, to obey Morgause in all things as if she were Morgan le Fay herself, and that she would be there to witness her triumph at Camelot. The night Mordred learned this, Gareth had been the one to bring her some comfort and she confided into the youngest Orkney that this was not the first time Morgan le Fay had abandoned her. She had refused to cry, but Gareth had held her and that was more than enough comfort for her.

Mordred was looking forward to seeing Gareth again, but her musings were interrupted when a carriage pulled by a team of horses was running like the devil was chasing them. A coachman shouted and urged his horses on and Mordred barely gave them a notice before she caught the scent of something smoke in the air.

"Sir Mordred! The fortress!"

One of her soldiers let out a panicked shout and she saw through the fog that Din Eidyn was had pillars of smoke rising through the fog! The peasants were hurriedly trying to get buckets of water to put out the flames and Mordred instantly charged ahead. Was an enemy attacking while they were gone!? What had happened!? Anger at this treachery filled Mordred and she urged Midnight to go as fast as she could. A sick knot filled her stomach at the thought that something could have happened to her sister while she was away. There were soldiers fighting and to Mordred's relief, she saw one of the bannermen holding aloft the golden double-headed eagle on a purple field to signal that Gawain was in the castle! The battle was surely won, but Mordred would not merely watch.

"Hang on Gareth! I'm coming!"

/~/

Morgan

Morgan perfectly mimicked Morgause's terrified desperation as she clutched onto Pellinore's sword arm as he raised it to finish off Lot.

"No! Leave him alone!", she screamed before Pellinore shoved her away to avoid hurting her further.

He was wounded himself from his battle with Lot and he panted heavily as he just barely blocked an overhand swing from his foe. Morgan knew that Pellinore was a doughty fighter and had even been able to give his dear friend Arthur a fair contest in battle with sword and lance. Despite his age and being considered a bumbling fool, he was still a king and a warrior. Morgause picked herself up and was almost in disbelief at how perfectly her plan was going.

Pellinore had ever been suspicious of Lot ever since his rebellion all those years ago when he called himself a king in his own right. It had taken some careful suggestions and insinuations on her part, but Lot of his own free will began to conspire to restart his rebellion against King Arthur. He had spoken to only his most trusted men and had written letters that were evidence of his treason to other lords and barons who had once stood with him. But Morgan had her own ways through magic to find out just who he was speaking with and she had even insured that one, "accidentally" made its way to Gareth.

The poor child had been truly heartbroken to learn that her father was planning treason against King Arthur and by extension, Sir Lancelot. She had been the one to comfort the youngest Orkney and urge her to try to separate herself from her father lest she be deemed a traitor as well. Morgan learned that Gareth had been coaxed into confiding that King Pellinore had approached her some time ago to ask her questions about Lot and his loyalty. He had reassured her that if Lot confessed, he would not be harmed and nothing would happen to Gawain, Gaheris, Agravain, her mother, Mordred, or Gareth herself.

Furthermore, Pellinore had promised that if Gareth helped him, he would see to it that Gareth would be able to come to Camelot with the blessing of King Arthur to squire for Lancelot. He had even produced his promise in writing some time later for Gareth. Morgan could not have been more pleased with this development than if Pellinore had acted on her orders. But the oaf had even had the gall to understand that if Gareth didn't wish to help then Pellinore would hold no grudge or blackmail over it and even apologized dearly for the distress he caused the youngest Orkney before Pellinore gave the letter to Gareth to do with as she would with it.

So Morgan had been forced to act and everyday continued to subtly push Gareth more and more into accepting Pellinore's offer. Using the memories of Morgause, Morgan knew exactly how to persuade Gareth Gareth had been adamant in not betraying her father, so Morgause had written to Gawain to beg him to come home. She explained that she believed Lot was conspiring to commit acts of treason and that it had been Gareth who discovered proof of treachery. With the evidence included in her letters, all she had to do was wait for Mordred to be gone and for the plan to be executed. Gawain had refused to believe his father to be a traitor and he had wrote back that he would be there with Pellinore to determine the truth before Merlin. An arrest and a trial was what he sought, but he reassured his mother that he would be there and to not inform Lot of his arrest.

Morgan understood that Gawain wanted this affair handled as quietly as possible, but she wasn't going to give him that chance. Lot had served his purpose and so he had to go. She admitted she would miss him a little since she had used Morgause's body to give her children. Morgause may have been the one to do the work, but it was Morgan who was their true mother since they were only born because of her.

So in the dead of night the day before they were due to arrive, Morgan had gone to Gareth to awaken her and inform her that her father learned she had been talking to Pellinore and was planning on killing her. Gareth of course had been in frank disbelief and refused to even think that Lot would harm her. But Morgan firmly told her that Lot had always hated Gareth anyway for being a girl and this was just an excuse to get rid of her like he did with their first daughter. She reminded Gareth of how Lot never treated her like her brothers and that for her own well-being she would need to leave Din Eidyn that very night.

