By the Bonfire: For those left behind.

He couldn't decide on a method of revealing the information which didn't end with those who might be at risk thinking they were being led to the slaughter. Gwyndolin's belief had left a pretty strong impression in his mind. All of which culminated in his decision to announce the news of their new adversary.

The report on the London Singularity was made public for all Servants to read and he made it clear it was compulsory. He announced over the intercom that Chaldea had engaged Gwyn in combat and suffered heavy losses on account of Seath as well. He also pointed them in the direction of Gwynevere and Velka, who had elected to stay and Faraam had…Faraam hadn't done anything.

It had been a full day since he told everyone and the God hadn't actually approached him about it once.

He had been expecting more blow back in the wake of the news that they were going to be fighting Gwyn, if he was being honest with himself, furthermore the reactions to the presence of both Gwynevere and Velka's appearances had been met with much less hostility than he had been prepared for, then again it might have been the case they were keeping it private to try and make him less concerned over everything.

Quite frankly, it was difficult to tell at the moment, the subtle belief that those around him were stepping on eggshells when they spoke with him or saw him in the hallways. Being treated differently from everyone was a bit…they hadn't come out and said it but he could tell and while he appreciated it there was still something that felt…he wasn't sure how he could put it into words.

Right now, he was just trying to put his head down and get back into the normal routine which was now a thing that existed for him. Just…

"You're frowning at your food, it's not burnt is it?" He felt his lip twitch upwards at the earnest comment from the Director, he glanced up at her and shook his head from side to side, watching as she frowned a little deeper though there was something in her eyes, he could see the concern from her but she was at least a little less blunt with it. He appreciated that a little more, he supposed.

He forked at his scrambled eggs for a few seconds longer, then took a bite out of them to show that he was at least eating, fortunately that seemed to do the trick for the Director, she closed her mouth and nodded at him approvingly as she went back to her own breakfast which was certainly not what he had been expecting. He was almost certain that fruitcake wasn't an actual breakfast.

"...What?" Olga frowned at him, then glanced down at her food and then back to him for a moment before her lips thinned, eyeing him up and down and then pulling her bowl a little closer to her. "I sincerely hope you have not been picking up some of the less than ideal habits of Romani Archaman. The very last thing Chaldea is in need of is another individual who steals from the plates of others." her eyes narrowed at him. "And he will at least not eye up my food like a vulture."

Ritsuka snorted, turning to the side and covering his mouth as he stopped the coughing laughter. He could still feel the semi-annoyed glare of the Director being aimed at the side of his head but that didn't do much more than force him into laughing some more, swiftly getting to the point where he had lowered his head onto the table, bringing his free hand up to cover his face, all while the sound of his own wheezing laughs rang through his ears.

"I-it wasn't that funny!" The flustered voice of the Director came next, dragging his hand down he looked at her face and that was a serious mistake, there was a red dusting on her cheeks as her eyes danced either side of her around the room, her downright embarrassed face just sent him spiralling into a new wave of laughs.

There was a clatter as his fork fell against the plate, he leaned back into his chair and covered the front of his face with his hands, laughing long past the point of expelling the air from his lungs and then going on even more. It had been a while since he actually laughed and at this point it felt as though he was releasing all the pent up energy, just worried in case he stopped. Maybe, but he couldn't tell.

"Haaaaaa…" When the last ounce of his breath escaped, he was certain he was red in the face by how warm he felt, pulling his hands down and seeing that the Director's face was caught between irritation and probably some genuine embarrassment there, he felt bad for the latter because he wasn't actually laughing at her. More like the real she had been genuinely afraid he was going to try and steal her food. "That's…hehehe…that's not what I was thinking of at the time…"

Her eyes narrowed slightly, her cheeks puffed before she folded her arms over her chest and jerked her head to the side. "Hmph. I-in that case, you should make things more obvious! Given the way you were eyeing up my breakfast. You were the one who made the choice to go for scrambled eggs…" she trailed off, her face softened only a touch as her eyes fell back onto him. "For what reason did you decide you would burst into laughter?"

"Nothing, nothing…" Waving his hand, he picked his fork back up and fought back another wheeze as he briefly considered how much trouble he would get himself into if he let his intrusive thoughts win. His eyes lingered on the fruit cake for a split second before clearing his throat and turning his eyes back to his own breakfast. Whether or not he was fast enough to actually get a bite of the cake before she tried to stab him with the spoon danced in his mind. Then he opted against it based on how horrible that sounded. "Just a little refreshing is all. I'm sort of worried that if I looked at anyone else's food they would have slid it over to me or something."

Looking back at her, he watched as a complicated expression washed over Olga's face, caught between bemusement and mild indignation as she leaned forwards and narrowed her eyes. Looking between her own food and then to his before she sported a rather confused frown. "Is that supposed to be some manner of compliment? You sound as though you are praising me for refusing to indulge in charity…If you actually wanted the fruitcake you would have asked for it."

Ritsuka rolled his eyes though he wasn't all that fussed about it. "Less about the fruitcake and more the principle of the matter. Though it might just be me, but I get the feeling that everyone is acting…I don't know…" bringing his hand up, he scratched the side of his head and sighed. "More considerate or something? Like, Siegward said he was going to make me up something special…"

Olga frowned at him, the confusion melting away and being replaced with something else. "I believe one would call that being considerate. Are you going to take issue with them for this?"

"No but…I don't think any of us doubted the Singularities were going to be dangerous…" That was probably it, now that he thought about it he didn't think it was really all that special what happened. From the onset they were in a bad situation and it wouldn't really get better until they defeated their growing list of adversaries. When he looked at it like that, he was more surprised it took this long for something to happen. "I'm not saying I don't appreciate kindness because I do. I really do but…I don't know."

