Okay, been a WHILE since I updated this one, and that's in part due to real-life issues and laziness. But the main reason is that I couldn't find a good place to end the chapter, and it just kept getting longer, and longer. I finally found a good place the other day and procrastinated editing the grammar mistakes I made until tonight as editing nearly 7,000 words worth of text is painful, though I'm sure it could have been worse if I didn't find a stopping point.
Anyway, I brought Atalanta into this chapter, and I forgot how she spoke, as I remember it being different but not how. So I used the lazy method and used a website that translated modern English to old English. I hope you die-hard fans of fate can tell me if it's wrong or not and if so, I'll find time in my busy schedule to re-watch the episodes of Fate she's in. If it's fine I'll just leave it as it is.
Uzushio
Artoria and Mordred were sitting on a garden bench, bonding while waiting for word from either Jack or Medea. They sat side by side, chatting away while watching the insects, and animals go about their business. As they sat, a deer galloped across the garden 20 or 30 feet in front of them.
"This place is beautiful." Artoria commented with a content sigh. Mordred only nodded her agreement, they were broken from their peaceful moment when Jack materialized next to them.
"Mommy, my job is done!" She said, before looking at Mordred, "You look like mommy." She pointed out.
Mordred blinked, before chuckling, "That's because she's my… mother too." Mordred said, a slight pause before the word mother, Artoria, heard the pause but didn't care, she saw it as a step in the right direction.
"So you're my sister?" Jack asked with a tilt of the head.
"In a sense, yes." Mordred answered.
Artoria watched as the two began chatting before it devolved into bickering about something she didn't know, she just watched with a motherly smile, happy to know her 3rd chance at life was going in a good direction for the time being.
After a couple of hours of relaxing, Medea walked into the garden took a seat next to her, and said "The village is completely restored."
"Excellent, thank you." Artoria answered, a bright smile on her gorgeous face.
Medea nodded, "What's next?" She asked.
"Next we need to get more allies, and I can't obtain the scroll of seals just yet as I just had Jack kill Danzo Shimura, an important man in Konoha, as well as someone who would have been a massive thorn in our side."
"I see, so we gain allies elsewhere for the time being?" Medea asked, Mordred and Jack, now done with their quarrel, joined the two, Mordred sitting next to Artoria with Jack finding a seat on their mother's lap.
"Exactly." Artoria said, running her hand through Jack's white hair, causing the girl to hum contentedly.
"Where do we start?" Mordred asked.
"I think the best place would be Wave Country, as they're the nearest shore." She explained.
"That's wise, but how will we gain their trust?" Medea asked.
"That's simple, we earn it by aiding them, and we can use my first father's last name as our own." Artoria said.
"What!? And abandon our Pendragon name!?" Mordred exclaimed, her anger spiking slightly.
"What! No!" Artoria nearly shouted, before calming herself with a sigh. "Our new last name will be Namikaze Pendragon." She explained.
"Mordred Namikaze Pendragon…" Mordred said her name as if tasting it on her tongue.
"What about me?" Medea asked.
"What do you mean? You'll be my sister, Medea Namikaze Pendragon." Artoria said.
Medea's eyes widened, though they couldn't be seen due to her hood. "You're sister?" She asked.
"Of course, as far as I'm concerned, anyone I summon from my book is either my sibling or child." Artoria said with a genuine smile.
"I see…" Medea said, still a little shocked.
"Mommy, what about our name?" Jack asked.
"What do you mean, sweetie?" Artoria asked, a little confused.
"What's our name?" Jack changed her question.
"Oh, Jack Namikaze Pendragon, why? Do you want to change it?" Artoria asked.
Jack only shook her head and gave a mischievous but happy smile, "We just wanted our mommy to say our new full name."
Artoria tilted her head in confusion, "You did?"
Jack only nodded, "Yep, yep!" She said, hopping in place on Artoria's lap, causing her to let out a grunt.
Artoria ruffled Jack's hair, "I see, I'm glad you like it." She said with a smile, before looking at Medea, "We should travel to Wave first thing in the morning…" She looked up, watching as the stars poked out from beneath the mixed-colored red, orange, pink, blue, and black sky. "It's getting late, and even though we don't need sleep, it is still nice to rest our minds."
