A woman approaches me. A woman clad in a beautiful blue war dress. Blood that was not her own spattered all around her callous-less hands and slender arms. She was melancholic. But her face gave off no emotion to hint at the fact that she was. It was just… all in her eyes. The emotions that I could see in them are as intense as a terrible storm! But on the outside, she was blank like a sheet. But that does not do anything to hide her true feelings. For I knew her better than most.
As she was nearing me by a couple of feet, realized that I was lying on my back on the ground. As I tried to stand up, my body did not respond. I tried again. And still no avail. I tried moving my head alone, and as I thought about doing so, my head moved on its own accord. Shifting my gaze to another person, who was running towards me as well but was clearly lagging behind. That woman was wearing a face of dismay. And behind her eyes was a cloudy fog that hides her true feelings. But for what? Why is she dismayed? And why is my precious Arturia on the brink of tears? (Well, maybe not exactly on the brink. And not exactly crying either. But it was still impressive to see her showing emotions like this.)
Arturia finally came to my side and lifted my head. Only then did I get to see the bloody patch that was my gut. So that's why I couldn't move. My arms are covered in blood like my torso. So that blood on Arturia's hands are…
"You're an idiot. Emiya Shirou. A bold and brave idiot for sure. But an idiot nonetheless." Said the woman who was lagging behind Arturia. She was supposed to sound annoyed and pissed but her sigh of relief and exasperated tone cancelled out her harsh words. She then proceeded to grab something from the pocket of her red jacket and knelt to my vacant side. In her hand was a green gem, and she proceeded to chant something under her breath and then a light sprung from it. And soon after that light emerged, I saw my wounds heal.
"This should be a temporary fix. For now. All I've done is to stop the blood from gushing out even more than it already has." The woman with the gem told Arturia.
"Then I shall bring him back home. I shan't trust my master's life upon another master of this war. So, leave now."
"You forget, Saber. Our masters have allied. So like the noble and upright knight that you are, you must honour the agreement." A silver haired man mockingly told Arturia. Where did he come from? Must've not seen him come.
"Plus, this is no time to argue. Emiya-kun needs to be taken care of. I promise you, Saber. I will not harm him in any way. So, let us come with." the woman who healed Shirou said.
"...Alright… I will allow it. But make one wrong move-"
"And we'll be at the mercy of your invisible blade. We know. Now hand me the boy. I will carry him to safety." The red clad silver haired man ordered.
"He is MY Master. I will deal with him."
And so, Arturia did. She gracefully carried me like a bride would've on her wedding day. She was careful not to open up the recently healed wounds. And it showed in her grip and slow pace. As she looked down on my face, she was neutral. Calm as a brick. But I know what is going on in her mind. And it was amusing too. To see through her cold and collected facade and witness her being perplexed at the suddenness and the… selflessness she just witnessed a couple minutes prior. It was adorable to watch. But alas, this joy -like all things- must come to an end. For if I am righ-
"Wakey wakey, sleepy head! His Majesty's calling you."
"You're late again, Merlin. How many times do we have to call you?"
"Yeah! Get up before I make you, you perverted runt."
'Right on schedule.' Merlin thought as he opened his eyes to stare at the morning sun illuminating his room/study. He got up from his bed and proceeded to fix it with a finger snap. He unknowingly cleaned up his entire room with said snap. But he wasn't complaining. Better to hide his research than getting caught.
'Speaking of hiding…' Merlin thought as he glanced at his Lavender shaded command seals. "Just a little illusion trick will do.' And with a flick of his right hand, the seals engraved on it disappeared.
As he waltzed his way towards his door, he took his staff that was leaning on the wall using his levitation magic; making the staff look like it was floating midair and into the mage's hand. He took a glance at his attire to see if he was dishevelled or anything. And once he was done checking and fixing his look, he opened the door.
"Finally, you're up." Gareth told the Flower Mage. "His Majesty requested your presence an hour ago."
"And he sent us here to call for you." Gaheris added. "What were you doing to wake up so late anyway?"
"Good morning to you two too, Sirs Gareth and Gaheris." Merlin said as he internally chuckled at his sentence. "As for the matter of my being waking up later than usual…I had a special guest over. And I just could not say no to her~. And so, I woke up late."
Watching the twins' faces morph into disgust and abhorrence made the smile on the mage's face grow even wider. It was fun to mess with these two. In Merlin's eyes, at least. And the enjoyment was enhanced by the fact that the twins could not do anything in the realm of reprimanding the Mage for his uncouthness and shamelessness.