He wasn't sure how to put it into words.

"Forget about it, probably nothing-"

"Stepping on eggshells as though you would crumble to dust the moment someone brought the topic up." He found himself cut off by the voice of the Director, glancing towards her, she leaned forwards and rested her arms on the table while looking him dead in the eyes. "Ignoring what happened…it is to stick one's head in the sand and pretend as though there isn't a problem. It is only with the admittance that there is a problem that we can correct it. Humanity is dead, thus we need to face that head on…I died."

Ritsuka winced.

"You flinch now but…" She blinked slowly "I died. There was a period of time where I died, this isn't even my real body and the magic crest of the Animusphere's…'' her expression gradually twisted. "...I doubt Chaldea will continue on when everything is resolved, even after all of this. I'm not stupid nor am I ignorant, to say nothing of the status of our position in the Clocktower once this all comes to light…generations of work gone to waste but…but our goal was never the root in the first place."

"It was…er…it was Chaldea, right?" He commented, sparing a glance around the room and then frowning to himself. That didn't quite seem right to him, when she said that she doubted Chaldea would continue on. If everything was resolved and history continued on as though nothing happened, then why would Chaldea even be in danger in the first place? "Why would it not continue-"

"That is my concern, Fujimaru." She cut him off rather sternly, levying the spoon in his direction. "And for one, after the Incineration has been resolved, Solomon and Gwyn defeated and whatever else might spring up in the end."

"...The 'Lord Father.'" He grimly commented to himself, earning a nod of the head from the Director. He had long since finished her report on the situation in Scandinavia. The report mentioned someone by the name of Arleno who was loyal to this individual and had orchestrated the entire Singularity just to test the Director. In some ways, it seemed to be of the same vein as what Velka did to Ash. Yet that did nothing for Kalameet, he'd read the transcribed conversations.

Kalameet…he really wanted to meet them because they did sound as though they were passionate. They might have been on opposite sides of everything but Kalameet was honest about it, he was a dragon doing what was best for dragons but he didn't hate humans, rather he seemed to have a lot of respect for them. Ritsuka could have a lot of respect for him as well. That might have been him but maybe it was just listening to some of the recordings, he really thought he came to understand the dragon's character.

They really did just want a better future so to see them treated like that…it left a bad feeling in his gut. Also he found something cute in the way he spoke with Da Vinci. Coming up with the nickname of Vinci for…

His mind blanked.

No way.

There was absolutely no…

"What?" Olga narrowed her eyes at him, he turned to her and blinked as she raised an eyebrow. "Yes, the Lord Father is quite the problem but we have little reason to believe them to be of the same calibre as Gwyn or Solomon…for that matter, I've noted that this 'Arleno' wielded a similarly designed sword to the same one that Ash used." she frowned "Did you ask them about that?"

Ritsuka briefly put the revelation aside and nodded once to the Director. "I did send him a mental message after I finished the report, asking if he knew anything about it…"

"And?"

"...He said I would need to be more specific about the name." He grimaced, seeing the confused expression on the Director's face. "He doesn't know how they wielded the same sword as him, nor does he know anything about a 'Lord Father' figure, as for the Arleno angle…he just said he was familiar with something like three million Arleno's and I would need to be more specific…"

Olga blinked once, then twice. "Three…what? What on earth is he-"

"His memory is…there's a lot there now…" Ritsuka exhaled, bringing his hand up and rubbing his forehead. "Probably gonna take some time to sort through everything…talked with Gwyndolin as well earlier." he could see the apprehension on her face. "He didn't…well, I can't say he wouldn't have tried anything but as for right now…he's gone away to be alone at the moment."

She hummed to him, then frowned. "Still…to make the announcement over the intercom?"

He shrugged "It was the best thing I could think of at the time and I included the preliminary report as well. Gwynevere and Velka-" the Director's face shifted with distaste at the mention of the names, but he didn't elect to comment on it. His own feelings on the pair of them didn't have much bearing on the situation. "-are there to provide any missing links. I doubt anyone would think that Gwynevere would lie about her own father…though I would have expected something from Arkon by now."

A sniffle, then he grunted. "Havel has been in the Simulator since he found out."

The Director raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Doing what?"

"Practising." He snorted somewhat loudly "Least that's what I assume he's doing, I've not been around to visit him yet. Though from what I was told, he's been fighting nothing by wyvern and dragon type enemies since the news broke." blowing out air between his teeth, he shrugged. "He's made it no secret as to how he feels about Seath and…well…apparently he was part of a rebellion against Gwyn at some point so I think we can count on him being committed to the role."

"Hmph. Relying on those two…" And just like that, the scowl was back on the face of the Director as she aggressively shovelled the cake into her mouth. Her eating habits aside, it didn't take a genius to figure out that the Director was not approving of the fact either of the Servants were here at the moment and he could definitely guess why. "Their aid is…Tch, we could get better information from others."

He wasn't going to deny that. "Maybe. Still…they are here to help in their own-"

"We're suffering from the results of their help." The Director didn't quite hiss but she came close enough that he cringed at her tone of voice, the clenching of her jaw also didn't do much to dissuade the notion of her anger either. "There's living proof of what their help looks like in Chaldea right now. I think there's been quite enough of that at the moment…you're too kind for your own good if you think to allow them here."