Medea nodded, "I agree…" she stood up, "I also added rooms for each of us, although I don't know if they'll match any of your tastes."
Mordred looked up, "As long as mine isn't pink."
"I'm sleeping with mommy!" Jack declared, looking into Artoria's eyes, who smiled and nodded.
"That's fine with me…" she stood up, putting Jack down, and taking her hand, "Let's go to bed." She then proceeded towards the Uzukage tower, entering the building and going to the room that Medea pointed out to be hers, opening the door she found a room fit for royalty, a large queen-sized bed, with fancy bed curtains, the floor was gray, contrasting with the black and red bed, the walls were red with a black two foot tall trim around the bottom, a black dresser sat to the left of the room, while a bookshelf sat on the right side, a fancy desk positioned next to it.
Walking over she sat Jack down and closed her eyes, opening them she smiled in satisfaction when she found herself in a white nightgown that went down to her thighs, her feet and legs were covered by white thigh-high socks that flowed up to meet the nightgown, a small sliver of her pale skin could be seen where the two met.
She looked at Jack to find that she had followed her example, wearing a white pajama top and pajama bottoms with black knives decorating both, and black socks covering her small feet. Artoria pulled the covers down and slipped into bed, Jack quickly finding a position on top of her, her head resting on her chest. Artoria pulled the covers over the two and ran her hand through Jack's hair, "Goodnight, Jack."
"Goodnight mommy." was Jack's sleepy reply, Artoria smiled as she closed her eyes to sleep.
Waking up the next morning, Artoria looked down to find Jack sleeping peacefully, she made to run a hand through her hair, but felt a weight on her arm, looking over she raised an eyebrow when she found Mordred, snuggled up to her, deciding it wasn't important how or why she was in her bed, she laid her hand on Mordred's shoulder and pulled her closer to her side. She looked to the bedroom door when there was a knock, "Enter." She said, trying to not wake her daughters.
The door opened to reveal Medea, who didn't speak for a moment, seemingly confused at what she was seeing, "I didn't expect Mordred to sneak into your chambers."
Artoria chuckled, "I don't think she realizes it herself, but that doesn't mean I won't take the chance to cuddle her."
Medea nodded, "I see, well, I found something you may find interesting."
"You did? Give me a second then." She then closed her eyes and a clone of her materialized into existence before it shimmered as well as the original, then the clone looked to Medea "Okay, I swapped places with my clone."
Medea was confused, "You did?"
Artoria nodded, "Yes, please show me what you found." She followed as Medea led her to the Uzukage office, she watched, puzzled, as she laid a hand on one of the books titled, "Rust Colored Rain", she titled it towards herself, revealing the cover of what appeared to be a man, his appearance gaunt as if he'd been dead recently, blood covering what appeared to be a gash in his skull. She recognized it as a zombie book, they were popular in the Modern Era, so she was shocked to see one in the Ninja Era.
She was further shocked when an audible click was heard, and Medea pulled the bookshelf away from the wall like a door, revealing a tight indent in the wall, and allowing access to the ladder that descended. She wondered how far it went as they were on the top floor of the tower, it had to go underground, as she'd been through every floor in the tower and there was no opening for this ladder.
"What?" She asked, stepping past Medea, who let her, she gazed down the hole in the floor and saw it went on for a long time, shrugging, she placed her foot on one of the rings of the ladder. Tucking her nightgown closer to her body in the hopes it wouldn't interfere in her descent, she began the climb down.
After a while of climbing down her sock-covered foot touched solid ground, stepping back from the ladder, she looked up and found that Medea wasn't that far behind, her purple nightgown tucked in a similar manner as hers, she watched as Medea's bare feet also found purchase on the cold wood floor, she held in a chuckle as Medea's face scrunched up in discomfort, she looked into her bluish-purple eyes and smiled, "You know Medea, I think you should show your face more."
Medea frowned, "I never tried to hide it, I just liked my hood."
"I know, I was just saying that when you're at home you don't have to wear your hood at all times. Truthfully, I plan to wear an outfit that matches this Era, as my armor would be too odd to walk around in, however, when I get serious I'll wear it."