But still Gareth had not believed her and begged to go talk with her father to help him see reason. That was when Morgan used her trump card.

"Mordred loves you too you know. When Lot harms you, who do you think will be the first to avenge you? I will certainly try, but I am not skilled at arms like your brother. Mordred will surely be roused to wreak a terrible vengeance upon Lot and when that happens, do you know what the consequences will be? Mordred will be tainted as a kinslayer and he will never be able to achieve his dream to join the Round Table. Furthermore, Gawain himself would be honor bound to avenge his father and slay Mordred. But... if you still think it best to speak with Lot, then let us away this very moment."

From the beaten look on Gareth's face, Morgan knew that she had won as the youngest Orkney told her that she would leave. So Gareth hurriedly packed clothes and a few items of significant value to herself before she dressed in her usual garments. Morgan made sure she kept the letter from Pellinore and instructed her to give it to no one but Agravain. Her brother would see to her safety. She continued her role as the heartbroken mother as she tearfully kissed Gareth's cheek before she told her she loved her and placed her in a carriage and had her spirited away from Din Eidyn with no one the wiser.

The very next day, Gawain and Pellinore had arrived with a contingent of soldiers at Din Eidyn while Morded was away on a week-long campaign in a show of force. Lot received them warily and took the two into the privacy of his chambers. Morgan was there to witness and she kept her expression perfectly neutral. Pellinore, bedecked in the armor he wore during his days as the Black Knight bluntly told Lot that he and Gawain were there to take him into custody on charges of high treason in the name of King Arthur. Gawain pleaded with his father to tell them that it was a mistake and that Gareth had misunderstood his letters. Lot had looked aghast and turned to Morgan before demanding if she knew any of this.

Perfectly imitating Morgause's voice, she told him, "They already know Lot. I found your letters and that you planned to kill Gareth for it. I will not you bring harm to our daughter!"

"You vile, treasonous BITCH!", choked Lot, so enraged that he stormed over to her and struck her with a back-handed fist so hard that it knocked Morgan to the ground. Her vision swam slightly as Pellinore bellowed for Lot to stop what he was doing. Gawain also pleaded for his father to stop what he was doing, but when Lot drew out his sword to kill Morgause, Pellinore was the one to leap into action. He tackled Lot over and the pair rolled over before they got to their feet and Pellinore drew his own sword before the two began a furious duel.

The doors burst open and the guards were in shock as Lot roared for them to kill Morgause and Pellinore. Gawain told the men to stand down, but Lot bellowed at them that he was their lord and they were sworn to obey.

Morgan pushed herself up and she watched with wry amusement as the guards drew their swords and attacked Gawain when he placed himself between her and the guards. The Knight of the Sun begged them to stop as he drew his own sword as Pellinore and Lot dueled when one of the guards mumbled an apology before he used his spear to try to dart under Gawain's arm and kill his mother. Gawain caught the spear by its shaft as the tip stopped mere inches from her face and it was clear it only got that far because Gawain hesistated. But he got over it quickly as he cut the spear in half and threw the piece he held like a javelin to pierce through the guard.

"Madness! Sir Gawain's gone mad! All together men!", called the captain of the guards, "Quick! Defend Lord Lot!"

Morgan observed that these fools thought they were defending Lot as they charged to Gawain, hoping to use numbers to overwhelm him. Gawain had been provoked into a rage and so he began to cut a path through men he had known for years to protect his mother. He ran outside and drew the guards out as horns began to blare. Shouts were heard and Morgan heard them declare that Gawain had attempted to kill his own father.

This was an unexpected surprise, but a welcome one to Morgan as she turned to observe the battle before her eyes.

Lot and Pellinore fiercely fought, but Pellinore wore armor and he was able to withstand the younger man's attacks even though they were faster and driven by a furious rage. But Pellinore had not lived so long by merely being a bumbling fool and even with his age, every blow from his sword nearly disarmed Lot. But Lot had the advantage of being younger by over a decade and a half and was frighteningly angry besides. But their swords clashed and Pellinore fought with composed elegance despite his age while Lot's own fury struck his opponent multiple times. Even though he wore no helm, Pellinore's armor protected him and he used it to its full advantage as he waited for an opportunity to strike.

/~/

Gawain

Gawain let out a yell as he swung Galatine in a wide arc, igniting the very air in a burst of flames and sent three men flying backwards. They landed in hay and in rushes, causing a fire to spread. Gawain yelled over the crackling flames for the guards to stand down and to listen to him. But their blood was up in a frenzy and a terror as they continued to attack Gawain. They couldn't harm him thanks to his armor and the fact that the sun was still between the hours of noon and three. But it caused him immense pain that these men whom he had known for so long had so readily turned on him and even began to accuse him of being the traitor to his father.

The accusations only added fuel to Gawain's anger and he had to remember to control himself as he burned four more men alive with his sword to not destroy Din Eidyn. Suddenly, arrows began to fly and bounce off him, with one hitting him in his unarmored head. It didn't really hurt, but he focused his attention on the archer who shot at him. He grimaced and without looking, grabbed another guard by the neck before he span in a circle once and threw the man at the archer with enough force to knock them both over the side of the battlements.