"I wouldn't call it: 'me being kind'." He muttered to himself with a shake of his head. "I'm just afraid of what it would turn me into if I started to…well…either way, it's mostly for my own sake that I agreed to keep them around." he waved a hand. "At least Velka, much as I disagree with her, is offering some sort of service to make amends but she's convinced she was in the right so trying to argue the point with her…it's like everyone in that family is terrifyingly stubborn when it comes to their own points of view."

Clicking her tongue, the Director glanced to the side. "...To everyone's detriment."

"Hm." He certainly wasn't going to deny that. Standing your ground was fine and all but standing your ground to the point where you alone believed you were correct was just going to end in disaster. Worse was the fact that Ash knew but didn't think he could actually break free of it. On top of that, Ritsuka wasn't entirely sure how he was supposed to support him either. Just that he was going to try his hardest and…

His thoughts trailed off as a shadow fell over the side of his table, caught mid bite as he turned his attention to the new arrival and raised a lone eyebrow, dragging the fork out from between his lips and swallowing. "Hey, Okita. Something wrong?"

Okita shook her head "Not at all, Master. Though I am sorry if this comes at a bad time for you-"

"It's fine." He sniffed, waving off her concern to her visible relief. "Did you want to sit down for breakfast as well? Or have you already eaten?"

"O-oh!" The Saber blinked, widening her eyes slightly and sending a look towards the Director for the briefest of moments before they returned to him. "I would not wish to intrude, besides, this is only going to be a short matter. Namely pertaining to my request for re-shuffle of the Servant Security force."

"Re-shuffle?"

"Yes, given that I am now the captain of it-"

She was?

His brows furrowed slightly in confusion, Okita quickly caught on and sported her own confused look. "Does…were you not aware? I thought that Arkon would have told you before he told me."

"Told…told you what?"

"He resigned from his post and placed me in command of it." She announced, much to his own surprise. Quickly turning his head to the Director and seeing her similarly caught in a state of bewilderment, though it gradually gave way to an approving nod of her head as the corners of her lips twitched upwards. "I am sorry if I have…I thought he cleared it with you beforehand."

"No it's just…he resigned? Did he say why?"

"Is it not obvious?" Olga remarked "Given that fiasco of the last few days, it should be clear that he no longer felt qualified to remain in the position of head of security and rightly so." the Director grunted. "He had split loyalties which he all but admitted, now there comes the fact we are to face Gwyn in combat in the future? I would be surprised if he did not do something such as this…" trailing off, she hummed to herself. "Still…to go through the process of selecting a successor to his role and one with experience as well, he is more diligent than I thought. At least he is taking that role seriously."

Frowning, he glanced back to Okita to see her nodding her head up and down, which probably meant the Director was roughly spot on with the assessment and he could see it. He hadn't been intending to ask for the resignation of the man, he had done what he was comfortable with. He'd explained as such and Ritsuka understood his reasoning and found it fair enough, he supposed he should have expected something like this as well. Actually, would he need to keep an eye on Arkon as well? Especially with the whole Gwyn situation.

"Silver Knight's are fiercely loyal."

Okita tensed visibly and the Director's face was awash with so much venom that he presumed she could give a cobra a run for its money. To say nothing of his own mood which violently plummeted, turning his head to his side and finding a certain dark haired Goddess having assumed a comfortable seat next to him with a carefree smile on her face.

"...You know, most people ask for permission before they sit down." He kept his voice blank as he stared at her, glancing down to where she was sitting and then back towards her face, another swift glance towards the direction of Olga quickly showed that the venom had only intensified to the point where her eyes looked like they were going to burst into flames. Suffice to say that she didn't look all that pleased. "It's called basic courtesy."

"Ah, in which case, I should offer commiserations for this slight against you." Velka's tone changed, nodding her head up and down while reaching out and sliding a muffin towards him, he glanced at the small confectionary piece and then back to the Goddess with a blank look. "Along with reparations."

Ritsuka could not help but stare at the muffin in front of him with complete disbelief, then slowly looked back up to Velka and waited for the punchline. He waited for a good ten seconds in complete and total silence, just to make absolutely certain she was not trying to make some sort of joke. To his own bewilderment, she still wore the exact same innocent smile as though she had done nothing out of the ordinary.

"...What do you want to talk about?" He closed his eyes and rolled them behind the lids, taking the muffin in his hand and dragging it towards himself only to push it to the other end of the table and away from him. Acutely aware of the disgruntled noise the Director made, probably about him letting Velka get away with this, but he was in a good mood and he wasn't going to let it get soured. "And try to make it quick."

Velka made a small humming sound before she continued on. "My thanks, though my original point remains true. Silver Knights are loyal for that is how they were made, I'm certain you're familiar with Homunculus, or one of you is at least?"

He was familiar with the term. "Artificial human looking things made with alchemy, right?" he caught the Director's blink aimed towards him, the surprise on her face was rather apparent though it seemed to be more in line with actual approving surprise more than anything else. He really didn't have the heart to confess that it was a guess based on his knowledge of Fullmetal Alchemist and the fact she didn't correct him meant he was partly right.

Then the implications hit him, and he felt himself direct his full attention towards the Goddess to his left and narrowed his eyes. She had no reason to lie but suddenly what she just said and what Arkon had said about service of the Gods made a whole lot more sense. Then it left a taste in his mouth so foul that he couldn't put it into words. "...I'm noticing a general theme when it comes to making people purely to be slaves."