Medea looked down in thought, after considering it for a while she nodded, "I think I agree, however, the hood shall remain."
Artoria chuckled, "Of course, it's your style and it suits you perfectly." She then turned to survey the room they were in, it looked like a massive library with wooden floors, stone walls, and support pillars spaced evenly creating multiple makeshift hallways lined with massive bookshelves, cobwebs dangling in the majority of them, ladders also propped up against some of them.
"Shall we explore?" Medea asked, now standing next to her.
"Yeah, who knows what we'd find." Artoria answered, and the pair began searching, finding books on sealing, sword styles, combat styles, and other useful things, when they had finished they ascended back up the ladder with Artoria immediately heading back to her room.
Medea, seeing this, voiced her question, "Where are you going?"
"Back to cuddling with my daughters, I'm so jealous of my clone right now." was her instant reply.
Medea raised an eyebrow before a giggle escaped her lips and she returned to her room to get dressed, she had to plan for their trip to Wave as it was clear her… sister… was set on staying in bed.
Artoria entered her room and silently swapped with her clone, getting a pout from it before it went poof. Receiving its memories, she smiled and wrapped her arms around both her girls and settled in to watch them sleep, love evident in her green eyes, and she lay there for at least another hour before one of them began to stir.
Mordred opened her eyes and a puzzled expression crossed her face when she felt herself being held by someone, looking up, she blinked when she found herself staring into her mother's gentle green eyes, she bit down on a scream as she saw Artoria put her free finger to her mouth, before pointing at the still sleeping Jack, it was then that Mordred realized what happened, she had slept walked into her mother's room.
An embarrassed blush burned her cheeks as she looked into her mother's eyes, it increased when Artoria lifted the hand that was on her shoulder to ruffle her hair, a soft smile on her face.
Mordred felt herself instinctively lean into the touch, and found that her hatred for her mother was slowly leaving her, she closed her eyes and slowly drifted back off to sleep because of her mother's ministrations.
Artoria giggled at how cute Mordred looked right now and lay there while absently combing her hands through both girls' hair, it would be another half an hour before one of the girls woke up again, with it once again being Mordred, who, upon waking, slipped out of bed, much to Artoria's protest, and left the room, presumably to shower and get dressed, as she was only in a large white t-shirt and panties.
Roughly ten minutes later Jack finally stirred awake, her yellow-green eyes opening to stare into her mother's green before a face-splitting smile split her face as she greeted the person she loved more than killing, "Hey mommy!"
Artoria smiled down at her, "Morning, Jack." she then poked Jack's side, causing her to giggle, "You ready to bathe and get dressed?" She asked, getting an excited nod from Jack.
With that, the two entered the bathroom to bathe, once finished, they returned wearing clothing befitting of the Era they were in.
Artoria let her blond hair loose, flowing to just below her shoulders, she wore long-sleeved chainmail beneath a blue long-sleeved shirt underneath a silver knight-style chest plate with intricate blue designs, and she wore black gloves. Silver knight-style gauntlets covered the top of her hands, fingers, and forearms, stopping at just below her elbows, she had on black leggings underneath mail chausses, with silver knight-style hip guards with similar blue designs as the chest plate, they were tucked into armored knee-high silver boots, a white cape befitting of royalty completed the outfit, with white fur lining it, also surrounding the collar. Intricate blue designs decorated the back.
Jack copied her mother slightly, she wore long-sleeved chainmail beneath a dark blue shirt, its sleeves rolled up to her elbows, it was underneath a black ninja vest, and she had on black gloves, with black ninja plates covering the back of her hands, leaving her fingers uncovered, they also covered her forearms, stopping just below her elbows, she had on black skin-tight leggings underneath mail chausses, with her sheath of knives strapped to her waist, the leggings were tucked into black armored shin-high boots, a hooded black cloak completed the outfit, black fur lining it similarly to her mother's cape.
They left the room, finding Medea in the planning room of the tower, she had taken Artoria's advice to heart as her gorgeous face could be seen.