"Had you not been the King's Court Mage, My fist would've ended up driven deep in your guts!" Gareth said as he marched on towards the Room of the Round Table - where the King is. Gaheris followed suit. But not without blowing a raspberry at the Flower Mage.
"Haaaaaahhh~ Humans are so fun to tease." Merlin said out loud as he began his journey to his protege's whereabouts at his own pace. "All of their reactions are so funny! Oh I cannot wait to pull a prank."
'But I'm afraid that will be for another time. Sigh.' Merlin thought as he went down the stairs of his tower. 'All this ruckus about the impending 'dark times' is causing me to lose my fun time! I wonder when this will all end… Oohh I cannot wait. I miss the feeling of a woman's warmth…'
As Merlin's thought process slowly shifted to a more obscene side, he took a turn and accidentally bumped into someone. It was a boy. Wearing clothes that could be seen among the castle cooks. But they were made with more quality compared to the rags the cooks wore. Maybe this person was someone important from the cooks?
But as Merlin looked down, he saw a dropped tray. Filled with scrumptious delicacies. They look delicious.. A couple of lamb muttons, a huge slab of beef, a lot of vegetables. And surprisingly, fine bread - a rare commodity since bread of this era is bulky and terrible in general. While it was great and all, the fact of the matter is that most of it is on the floor. Dirtied by it even.
'Hold on… where have I heard someone eating something like this…' Merin thought as time seemingly slowed around him.
'Gawain? No, he wouldn't dare eat something this exquisite. He's got that soldier mentality in him; won't eat anything that is better than the men serving Arturia and all that.
Lancelot? No, he doesn't eat much meat. And this is quite too much for his standards.
Bedivere? No, he looks like a vegan. More likely to eat grass than anything in this tray.
Agravain? No, too gloomy to want something delicious.
Oh, I know! Arturia! She fits the bill. She eats everything as long as its quality ma-.
Oh. Oh no…'
"Look what you've done, you bastard! You've messed up the King's breakfast. Now what am I going to do?" Luke screamed at the Mage, who froze at the realization he ruined Arturia's food. He's super dead to her if she finds out.
"N-now now. Don't overreact. I can fix this." Merlin hastily said as he chanted a spell in unparalleled speed. Said spell caused the food and the tray holding it to levitate to the height of the Mage's hand. After saying the last phrase of the spell, the food returned to the exact place where it was before the tray holding them fell to the ground.
"Don't. Say. A. Word." Merlin commanded as he returned the tray to the befuddled Luke. And without saying anything else. The Flower Mage went his way. In a much faster pace than before.
Later…
"Arthur~ I'm here! Now what does my cute apprentice want from his great and wise teacher?"
"Merlin. You've arrived. Now sit here and listen. There is something I need you to do."
"Oh." Merlin remarked as he sat down on one of the Chairs of the Round. "Well, that's interesting. It's very rare for you to ask me such a thing. What changed?"
"As you may know." Arturia started as she began taking a bite from the tray of food given to her by Sir Luke from the kitchens (The damn brat somehow got here first! - Merlin). "The situation between our Kingdom and the Saxons of the East has taken a bit of an… ugly turn."
"You mean we are nearing the brink of war." Merlin supplanted.
"Yes." Arturia grimply replied. "War is on the horizon and I am afraid that is not the worst of it."
"Is the fact that you accidentally sent some of your men behind enemy lines the 'worst of it'?" Merlin cheekily asked. Which caused Arturia to drop her spoon in surprise.
"...You knew…" Arturia spoke as she composed herself. "And you didn't tell me…"
"Oh come on, Arthur." Merlin said as he waved a hand in dismissal. "I'm always updated with everything concerning the Kingdom. If anything, I'm 4 steps ahead of you."
"Of course you are." Arturia grouchily remarked. "But since you know why you are here, surely you already know what I want from you."
"Not really." Merlin told his protege. "I can see the future, not the present. So, I'm going blind here."
"Your magic still confounds me to this day." Arturia said as she shook her head. "I want you to contact our soldiers currently sailing to Eastland. Captain Faust's team, if I recall. I wish for you to avail me the ability to see what they are doing. And speak to them."
"In other words. You want a telepathic link to one of your men?" Merlin asked as he tilted his head in confusion."
"Precisely." Arturia enthusiastically replied.
"Alright then. I'll see what I can do." Merlin said as he rose from his seat and walked his way to the door. As he opened the door halfway, he asked.
"Who did you want to connect to, again?"
"...I wish to speak with Captain Faust."
"Ooohhh… that might be tricky." Merlin said as he closed the door and proceeded to sit down in his former seat.
"How so?" Arturia asked.