Velka brought up her hands in surrender "I can claim no role for their creation, that was the matching between my husband and Izalith. For his war against the dragons, they required an army therefore they created one. Izalith created the Silver Knights with the power of her Lord Soul and Gwyn imbued them with the strength of the light. Thus the legion of silver were born, though not all Lordkin were created this way…most found souls of their own and the population grew from that. Not totally dissimilar to the birth of humans but they didn't originate from the same soul."

"Great. Just great." Ritsuka turned away from her and dropped his head into his hands. "For the love of…'Oh, of course I don't have a problem with Ash being a slave, after all, that's what my life is and I'm perfectly fine with it'- am I…" he growled under his breath, kneading at his forehead and dropping his mood as he looked at the Director. "Am I the only one who is…am I crazy or something?"

Though the reaction of the Director wasn't quite what he had been expecting, she did not look as horrified as he hoped she would have. Instead, while she was sending a dirty look towards Velka, it was one that didn't look all that surprised. "Hm. So that is why they look identical…"

Velka hummed and shrugged "The greater their soul, the greater the influence they held over their own identity. One could very easily say that their identities, their very selves, were born during the war." she made a 'so-so' gesture. "Some became men, some became women. Some were elevated beyond their peers, such as the good captain Arkon…although…" she made a face he very much didn't like, a face as though she was inside on some hidden joke. "Well, that's not my story to tell."

Ritsuka stared at Velka, then whirled his attention to Olga "How are…is this really not something you're bothered b-"

"The art of using Homunculi is not wholly uncommon." Her reply was as curt as it was clinical, still keeping her attention on Velka. "The Einzbern family is the most famous for the process of creating Homunculi, theirs are regarded as the greatest currently existing in the world. Other families will attempt it but a Homunculus has no more autonomy than a golem with pre-designated instructions and duties for it to carry out." her attention darted back to him. "The revelation that Arkon is effectively a homunculus with divinity is hardly a surprise although…a Homunculus will not usually live so long."

"H-how is that the takeaway here?" Ritsuka couldn't help but blurt out, then looked up at Okita who had been silent during the proceedings. When his attention fell on her, she visibly cringed for a split second before her expression evened out. "I'm not the mad one for focusing on the fact they bred a literal army of slaves and just sent them out to die fighting dragons, right?"

Okita opened and closed her mouth several times before she eventually exhaled. "I do not believe it is something we have much room to hold over them as a race, Master. Especially considering the knowledge that human magi are capable of doing much the same thing." she paused for a moment and then thinned her lips, glancing to the Director. "And I doubt that the constructs of the human mages were as well treated or given the same level of autonomy."

"So they could leave any time they wanted?"

"Ledo did." Velka chimed in, he turned back to her then held himself back. Closing his jaw and then followed by his eyes. Yes, he had gotten that far as well. Ledo had evidently left to go on his own adventure around the world, he doubted that Arkon would approve but that didn't change the fact that Ledo had done so. Which meant it was possible. "I should argue that all the Silver Knight's made the choice to follow the Gods willingly, we weren't even 'Gods' until the Knight started to worship us…" she shrugged "So really…they created us just as much as we created them. Just as valued as any citizen was."

"...Okay, fine…fine…I'll drop the whole…slave thing." He muttered to himself with a shake of his head, so they weren't slaves but they were basically conscripts. On that front he had significantly less to argue about because they had been on the verge of a war and clearly they needed bodies. So it was just an army of conscripts who was created for war and then decided they were actually quite happy with their purpose, unless they weren't but then apparently they could just walk away. "Fine…go…go back to the whole thing with Arkon then."

Clearing her throat, she adjusted herself in the seat so she was facing him, resting her arm on the spine of the chair and using her hand to prop up her chin with an almost indulgent smirk on her lips. "I find it rather novel how much you care for him, even after all that's happened with concealing Gwynevere-"

"How do you know about that?" That came from the Director with a hard tone of voice, her eyes were rather heavily narrowed as well, hands resting flat against the table.

"Oh…I learned about Gwynevere the same day I arrived." Velka idly commented, bringing up her free hand and glancing over her black fingernails with the same absent minded smile on her lips. "I engaged in a very intriguing discussion with Arkon as well…it was novel, to speak with a Silver Knight after so very long away from home so I decided it would not hurt to walk the roads of nostalgia…" she paused, then lowered her hand and tilted her head in the direction of Olga. "Unless you mean your little spells to keep me isolated? They were talented, I shall confess that without guilt, but I just happened to be a touch better."

Ritsuka brought up the flat of his hand towards the Director when she looked close to leaping over the table. She sent him a glare but stopped at the look he sent her, then fell back into her seat with a clear scowl. "Alright…what did you talk about?"

"I told him about the events of the Singularity, of course." Velka replied with a quirk of her eyebrow. "Especially of the encounter with Gwyn and his treatment of Gwynevere. I would say that Arkon was, quite possibly, one of the most informed people in Chaldea at the time for a short moment." another pause as Ritsuka felt his thought process grind to a halt. "Oh, do not think too harshly of him for keeping silent. He did just learn that his King would kill him for the simple fact he wanted to help you and didn't immediately slit the throat of the Princess the second she arrived."

Ritsuka was still coming to terms with this information.

Arkon knew about Gwyn.

Arkon knew about everything and he had done…nothing with it?

"...Why are you telling me this?"

Velka rolled her eyes as though he was being an idiot. "I'm certain he's already put the argument forth about divided loyalties. So think of it this way…he's loyal to you but he's loyal to Gwyn, he cannot choose one without betraying the other." she levelled him with a flat look. "Not to mention his loyalty to the royal family. Pulled in three different directions with no correct answer without a betrayal to someone…" trailing off, she levied him with a raised eyebrow. "Gwynevere is now safe with Chaldea. The esteemed Captain of the Shingensumi is now the head of security in light of his resignation. That is two of his three loyalties confirmed, isn't it? Which leaves the third. He cannot fight you because that would be to betray the oath he swore when he was summoned…and he cannot fight Gwyn because that would be to betray his existence…I'm certain you can put two and two together."