She wore a purple dress with a golden brooch attached to the center of her chest, it had puffy dark purple shoulders and sleeves that flowed down to her wrists, silver bracelets covering them while slightly covering the back of her hands, which were adorned by black gloves, her feet and legs were hidden by the bottom of her dress, and a hooded purple cloak and black choker around her neck completed the outfit, while her breathtaking bluish-purple hair was left to flow down her back, it pooling slightly in her hood, before stopping just above the middle of her back, her elf-like ears poked out from beneath it, while her dazzling bluish-purple eyes looked down at the table in concentration.
Scanning the room, she found her other daughter, leaning against the wall, her blonde hair was also down, it being longer than her mother's, stopping at just above the middle of her back, she wore a white cropped tank top, underneath a red leather biker jacket, she had on blue denim jeans that were tucked into black riding boots, her arms were crossed over her chest as she watched Medea plan out something on the table.
She looked up and they made eye contact, she watched as Mordred did a once over of her outfit, as well as Jack's, and raised an eyebrow, "You're dressed like a King." She commented.
"Well, I am, though I think Queen is more appropriate, seeing as I don't want to be seen as a man anymore."
Mordred nodded, "Should I dress similar to you?" She asked with a head tilt.
"I want you to wear whatever makes you comfortable, if you wish to copy me then feel free, but don't feel that you have to."
Mordred looked up at the ceiling and hummed thoughtfully before returning her gaze to her mother's, "Well, seeing your outfit has given me an idea." A white light engulfed her for a moment and when it cleared she was wearing something else.
She now wore a white long-sleeved shirt, a white knight-styled chest plate covering her chest, with intricate red designs different from her mother's. White knight-style arm guards covered her forearms, with similar red designs as the chest plate, leaving her hands completely uncovered. She had on white pants that were tucked into white armored riding boots that had intricate red designs, a white unbuttoned leather trench coat completed the outfit, it had red fur around the collar and sleeves, her blonde hair hadn't changed styles as it still flowed down her back.
Artoria nodded in appreciation, "It looks good on you, and the fact that you chose it makes it better."
A small smile appeared on Mordred's face, as she returned her attention to Medea, who had spoken, still looking at the table, "Okay, I have a plan…" she pointed at the shore of Wave Country on the map, "We can get on the island without being seen but…" she then pointed at the bridge that connected Wave to the rest of the world, "This bridge will be heavily guarded, with our power they wouldn't be an issue, but the fight would be loud and would draw unnecessary attention. So I think it would be better to act as covertly as possible." She finally looked up and sweat dropped, none of them would be able to blend in with the attire they were wearing.
Artoria brought a fist to her chin in thought, "That's a great plan, are we doing reconnaissance?" She asked.
"No, we're going to see what the people need help with, and help them." Medea replied.
"I see, and us sneaking past the bridge is to avoid having to check in and create fake IDs." Mordred spoke up.
"Yes, so are we ready to go?" Medea asked.
"One second." Artoria said, continuing when she had their attention. "Should I summon someone else? There's only two left after all."
Medea looked down in thought. "It would certainly be helpful to have someone else."
"A new sister? Or brother?" Jack piped up while holding Artoria's hand.
"Who would you summon?" Mordred asked Artoria, who looked down in thought.
"Well, there's Astolfo, he is considered one of the weakest of the Knights, but he has a heart of gold and a likable personality, then there's Atalanta, she has the mannerisms of an animal, and talks like she still lives in the old times, but her archery is top notch."
"Astolfo might be a better pick, he's more outgoing than Atlanta and it would be easier than spending a few hours to get Atalanta to speak normally so we don't draw unwanted attention." Medea said, and a light bulb went off over Artoria's head.
"Why don't I just summon both?" Medea looked at her in confusion, while Mordred and Jack tilted their heads in sync.
"You can, but why?" Medea asked.
"We take Astolfo with us, and I leave a clone here to get Atalanta to speak normally while we're gone, so that way it would already be done."
Medea nodded, "It's logical, so let's do it."
"I'll summon Astolfo first." Artoria said, before chanting to summon him.
A few minutes later a bright pink light enveloped the planning room, and as it died down a figure could be seen.
"Ya ho!"