"Well… the Captain isn't as magically tuned in like the rest of us here in the Round Table. He's going to experience some negative side effects should I connect him to a telepathic link. "
"I see… And what about Sir Mordred? He seems to be a logical candidate for the link."
"He has the strange ability to shut out any foreign magic. Probably because of that blockhead of his." Merlin chuckled at the end.
'That. Or Morgan's charms are too powerful to break.' Merlin thought to himself.
"Then who can we connect to? Those two are the only ones I could think of that we can successfully link to." Arturia asked. But as she finished her question, an image of a redhead flashed in her mind.
"I'm starting to doubt that." Merlin said as he smirked at his protégé's face of epiphany. "Well then, spit it out, Arthur. I can't stay here forever. But for you, I might."
"His name is…"
Somewhere… 2 hours before nightfall…
"Work faster!"
"Get those main sails into the wind!"
"Tighten those knots if you know what's good for you! Move!"
It was the beginning of the 2nd day of the voyage of the Abomination. A whole day passed from the festive dinner from chapter 15. It took a while for the Camelotians to adjust to the ins and outs of the ship. But once they were forced into-
"Shut the hell up, already! I'm already doing it."
"What was that, you maggot?!"
"Bite me. Asshole!"
-Oh, sorry. Where was I? Someone was being a loudmouth and interrupting my narration. Anyways, after the dinner. Horsa gently recommended that the Camelotians should work under him while on board. Why is that? Well… this is Horsa we're talking about. Abuse of power and that man go hand in hand. You could even say he gets off from abusing people. And the Camelotians are in no means to object. Since they're at the mercy of the Saxon since they are in his ship.
Actually, how did the Saxon phrase it, again?
*Flashback*
"I do not care whether or not you are mercenaries or not. You are on my ship. And my word is law. You lot will serve as part of the crew for as long as this voyage lasts. We will talk about payment soon after."
"This is outrageous! It's unfair."
"Quiet, Levi. As you will it, Lord Horsa. We will serve under you for the remainder of this journey. But I expect a hefty price for it."
"Oh, you will. Scot. The price is well worth it…"
*Flashback end*
So, in essence. He can do whatever he pleases with them with no repercussions. For now…
"You got some guts, maggot." The foreman of the deck jeered at Mordred. "But will it stand against this!"
The Red Knight was about to retort but was stopped when she felt a pair of eyes drilling into her. She knew who that was, it was the foreman's. But as her eyes glanced towards the man, she saw a whip on his hand. About to strike her right in the face. Seeing this, she responded with a lightning fast leg sweep that made the foreman fly mid air for a bit until he fell face first on the poop deck.
"Mordred! Get over here before he wakes up." Archer called out at the portside of the ship. The redhead was cleaning out the cannons to remove any trace of gunpowder within the barrels before this.
"Fucker shouldn't have messed with me in the first place." She said as she pretended to help out Archer. "That'll teach him.."
"What the hell are you doing?" Andrus called out as he ran to the Red Knight. "If you think you could just get away with it without any repercussio-"
"Wh- where did he go! Where did that fuckin' bastard went?!"
As Archer and Andrus - who was dumbfounded - looked on at the foreman that just got whooped, he couldn't help but stare at the blundering fool that was the foreman. How could the foreman not know where Mordred was when she only just moved to the other side of the ship? It's not like she went to another floor or anything.
"Once I find that maggot… he's dead! Straight up." The foreman growled in anger as he glanced around at the crew who were minding their own business.
"I saw him go down to the lower levels!" Mordred shouted at the foreman with barely restrained laughter. "Maybe you could find him there."
Without even acknowledging the Red Knight, the foreman rushed off to the stairs that lead to the lower decks of the ship and disappeared from sight.
"Hahahahhahah … What a fucking moron." Mordred laughed out.
"How the hell did you do that?" Andrus asked as he closed the distance he still had the redhead and the Red Knight. "Was that some sort of witchcraft?"
'Sort of.' Archer silently thought to himself. 'Mordred's helmet has the weirdest enchantments I have ever seen. But the concealment charms placed on it are probably in play here. But that's not all. I have analysed it enough to find some charms that allow mana to be injected into it. Charms I've found placed into each of her armour pieces. Maybe she added some mana to increase the effectiveness of the Concealment Charm placed in her helmet to some extent?''
'Of course. I might be wrong. But no one will know about it, at least.' the redhead thought to himself.
"I ain't telling. You don't get to hear it yet." Mordred replied to the ravenhead. "And even if I did tell, you won't get it.
"Alright. Alright." Andrus acquiesced. I give up. But don't pull that bullshit again, or else Horsa will have my head. And with that, he left the scene.