Ritsuka thinned his lips, eyes glancing from side to side.

Then they widened.

"Oh crap!" He cursed as he turned and scrambled out of his seat, throwing himself past Okita and ignoring the clattering he made, turning on a right and sprinting directly towards the doors as fast as his feet would carry him. Arkon wasn't planning on fighting either them or Gwyn.

He was planning on killing himself.

His knuckles tapped against the steel door, the knocks echoing through the otherwise silent halls. Taking a step backwards, he straightened out his posture, his left hand tightening the hold on the metal shaft as he waited for the occupant to greet him. Given the last time he saw them, he wasn't entirely sure what they would look like now but this was the best conclusion he had reached.

There was a faint hiss, the door slid open and the face of the human knight who served her greeted him instead, their eyes widened in surprise for a brief second, then drifted towards the weapon held in his left hand before they returned to his face. Precious moments passed before they eventually spoke.

"Good morning, S-Arkon." He noted the correction and allowed a pang of relief; they did not call him a 'Ser' "Is there some business you have with her majesty?" d'Eon asked with neither accusation nor suspicion, there was mere curiosity. Why would they suspect him of any wrongdoing, he was thankful for the helmet to hide his grimace, nor the fact he couldn't quite meet their eyes. The trust they showed in him was far more than he was really entitled to now but he wouldn't have to face it for long.

"It was merely something I hoped to pass along to her in person, but if she is otherwise occupied, then I will leave the matter with you." There was no need to make a fuss out of what amounted to an otherwise trivial task.

d'Eon would have likely responded if Queen Marie had not appeared behind her, the sunken features looked moderately better but there was still an element of lethargy to her movements as she had approached, Arkon had noticed it the moment she stepped into view, the Chevalier seemingly sensed her as well and stepped to the side, bowing their head in respect.

Marie eyed him curiously, then to the weapon in his hand, the back to her knight with a faint smile. "It's alright, d'Eon. I can spare the time for a conversation. Besides…it would probably do me some good anyway." With a small noise clearing her throat, she approached him, he gave her the due respect she was owed and offered a small bow of the head for a few seconds then brought it up again. Even if she was troubled by such displays, it was more unnatural for him not to do something as basic as display respect for royals. Be they human or God.

"If this comes as poor timing, then I must apologise before I begin." He announced with a frown on his face "A more opportune time could not wait, as I shall be occupied for the remainder of the day."

She gave a nod of understanding.

"...The advice I passed along to you the other day, I am unsure as to whether or not you would take it, but that is not the reason for my visit." He paused for a moment, then extended the spear towards the Queen, who promptly blinked in surprise, a move matched by Ser d'Eon at her side, who glanced first at the spear and then towards him.

The design was long and sleek, a polished silver finish to the weapon, at the head were two hooks which curved outwards on either side of the blade which extended for a good foot and a half past them. More in line with a sword mounted on the end of a long shaft but such was the way of Silver Knight spears, they were made for puncturing through tough hides.

Queen Marie hesitated for a moment, then reached out to delicately take the spear from his hand and to herself, looking up and down it for a few moments then sending him a questioning look. He knew he would need to explain it.

"I understand that, as a Rider, you summon some manner of glass mount." He nodded his head for the spear "You do not have the physical prowess for a sword and mounted combat for a spear is…admittedly an easier task for one of your stature, meaning no offence. You need only let your momentum drive the spear forwards and the weight and power of the horse will ensure the rest is done." another pause "Failing that, the Smith Andre was skilled enough to imbue it with the strength of lightning, therefore even a glancing blow from the weapon will cause harm."

Queen Marie blinked profusely, opening and closing her mouth, though he did not give her much time to respond before he extended his right hand towards Ser d'Eon and opened up his fist, revealing the folded up piece of paper. The androgynous individual hesitated for only a moment before they took the paper and opened it up, reading through it and then glancing up at him with a raised eyebrow. "Arkon, these are-"

"Basic drills for you to run through, should you accept the weight of the spear." He turned his attention to Queen Marie. "I would much prefer to avoid the nature of a Queen on the front lines but in the event of such a thing being unavoidable, then I believe it would be in the best interest of all Chaldea that you be equipped for combat in even some capacity, should your…abilities with sorcery prove insufficient."

"You…" Marie sniffled as she glanced up at the top of the spear which extended well past the door frame, then back towards him. "You…why would you…?"

That was the question, wasn't it?

He was quite literally arming the enemies of Gwyn with the weapons of the Silver Knights.

"...I told you before." He simply replied. "Letting yourself be consumed by failure will aid no one this way…" making a brief gesture to the spear, he continued on. "This way you now have the means of surpassing that terror. Only should you accept it, that is. You are not my Queen, nor are you of any real relation to me, so I cannot force you to accept the spear. Only that you take it and think on my words…I am certain that Sir Gareth would be willing to accept you on as a student, given her own apparent skill in horseback."

He took a step back, then offered another bow of the head "That is all I came here for. If you will excuse me, I have another matter to attend to." without wishing to wait for a reply, he turned away from them and strode down the hallway, barely making it a few steps before Queen Marie called out to him.