An androgynous-looking boy shouted. He was beautiful beyond all comparison, with long pink hair done in a braid, a black bow tied just above the end, with the end looking like a tail. He had on hair ornaments, that seemed like something a princess would wear, and his purple eyes seemed to brighten the armor consisted of black underclothes that end in a dress and black stockings with greaves, gauntlets, and hip guards with a central red stripe and golden accents on top. He also wears black bows on either side of his head and a cape that's white on the outside and red on the inside with a white fuzzy collar.
He had greeted them while leaning forward, balancing on his right leg, his left hanging behind him, with his left hand in a peace sign over his left eye, a bright grin on his face.
"Hey, Astolfo." Artoria greeted. "How have you been?"
He placed his left foot back on the ground and straightened his posture slightly, though he was still in a laid-back stance, "Yo! Artoria! I've been good. You?"
"Pretty good, I've been enjoying my time with my 3rd chance at life." She replied and question marks appeared over Astolfo's head.
"3rd not 2nd?" He asked with a finger to his chin as he looked to the ceiling in thought.
"Yes, I'll explain after I've summoned Atalanta."
Astolfo perked up, "Atalanta! She's so cute!" His smile was infectious, causing the others to smile.
Artoria nodded and began chanting to summon Atalanta next, a green light lit the room this time, and when it died down a soft voice questioned, "Whom hath summoned me?"
The light dissipated, revealing a girl with animal ears and a tail resembling a cat, her greenish blonde hair is stretched out long and unkempt, and it is completely lacking in the silkiness that would be found amongst those of noble birth. As one who can be called a beautiful beast in human form, it befits her appearance. Her jade green eyes were sharp and contained a beastly glint as she looked into Artoria's eyes.
She wore a black, gold, and green dress, with tall black, gold, and green boots that were connected beneath it by black straps, she had long armored black and gold gauntlets that covered her hands, and forearms, and flowed up to just below her elbows, four bracelets were wrapped around her upper arms, with two on each arm.
"Hey, Atalanta!" Artoria greeted cheerfully.
Atalanta didn't speak for a moment, "Artoria, why hast thou summoned me?"
"Well, this is a second chance for us to live normal lives, and we will help you make your wish true to the best of our abilities." Artoria explained, before looking at Astolfo, "That applies to you, too."
Atalanta raised an eyebrow, "Do thou even understand what mine wish is?"
"Will you tell me?" Artoria hoped.
Atalanta crossed her arms and huffed, "I hope for a world where children can be raised with love."
Artoria's eyes widened briefly before a smile grew on her face, "I don't know if we can make that a reality without a wish, but can we compromise?"
"What is thy solution?"
"We will save every child we can and bring them here to be raised with love." Artoria said.
Atalanta hummed, "I accept thy solution."
Artoria then chuckled nervously, "First we need to fix your speech." She started hesitantly.
Atalanta frowned, "What is wrong with mine speech?"
"Nothing, it's just not suited for the era we're in." Artoria explained.
Atalanta's frown didn't budge, but she nodded, "I shall permit thou to school me in this era's speech."
"First, let me tell you the situation." With that, she caught up Astolfo and Atalanta on current events, before having a clone lead Atalanta to a private room to teach her modern English.
She then looked to Astolfo, "May I know your wish? I want to do my best to help you achieve it."
Astolfo grinned and spun once, before taking an admittedly cute pose, "I just wish to live a normal life."
Artoria hummed, "I don't know how "normal" this life will be, but you can certainly do whatever you want here as I'd like to see you as my son if possible as I'm physically 20 years older than you."
Astolfo's grin turned into a large smile, and he leaped at her, pulling her into a hug, after a moment he pulled back and looked at Mordred and Jack, "Wouldn't that make me their brother?" he asked.
"If that's what you and they want, it's up to you to decide together." She responded before leaving the room to head to the docks, Medea following close behind her, Jack looked between Astolfo and Mordred, and the direction Artoria went and instantly followed her mother, quickly catching up and latching onto her hand.
Artoria, feeling Jack's hand, looked down and smiled at her. "You don't want to talk with them?"
Jack shook her head. "I want to be with you, mommy!" She cheerily replied.
Artoria smiled down at Jack, "Then let's go, we're going to get the ship ready for departure."
Wave Country
They had arrived under the cover of night and safely hid their boat behind some bushes, before stepping into the town. They found the streets desolate, with the few people out being the homeless, who looked to be on the verge of death.