Arrows began to fly more and arch over the walls of the fortress. The soldiers outside Din Eidyn were being shot at, so they had opted to defend themselves rather than break and flee. The portcullis began to close, so Gawain ran for it and caught it overhead before his men outside Din Eidyn were trapped outside and unable to help. Already they had suffered losses just fighting up the winding road to the fortress and it was only thanks to the fog that covered the hill that the casualties weren't as bad as they could have been. Gawain strained and squat low before he let out a fierce grunt and shoved the gate upwards to allow his men full access to the fortress.

"Cut down anybody who fights, but spare all those who yield!", Gawain shouted in a loud voice above the sounds of battle, "And get the serfs to help bring water! We must save the fortress before it burns down!"

Gawain to find a stairway to take him to the battlements to cut down the archers. They refused to listen to him as he ordered them to stand down, but he didn't want to kill any more lives if it could be helped. So he used the flat of his sword without its sun-infused mana to knock them out or incapacitate them so that they could no longer fight back. The fire was spreading further and causing large plumes of smoke to appear as Gawain's soldiers hurried to defeat the Din Eidyn militia in order to put the fire out. Fortunately, it was nearly fifteen minutes of fierce fighting before the guards finally threw their weapons down and surrendered.

But Gawain had no time to issue anymore orders and instead hurried back to his father's chambers, praying that he would be there in time. Alas, that hope had been dashed when he returned to see that he was far too late. Pellinore's armor was dented in several places and he had a nasty cut on his head that caused blood to turn his beard a dark red. His sword was covered in Lot's blood and Morgause was sobbing over her husband. The flames of rage changed from an inferno into ice as he stood over his father.

"Sir Gawain... I didn't... I didn't mean to."

"You said he would only be arrested.", interrupted Gawain in a daze as he looked at the lifeless body of his father, "You swore before King Arthur that my father would not be harmed and you would let me deal with him if there was violence. "

"Aye. I did... I'm sorry Sir Gawain. But... there was blood and I felt myself slip. My sword it... I didn't mean to. I stumbled and it was an accident!"

But before King Pellinore could speak further, there was a choking gasp and he groaned in pain as Gawain drew Galantine through his armor as easily as a hot knife through butter. Gawain's expression of dull misery didn't change as he held King Pellinore until he let out his last breath. Gawain avenged his father, but he knew that he in slaying King Pellinore, there would never be peace between their families. He was honor bound to avenge any slayings of his kin no matter who they were, but this was a deed that would weigh heavy in his soul. His mother stood up and with bloody hands, she turned him to face her. Her eyes were glassy and she seemed to have aged before his eyes because her eyes were no longer the gentle and warm green shade. They had gone pale and miserable, but her voice reached him as she said that he did the right thing.

Her voice was far off to Gawain, but then he heard one of his soldiers call his name.

"Sir Gawain! More of Din Eidyn's men are approaching from the north! An armored figured is leading them!"

"Mordred.", whispered Morgause before she made Gawain look at her again, "Go to your brother. He must know what has happened here!"

Too much was happening at once, but Gawain knew he had to act and prevent his brother from being entangled in this mess. He was glad Gaheris wasn't here and he had no idea how to explain all this to Gareth, so he gathered himself with a will of effort before he proceeded out to the fortress grounds and left Morgause behind with the bodies of Lot and Pellinore. He arrived just in time as Mordred arrived along with his mounted knights. The younger knight jumped off his black charger before he hurried over to him.

"Gawain! What happened here!? What the hell is going on!?"

Gawain was silent and was hardly able to believe what had happened himself before Mordred punched him in the shoulder and demanded answers. The Knight of the Sun reeled slightly before he told Mordred that Lot had been conspiring to betray King Arthur. Pellinore and he had been sent to bring him into custody, but things went wrong and Lot had ordered his militia to kill Pellinore and his mother, so Gawain had no choice but to defend her.

Mordred looked around at the fires that were being put out before he demanded to know where Gareth was. But Gawain could only stare at Mordred as he realized with dull horror that he had absolutely no clue where their sibling was and looked to see that one of the burning buildings was the royal apartments and fire had engulfed Gareth's room.

"Gawain! Where's Gareth!? WHERE IS GARETH!? Gawain! ...GAWAIN!"


Immortal: HAPPY NEW YEARS! IT WAS A STRUGGLE BUT I FINALLY GOT THIS STORY OUT AT THE START OF THE NEW YEARS! THE HARD PART IS PAST AND NOW THAT I'M OVER THE HURDLE, NOW I CAN FINALLY, FUCKING FINALLY GET TO THE CHAPTER I'VE BEEN WAITING SO LONG TO SHOW YOU ALL!

To my reviewers whom I haven't replied to, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping to keep this story alive. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! To be continued for now until the next chapter... where Mordred fights for the right to be a Knight of the Round Table!