"Thank you." He stopped walking. "For…I do not believe I ever thanked you for stepping up in France when I was not able. In my capacity as a former Queen, I offer my sincerest thanks, Sir Arkon. For protecting my country and my people when I could not."

"...There is no need to thank a knight for doing what is expected of them, Queen Marie."

"I shall argue with you on that point, Sir Arkon." She commented again, he twitched at the mention of his name once more. "Yet…thank you all the same. At least accept my gratitude for that…and for going through the effort for this. It is…" he heard a sniffle, resisting the urge to turn around. "...Would you be amenable to giving me a lesson in the future?"

…It truly was a good thing he was wearing a helmet and had his back to her for good measure.

"...Perhaps if there is ever a chance."

He resumed walking immediately after that, unwilling to face them anymore.

That was the last duty he had left to perform, all that remained was to return to his quarters and put an end to everything. His final duty.

The first thing Ritsuka was aware of was that Arkon wasn't in his room, then again he had only just arrived at it so there was that to be said about it. Then again, he was certain the knight was still alive because he hadn't felt anything over the link, no sign of a cut in magical energy. So that meant that he hadn't opted to kill himself yet but it was still up in the air.

Walking out of the room, he paused when a noise reached his ears, the clatter of metal against the floor in a rhythm. Turning his head in the direction of the noise, he listened intently as it got louder and louder. Quickly becoming clear that it was the patter of footsteps approaching him, either another Servant on this floor or it was Arkon coming back to his room. He hoped for the latter more than the former, but he could always get them to help him find Arkon if it was another Servant.

Keeping his eyes on the corner, he felt a brief pang of relief in his chest as the distinctive figure of Arkon rounded the corner, immediately catching sight of him and abruptly coming to a halt for a few moments, Ritsuka could have sworn that the Knight almost looked startled by his presence, though they quickly recovered themselves to the point that he would have thought nothing of it in any other situation.

Composing his own expression, he nodded to Arkon as the knight resumed his approach. "Morning, Arkon."

"My Lord." Arkon greeted him back, then shifted their attention to the open door as they slowed their approach. "Did you have need of me for something?"

"Yeah, something like that." He wasn't sure how he was really supposed to break the subject matter to him in such a way that didn't send them into an awkward silence. For one thing, he didn't know if Arkon ever intended to tell him he was probably going to kill himself, this might have just been him having a worst case scenario in his head. "I was mainly coming to check up on you, Okita came around and said that you resigned and handed the job to her?"

Arkon nodded once, not even hesitating with the answer. "I did. Recent events made it abundantly clear that I cannot place my loyalty to the Royal Family above that of Chaldea. In the unlikely event that her Grace did have ulterior motives, I would have neither stopped her nor aided her…" he trailed off, then exhaled. "Though given my role as the Captain of the guard, that would not do to be caught in such a position. I looked into Captain Souji and her efforts as leader of the Shingensumi. I felt that she would be most qualified for the role after me and would not suffer from the same divided loyalties."

They were silent for a few moments longer, then they spoke again. "However, I realise that I acted rashly in making the decision without informing either yourself or the Covenant leader. That was my own oversight…I hope you can forgive me for that."

Ritsuka blinked, then shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, if you don't feel comfortable in the role then I'm not going to berate you for that. A little heads up would have been nice before she jumped me at the breakfast table." his lips quirked upwards, though even he could feel the strain of the expression, to say nothing of how it looked. "That threw me for a loop…I personally wouldn't have called for you to resign because at the end of the day, I get why you did it."

He got a lot more of why Arkon did it now, especially since he was starting to feel increasingly wary about everything. The blase reaction of the Director didn't do matters to help him all that much but the knowledge that they were treated as equal citizens to everyone else did help him. It really did.

The knight approached him once more "Was there another matter you needed, my Lord?"

"Yeah…just curious where you were, is all." He replied, nodding his head to the room. "Sorry about entering without permission, just that I didn't know if you were still asleep or something. Needed to talk with you."

"Ah, I was visiting Queen Marie." Ritsuka withheld a blink at the sudden revelation, that certainly hadn't been the response he was expecting but he couldn't say he was against it. The lighthearted tone that Arkon used was rather welcoming. "Something seemed to be concerning her, though I did not pry into the matter further. I understand she engaged dragons in the field during the events of this 'Scandinavian' campaign…she seemed ill-equipped and inexperienced with such combats so I had smith Andre create a weapon for her to use that would suit her Class."

This time, Ritsuka did blink. "Huh…I…I hadn't considered that."

"Giving a Queen a spear is not something many would consider, nor is sending them out to the front lines to fight Dragons." Arkon replied without a hint of emotion in his tone of voice. "Not least because they would…It is not really the role of a Queen to take to battles, better to remain in court where they are of greater value."

That sounded sort of sexist but he was talking to a guy with mediaeval sensibilities, cultural differences in regards to attitude to women were sort of something he wasn't going to be surprised at. Then again, this guy would probably be thrown for a loop as well if he found out about King A…wait a second, didn't they already meet King Arthur during that Nerofest?

"...What about King Arthur?"

Arkon folded his arms over his chest. "What of them? Even if they are a woman, they are still a King. They introduced themselves as a King and they ruled as a King. They had a wife whom became Queen." Ritsuka got the impression Arkon was raising an eyebrow behind his helmet. "They still adhered to the proper roles of the court."

That was certainly one heck of a loophole he used just now.

Shaking his head, he wet his lips "...So what did you think of the announcement?"