As they walked the people glanced at them with confusion, wonder, but most of all fear, it tore deep at Artoria's heart, but she pushed on, knowing she needed to find out what was wrong here, a glance to her companions proved that they had agreed as they continued down the street.
She then stopped at the entrance to an alleyway as she had heard something from deep within its shadows, her keen ears picked up on a woman's cry of pain and without thinking further she pivoted and stalked into the inky depths that encompassed the slender alley.
Mordred, who had been walking behind her mother, looked on in confusion for a moment before quickly following, with Jack, Medea, and Astoflo on her heels as they walked down the alley. They had quickly lost sight of Artoria as her pace had been faster than theirs, her ears then heard the tell-tale sound of a blade cutting through flesh further up, causing her to quicken her pace.
She found that the alley widened into a small courtyard, where she found her mother, her cape billowing in the wind as she had her sword drawn, she then heard something dripping. Looking for the source she quickly found it, it being her mother's sword, blood dripped from it's edge, creating a small pool on the paved walkway. A quick swipe to the left removed most of the blood as Artoria sheathed the sword.
Mordred then looked to see what her mother had attacked, only to find a man, bisected at the waist, she heard a soft whimper and looked past the corpse to find a woman on the ground looking up at her mother with shock and a hint of fear, she watched as her mother kneeled and pulled the woman into her armored chest, it was then that Mordred noticed the woman's state of dress, her clothes had been torn exposing her bountiful chest, that secretly made her jealous, though she banished those thought as soon as they appeared.
She then heard her mother speak, "Shhh… It's alright now, he won't hurt you again." She didn't think her mother's voice could be that soft.
The woman had almost immediately buried her head into the crook of Artorias armor and began to bawl her eyes out, while her mother remained silent, prompting her to follow her lead, a glance at Mordred and Astolfo, revealed that they too understood and planned to remain silent. She then looked at Jack, who seemed indifferent as she approached their mother, before wiggling her way into the embrace, though her intention was clear, as she just wanted an excuse to hug Artoria, the woman seemed to welcome her presence all the same.
Once the woman had calmed, Artoria pulled back, unclipping her cape to drape it over the woman to hide her modesty, before helping the woman to her feet, "How are you feeling?" Artoria asked softly.
"Ba-Better now." The woman stuttered slightly, but felt safe in her savior's presence.
"I am Artoria Namikaze Pendragon, Queen of the rebuilt Uzushio… Though I have no subjects at the moment." Artoria introduced herself while mumbling the last part to herself.
The woman's eyes had widened, she had been saved by a queen? She went to bow but found it impossible as Artoria had a firm grip on her shoulder, "You do not need to bow to me, not only am I not your queen, but you have just experienced a traumatic event." She then smiled as she looked into the woman's chocolate brown eyes, "Will you tell me your name?"
The woman eeped at the realization she hadn't given her name yet and quickly moved to rectify it. "Moka."
"Moka. That's a beautiful name."
"May we escort you home?" It was Mordred who spoke, gaining Moka's attention, as the woman unconsciously stepped closer to Artoria, she nodded nonetheless as Artoria began to lead her back the way they came, with Astolfo walking in front, Medea behind him, followed by Artoria, Jack, and Moka, the latter two clinging to Artoria, leaving Mordred to take up the rear.
Exciting the Alley they were met with the stares of the populace, a mixture of confused and suspicious looks, Artoria seemed to pay them no mind as she looked down at Moka, "Point me in the direction of your home, please." Moka nodded and lifted her hand to point down the road, she continued directing them until they came upon a small house.
It was two stories, made of mostly wood with a stone foundation, the roof consisted of logs that were split in half, stepping up to the wood door, she gestured for the woman to go inside, as she had successfully walked her home, she frowned however, when the woman frantically shook her head a stepped closer to her.
Artoria recognized the reaction as a way to cope with the traumatic event Moka just experienced, seeing Artoria as her savior and anchor, sighing to herself, Artoria pushed open the door and walked inside, the others remaining outside except for Jack, who followed after her mother.