"What was he doing here, anyways?" Mordred asked Archer as she stared at the ravenhead.
"He watches over us while he does his duties." Archer explained as he finished up cleaning the cannon he was working on. "Since we're all separated from each other, Andrus decided he will be the one keeping us up to date with one another."
"Makes sense." Mordred said as she followed Archer to the next cannon he needed to clean. "I can't wait for this whole trip to be over."
"Same here." Archer agreed as he started brushing the inner barrel of the cannon, "If I wanted to do tedious work like this, I'd rather be in Camelot than here. If it wasn't for Horsa's demands, then I wouldn't be doing this."
"Oh yeah. You became one of the cooks, right?" Mordred asked while in thought.
"Yep. But I spent the first few days cleaning up the kitchen. It was a mess when I got there." Archer told the Red Knight as he tightened up the ropes keeping the cannon he was working on in place. "Fortunately, my work was completed in record time. A feat even the King 'himself' acknowledged."
"Well, I'll be damned. Not many people can impress the King that quickly. He just met you, and he's already showering you with praise! You must be someone special if you got treatment like that." Mordred exclaimed as she pretended to look busy while one of the foremen walked by them.
'I am… But sadly, Arturia doesn't know that.' Archer silently thought as he stopped speaking for a few seconds. Mordred stayed silent. It was appreciated by the redhead for a while. But then 10 minutes passed. A detail Archer was not expecting to notice. Because of her usual rambunctiousness, he expected something was off with Mordred. After all…
'A silent Mordred is a dangerous Mordred.' Archer thought.
As he finished up the cannon he was working on, the redhead looked up to see the Red Knight calmly look around the ship. She glanced at the tree-like masts, took a look at the port and starboard, and even speedwalked her way to the stern; glancing down to see the stained glass that covered both the Hall they ate 2 nights ago as well as the Captain's Quarters. As Archer went to Mordred's side, he saw two hanging lamps right below the grand hall. Strange.
But as he looked on, Archer saw a hand holding a torch reach out to the lamps to light them. And as he looked closer, he saw a head pop out. Enhancing his eyesight to properly see the person's face, he realized that he was looking at Corvus, the Second in command of the Abomination.
'So that's where Corvus stays… he hasn't brought us to his quarters. So it was a surprise. But the real question is… what is Mordred thinking?' Archer thought as he mooved his attention from the Saxon to the Red Knight.
But before he could voice his thoughts, Mordred asked him,
"You know how to climb?"
"...huh?" Archer asked in confusion.
….
2 hours before midnight….
"I can't believe I agreed to this…" Archer dismayingly said as he climbed up the stern of the ship.
"If we wanna get some useful information, then this is the way." Mordred loudly said as climbed ahead of the redhead.
The two decided that the best way to spend their time on this ship was through espionage. But how they went about it is quite interesting. Mordred insisted that they climb their way to Corvus' room. That way, they'll not only get there undisturbed by the Saxon himself, but also gather intel without him being any wiser. They used the windows installed in their room to get out and begin their climb. They're halfway through their climb (at the starboard side of the ship) when Archer sparked their current conversation
"But there is a risk in what we're doing. Should Corvus catch us-" Archer spoke before being interrupted by Mordred.
"Should." she said while doing quotation marks with her right hand as she grabbed onto a cannon using her left.
"-We would cause a splinter between him and Andrus. We might lose our heads for this." Archer continued.
"What? Are you scared all of a sudden?" Mordred taunted as she swung herself to another cannon.
"You can never be too cautious." Archer told the Red Knight as he caught up with her.
"Sometimes, you gotta charge head on to solve your problems Archer." Mordred said as she did one last swing to get to Corvus' window. "Like what we're doing now."
"Yeah yea-" Archer used his reinforcement to enhance his hearing. And what he heard was something he did not like.
"Make sure you're not being seen, Mordred. Someone's in the room." Archer called out.
Not having the time to question how the fuck he knew that, Mordred complied and ensured that none of her body parts are being exposed. And after that, the two waited. And waited. And waited. Until…
"Lord Horsa, what brings you here?"
"Ah Corvus. I am here to give you a task. One that is very important. So important. If you do it well, I might consider you for a promotion."
"A-a-a promotion?! What might that task be to warrant something so grand?"
"Keep a very close eye on that red headed Scot. The one Andrus brought with him."
"Archer? Why is that, my Lord?"
'Mordred, are you hearing this?' Archer conveyed with a look to the Red Knight.
'Yeah… instead of being suspicious of Andrus, he's onto you instead.' Mordred said with a look.