"...Your conflict with Lord Gwyn." Arkon's tone was flat "...You summoned me and I swore an oath to your service. To betray you and stick a sword in your back, even if it was the command of Lord Gwyn, would shame me irrevocably. A sin I would carry in my soul for the rest of my days." bringing his left hand up, he pressed it flat against his chest. "On my honour…you do not need to fear any reprisals from me."

"...Velka spoke with me this morning."

That was the moment the atmosphere changed.

Arkon's body tensed and he took in a sharp breath, the hand which had been flat against his chest suddenly curled into a fist with a grinding of metal as the fingers were dragged against the breastplate.

Neither of them said anything.

"...Of course you did." When Arkon did speak, there was an edge to his words. "Because that traitorous wench never learned to keep her mouth shut about matters which did not concern her." he all but spat out the words, making clear how he felt about the Goddess. "...I see. So that is the business you had with me…"

"I'd like one conversation with you before you kill yourself."

Arkon gave no reaction.

"Or am I wrong?" Ritsuka shrugged his shoulders, stepping backwards. "Tell me I'm wrong for assuming you'd do something like that and I'll apologise to you, right now."

The silence was his answer.

"...I see." He felt tired now, nodding his head at the knight. "I'm going to assume it's because while you can't fight us, you can't fight Gwyn either? I know about Izalith and the reason you exist in the first place." blowing air out between his teeth, he placed his hands on his lips. "So…helping Gwynevere and putting Okita in charge of security…you were just making everything ready for when you…"

"...I was." Arkon confirmed with the bluntness of a hammer. "I upheld my oath to the royal family and found a safe haven for Gwynevere. I upheld my oath to Chaldea and ensured that the Covenant would remain unaffected by my absence."

"I wouldn't say 'unaffected'." Ritsuka rolled his jaw, then shot out a breath from his nose. "Were you actually planning on telling anyone or were you going to just quietly sneak away into your room and just kill yourself?"

Arkon slowly looked down.

"I'm…I'm more upset you didn't tell me." He was offering a choice to those who didn't want to fight Gwyn but he would have at least wanted them to come before him and actively tell him they were leaving. He liked to think he had earned at least that much from them. His eyes roamed over the Silver Knight before he shook his head. "If this is what you want to do, then that's fine…"

Arkon visibly shifted. "It's fine?"

"Yeah, it's fine." Ritsuka nodded his head "This isn't your world, you don't have a compulsion to stay and help. If this is as far as you're willing to go, then that's fair." he extended his hand towards them. "Thank you for all of your help so far, I mean that from the bottom of my heart. I'm not going to make you destroy yourself for my sake."

Goodness, did he feel weird right now

"I…" Arkon stared at the extended hand for a moment, then let out a short sigh "Forgive me, I kept it a secret because I was expecting a greater degree of argument from you on this point, I did not wish for us to part on poor terms with accusations of betrayal." he reached out and took the hand, it felt quite cold but it was armour. "This is…far more pleasant than I would have expected for what is to come next."

"It's your choice." Ritsuka shook his head from side to side. "I can't stop you. If you had come to me and asked me to let you die, I would have obviously said no, but this and that are different things. I'm not going to strip away your free will and keep you alive to the point where you despise me for it." He paused for a moment, then looked up at the helmet. "Just that…we've already got Gwynevere accepting she'll help us and then…well…Faraam showed up earlier."

Arkon stilled for a faint moment before his posture returned. "The firstborn, though not unexpected. Treason against Gwyn is something he is familiar with, so you at least have an experienced teacher for such things." Even as he said that, Ritsuka couldn't detect the faintest hint of hostility. "I…to confess something to you, it is actually quite relieving. As though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders."

He raised an eyebrow as they pulled their hands back. "How so?"

"It is just…so many years I have walked feeling as though I was a traitor to Lord Gwyn but now to know for a fact I was right." He let out a long breath, turning his eyes skywards and staring up at the ceiling. "To be seen for what I truly am…the tightness in my chest is gone and I am unburdened."

That didn't make a lot of sense to him, how in the world did Arkon ever consider himself to be a traitor? The guy was literally about to go and kill himself for the sake of not having to fight Gwyn. His confusion must have shown on his face because Arkon suddenly looked at him and made a small noise in the back of his throat. "Ah, forgive that slip of the tongue, I wasn't supposed to say anything."

"Are you…are you really fine with this?"

"It's what's expected of me." Didn't even think about it, just replied instantly. "A Silver Knight does not simply turn their blade onto Lord Gwyn. The mere thought would drive even the likes of Ledo to madness. Serving the royal family is one thing but to serve them in rebellion against Lord Gwyn? It is the height of foolishness…" he glanced to the side. "But…this is neither here nor there. My mind has been concluded and my thoughts are pure. This is the only path I have left for me."

What was his life now?

People were just telling him they were off to kill themselves and he was in the mood of just accepting that? What was the difference when Ash told him he wanted to die? His mood hadn't changed between Ash wanting to die and Arkon wanting to die, if anything he didn't want either of them dead.

Yet here he was, shaking Arkon's hand and giving him a pat on the shoulder.

What the heck was the matter with him? This was practically what he invited when he said that the Servants were free to reject them. Heck, he had even said he was offering the same choice to Gwyndolin, but perhaps because he had said he would give it some thought? Arkon apparently decided what he would do instantly but Gwyndolin was different.

"...This is crazy."

"Excuse me?" Arkon's voice made him realise he had spoken the words out loud, the man tilting his head to one side. "Did you say something?"