Stepping into the home found Artoria in a small living room, a single couch across from a fireplace decorating it. Looking to her left she found the kitchen, a small table to the left, with a lonely chair pushed in, hinting that the girl lived alone, to the right lay a row of counters split in the middle by a fridge, a stove sat a counter away from the fridge with a single sink to its right.
Looking forward, she found a short hallway, a staircase climbing the right wall, and two doors on the left wall, she couldn't see a door on the right wall due to the staircase, she didn't bother making immediate note of the floor and walls as they were various shades of brown due to being made of different types wood.
Walking over to the couch, she sat Moka down, who clung to her arm as she did so, practically dragging the Queen of Uzu down with her, Artoria didn't mind much and just sat next to the woman, she came to a quick realization seeing the look in Moka's eyes, she wouldn't be able to leave the woman's side, at least until the woman calmed and learned to move past this horrible experience.
"Moka." Artoria whispered, her voice as soft as before, the girl's head snapped to lock eyes with hers, "We need to get you some clothes to wear." 'Plus I'd like my cape back,' She added in her mind.
Moka nodded hesitantly, but didn't speak, leaving Artoria to continue, "Do you want me to go get your clothes for you, or can you get them yourself?"
Moka once again unconsciously clung to her arm tighter, "Don't leave." She whispered, a look of panic on her face.
"I'm not going anywhere, but you can't remain in your current state of dress, don't worry, Jack will be here until I return."
Moka turned her head to the short girl, who she guessed was her savior's daughter with how she acted. The girl smiled at her, revealing her teeth. There was a hint of maliciousness in the girl's eyes but it didn't seem to be directed at her, she looked back to Artoria as if seeking confirmation, Artoria Only nodded, adding, "My daughter is strong and has a heart of gold beneath her eccentricities."
Moka hesitated for a second longer, before nodding, slowly removing herself from Artoria and wrapping her arms around herself, she unconsciously pulled the cape tighter around her form as if seeking comfort from it.
Artoria stood, and made her way upstairs, once there she noticed how spartan the house truly was, a bland hallway with three doors, two to the left, and two on the right. Moving to the first door on the left, she opened it and peeked inside finding a simple bathroom, the toilet and sink on the right, with a cabinet full of necessities next to the sink, while the tub sat on the left, a hamper for clothes next to it, a shelve of towels just above it.
Closing the door, she went to the door across the hall, looking inside she found a small office of some kind, a desk in the center of the opposite wall from her, a bookshelf to her left, a small chair next to a small round table to her right, filing cabinets sitting next to the table, closer to the desk.
Leaving the room, she went to the next room on the left, finding a bedroom, a double bed to her right, two side tables flanking it, a small black rug sat in the center of the room, and to her left was a black dresser that matched the bed frame, and standing mirror to its left, positioned so it faced away from the corner, another door in between the dresser and mirror was left open, revealing a closet full of simple clothes.
Entering the closest, she grabbed a blue bra, a black blouse, and a pair of blue jeans. Closing both the closet door and the bedroom door, she ignored the last door and returned downstairs and laid the clothing on the couch next to Moka, who, after some coaxing, began to slowly get dressed in the new clothing.
Smiling, Artoria sat down next to Jack, who instantly climbed into her lap, and waited for the woman to get dressed, once she was finished, she approached the topic of her leaving.
"Will you be alright after I leave?" She asked tenderly and almost sighed when the woman's head snapped to look at her, utter horror on her face.
"Don't leave me." She pleaded with a whisper.
"I can't stay…" Artoria breathed out with a sigh. "I have a kingdom to build, and plans to see through."
"But you can't leave!" Moka pleaded again, looking desperate.
Artoria was about to attempt to explain why she couldn't stay again when she felt a tap on her arm, looking down she found Jack looking up at her with her usual tooth-filled grin, raising an eyebrow she gave her attention to the young killer.
"Can she come with us mommy?"
Artoria's lips formed into a frown. Take the woman with them? She glanced at the woman, seeing her terrified expression at the thought of being alone, and knew that she couldn't in good conscience leave her here.
"Okay…" she nodded, her decision made. "Moka!" She said, her tone commanding, much like a Queen. "Will you pledge loyalty to me and be my first subject?"
Moka's back unconsciously straightened, and she had the urge to kneel. "Yes! My Queen!" She answered, unsure where the pure conviction in her voice came from, but accepted it either way.