"I think Archer the Scot is a spy. A spy who has a vendetta against me. I think he's using Andrus to get to me." Horsa told Corvus
"But why do you think that, my lord? He hasn't done anything that shows he is aiming to kill you?" Corvus asked again.
'Holy shit, looks like you got a target on your back now.' Mordred said using a look to Archer.
'Which is better than Andrus being caught.' He replied back with a facial expression.
Silence came upon them for a while. After a few seconds, the redhead and the Red Knight heard a chair scraping the floor boards. And then a thud. Horsa sat down on a chair, hte two realized.
"Sit down, Corvus. Allow me to explain why…" Horsa commanded Corvus.
Somewhere…
"25 years ago, before the Saxon invasions. There were 4 kingdoms in Britannia. Logres, Albany, and Gales (Modern day England, Scotland, and Wales respectively. But the people of Albany are not Scottish; they are Picts) were the ones ruling over the mainland. Camelot was reduced to a mere dukedom in the Kingdom of Logres after the death of Uther Pendragon. King Arthur was probably around the age of an early teen at this time."
"Why were there three kingdoms in the mainland back then? Wasn't the whole island under the rule of Vortigern, King of the Britons back then?"
"That was just a title given to him by the people. Formally, he was known as the High King. The same title that was given to King Arthur after he restored Camelot to its former glory. The reason for Vortigern earning such a title was so that the Kings of Logres and Albany won't feel slighted by the fact that they are serving a fellow King. It's quite an injury to their ego if they were to bow to a King while they were one as well."
"Now, I mentioned 4 Kingdoms before. But I only talked about 3. The one that is left is the Kingdom of Eire. That Kingdom reigned over the island of the Irish. And was very adamant in keeping to themselves and not being lorded over by the Britons."
"I was from Eire. Was a 16 year old man when I was called to fight by the King of Eire."
"You look very young and youthful for a 41 year old man, sir."
"Thank you, Levi. Now, where was I?"
"The army I was in was tasked to aid the Kingdom of Logres against the combined forces of the Picts and the obscure Scots that came from the Distant Isles (Modern day Hebrides Islands; Both outer and inner) . The Picts of Albany had some sort of grievance with Vortigern. And the constant threats of war from Albany and the reciprocated threat from the King of Logres didn't help ease the tensions either. So, war was inevitable."
"We landed on the coast of Pictland, where Galloway is. The army of Logres and Gales led by Vortigern were supposed to meet up with us and plan a combined assault against the Picts and their allies, the Scots. However, High King Vortigern was betrayed by the mercenaries he hired. Hengist and his brother Horsa."
"So what happened next, Captain?"
"Well, Levi…"
Somewhere…..
"My brother, Hengist, sided with the Picts and Scots after killing Vortimer the son of Vortigern. Through the Saxons that were alongside him, and the support of the Picts and Scots. He faced the combined armies of Logres, Gales, and Eire. And soundly defeated them. But at a cost. Nearing the end of the battle, the General of the Army of Eire ordered a group of his men to sabotage the food and water supply of the Picts - which were guarded by the Scots."
"I do not know the rest of the story; you can ask Aedilhild for more since he was the one who oversaw it. All I know is, the Picts' numbers dwindled to less than half of what they were and the Scots were massacred as a sign of revenge. I was attacked by a redheaded Scot because of it."
"Was this man potentially connected to Archer, my Lord?"
"I doubt it. But they all looked the same, so it is possible. But that is enough for now. My point is, after all I have told you. That redheaded Scot in my ship needs to be kept watch. All of the time."
"Why not kill him, my lord? If he is such a problem, why not just nip it in the bud?"
"I want to use him. That's why. If he has mustered the courage to attempt to kill me, in my own ship nonetheless. Then he will be a useful asset against that Bitch. I want a pawn that I can use. One that cannot rebel unlike that Man who became lower than a dog against her."
"Very… brilliant, sir. That is the most splendid idea."
"Good. Your mission begins tomorrow. Do anything and everything to watch his every movement without him noticing."
"It will… be done, my lord."
And with that, Horsa walked to the door and left. Allowing Corvus to sigh tiredly.
"All I wanted was a quick way to be rich! Not become involved with a psychopath… Oh, if only there was a way to get out of this place before it costs me my life."
He bemoaned his frustrations to himself while not realizing the 2 figures climbing into his window.
"Oh, if there is a god out there. Please. Oh Please! Give me a sign to get away from this… madman! Making me stalk a potential assassin?! I'd rather run away."
"There is a God. And He's telling you to shut the hell up before I make you."
As he turned around. A gloved hand made its way to Corvus' mouth. Leaving it no room to scream out a desperate cry. The only thing he can think of at the moment is.
'God, help me.'