"...You know Gwyndolin said he would think about it." Arkon visibly straightened, falling silent. "Gwyndolin…I told him that Gwyn tried to kill me and he looked like he would have torn me apart if I had been alone in the room. Then when it's finished he just takes off his helmet and walks out to say he needs time to think about it so…" he brought his hand up and ran it through his hair. "Why…why are you so much more willing to kill yourself than Gwyndolin is? I gave him the exact same choice but…but he…both him and Gwynevere actually seem to be on the fence about the issue and I just don't get how you can be so clear cut with it."

He didn't get an immediate response, not in the vocal kind, though Arkon did turn side on to him and place his hands on his hips. They kept their silence for another good few seconds before they eventually mustered up the strength to speak. "I was aware this world was wrong from the moment I was summoned, all the way back in France. A land that lived without the Gods, where humans were the ultimate authority…I was dumbfounded that such a world existed. Even the Four Kings of New Londo received their grace from Lord Gwyn, the human Kingdoms across the seas were founded by those who were granted the blessings of the Gods and still showed reverence to them."

Arkon smacked his lips together. "So…I cannot claim that the reaction of Lord Gwyn was unsurprising to me. Something I was aware of in the back of my mind…The Lord High Justice, Allfather Lloyd, would certainly have taken issue with this world and with you for governing yourselves without the Gods."

…

…He recalled them, yes.

"I accepted your summons all the same, however, because it was the duty of a Silver Knight." He turned to face him once more. "Even if I made for a poor Silver Knight, I could at least uphold that oath. Her Grace and His Highness…they were not…our existence is separate from them. Princess Gwynevere became a Queen, she and the other Gods departed Anor Londo and made for the land which would become Heide…though by that point, I was already losing my wits, my mind cracking and breaking from the long years of walking the world."

"So…so why not just convert to Gwynevere's faction or something? If…if serving the Gods is so important, why not Gwynevere or Gwyndolin?"

Arkon let out a small noise, almost wistful. "The thought occurred to me…You know, I was a member of the Firstborns own unit. I served directly beneath him and Ser Ornstein for centuries during the war…right up until the point that the Firstborn betrayed us all, betrayed Lord Gwyn." he lowered his head. "Then what had been a symbol of pride became one of disgrace and shame…I was party to one betrayal of Lord Gwyn, I…I cannot be part of one again."

"...From what you've told me, you've already betrayed them." Ritsuka replied with a shake of his head, Arkon whirled on him but didn't immediately reply. He was thankful for that, it let him finish what he was saying. "Betrayal is still betrayal and…and Gwyn seems to be very unforgiving when it comes to that, whether you continue to assist us or not, I don't think he's going to forget that and I don't think you will either. Just…can't you at least help us out a little more?"

Another silent stare. "For one who claimed to understand my choice, you have done an adamant job of preventing me from carrying it out."

"I'd be a poor Master if I wasn't trying to stop my Servants from killing themselves."

"...You…you are somewhat vexing, if you will allow my blunt commentary." Ritsuka almost snorted at the tone of voice that Arkon used as he spoke. "I avoided bringing the topic up for precisely this reason. If you are to enter battles, you will need to be with those you trust, you cannot trust me with your safety as I have already proven that I will-"

"I trust you."

"-will-excuse me?"

"I trust you." He repeated "You know about what happened for days. Days. You knew that Gwyn wanted me and Gwynevere dead." he gestured to the Silver Knight. "Literally no one would have known or thought anything of you entering my room while I was unconscious, they were all keeping it secret. Gwynevere was probably too weak to do anything so…you could have easily killed both of us and maintained your oath to Gwyn. You didn't…you…you actually waited until you could make sure Gwynevere was safe and then went to ensure that Chaldea would remain in a good position so yes…I trust you."

"...This is absurd."

"I'm recently coming to the conclusion I'm sometimes an unreasonable person, yes." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Just…I know you can't help us against Gwyn but…but can you at least help us against Solomon?"

He looked back up at the face of the Silver Knight's helmet, staring into the black void where the eyes would have resided. The taller Servant stared down at him for what amounted to perhaps dozens of seconds, maybe even approaching a good minute as the knight silently debated something to himself.

"...Just against Solomon?"

"Just against Solomon."

"You will not call upon my assistance against Lord Gwyn?"

"I will not."

"...Not even my knowledge?"

"Nope. Not even that." He exhaled "If…if you still can't accept that, then I won't force you to do anything else, alright? Just…I don't want to lose anyone else if I can help it and I definitely think I can help this. You don't need to fight Gwyn and at the first sign of his presence I will send you right back to Chaldea, no questions asked."

Arkon remained silent for a good few seconds.

"...Can you swear that to me on your own honour?"

"I can." He gestured to his chest, pressing a finger on his heart. "If you need to be absolutely convinced. I will bring Kiyohime here and she can confirm it for you."

Arkon visibly flinched. "I would rather not have your word corroborated by a dragon, if it is all the same. Simply….simply your word is enough alone because…because I do believe that it means something to you." he glanced away from him and to the side. "...I would prefer this conversation never comes to light."

"Not a peep from me."

"...Then it seems my death is postponed…for now at least."

"...Try and sound a little happier about that." Ritsuka tried to joke with a wince, Arkon remained tellingly silent, causing him to exhale. "I'll…I'll leave you now just…" he made to walk past the knight, then stopped next to him and rolled his jaw. "...I think you're a damn good knight."

He continued walking on, but he was still close enough to hear the whisper from Arkon.

"That makes one of us."

AN: Yeah, I'm sure you were expecting Gwyndolin but I needed to wrap up Arkon first and set up some stuff for Marie in the future.

But anyway, next few chapters after this are going to be a Gwyndolin Interlude.