Artoria nodded again and removed Jack from her lap to stand and kneel in front of the woman. "Then from this day forward, I will protect you with my life." She stood from her kneeling position and offered her hand to the woman. "Now, we need to pack your belongings and sell this house. Unless you have other plans for it?"
Moka took her offered hand and was pulled to her feet as she shook her head, "I couldn't stay here even if you left me…"
"Bad memories?" Artoria asked.
Moka nodded, "Yes, my Queen." She felt a little shocked at how quickly she took to having a Queen but felt happy at having a purpose, even if it was to serve the woman in front of her. She needed to pay back her debt to the woman. Maybe her old sword skills could help. Deciding to be bold and ask, she spoke.
"My Queen, I have sword skills from my teen years, is there a way I can use them to serve you better?"
Artoria seemed to ponder this for a moment, before an idea struck her, "How good is your sword play?"
Moka looked nervous. "I can't say, my Queen. It's been many years since I picked up a sword."
"No worries, when we return to our kingdom, I will personally give you a spar, and further lessons if required. Then you will be the first Captain of my Knights!" She declared with fire in her eyes.
"Ca-Ca-Captain?" Moka stammered, not expecting such a high position.
"I need to build my kingdom, and its subjects need protection when I am unable to provide." Artoria then smiled at her. "It is those times when I will entrust their lives in the hands of you and those with and under you."
Moka was stunned, she had no idea how to react to this. Half an hour ago she was going to be raped by a monster. Now she's potentially gonna the Captain of the Knight's serving a literal Queen? She looked into her Queen's eyes when she felt the gentle hand on her cheek.
"This may be too much for you right now, and rightly so… But I hope this new life will not only make you stronger and more confident… but the training to gain your strength will pull you through the trauma of tonights events."
Moka's eyes wavered at the mention of tonight's events but gained resolve at Artorias next words.
"I see a lioness in you, Moka. Buried beneath the cub you are currently, and as the head lioness, I must bring that Lioness in you to the surface."
"Yes! My Queen!" Moka replied, sheer determination in her voice, a contrast to the weak tone she had minutes before. Artoria had lit a fire in the young twenty-four-year-old, and it had every intention to burn bright.
Artoria nodded, removing her hand from the young woman's face. "Mordred, Medea, Astolfo!" She called, and a moment later the four entered the room.
"Yes, my Queen?" Medea and Astolfo chorused in sync.
"Yes, Mother?" Mordred asked at the same time.
"Will you help us pack up Moka's belongings?" Artoria asked. The three nodded and she turned to Jack, "What about you, Jackie?" She asked, testing out a new nickname for her daughter.
Jack seemed to like the nickname as her eyes brightened considerably. "Yes, Mommy!" She chirped, hopping to her feet. The next few hours were used to pack the woman's belongings and store them in Medea's recent invention, which she called a "Magic Bag", it was a brown bag that had an expanded storage beyond normal means, but enough to hold Moka's belongings.
Once they finished, Artoria looked at Moka, "Before we leave, I wish to speak with the person in charge of this town and discuss trade relations. Do you know where I can find them?"
Moka's mood dropped significantly, "That would be Gato's son, Mars. That monster came here a year ago and, much like his father before him, has a stranglehold on this town, destroying its men and raping its women… We requested aid from Konoha, but were denied."
Artoria's mood dropped as a white-hot rage began to build within her, the thing she hated above all else, is rapists. "I will deal with him… personally… point my blade!" She commanded.
Moka hesitated for but a second before her hand shot up to point at a large mansion located at the North edge of town, nodding, Artoria looked to Mordred and the others, "Take Moka back to our ship, and wait for me." She then promptly began marching to the pointed-out mansion. She stopped, however, at the voice of her eldest daughter.
"Mother!" Mordred called, stepping forward. "Let me come with you!"
Artoria nodded, not willing to deny her daughter. "Then lend me your sword."
"Mommy!" Jack said, gaining her mother's attention, "I wanna come!" She cheered, excitement in her voice as a tooth-filled grin split her face.
"Then follow. But make haste." Artoria answered, before turning around and continuing her path towards the monster's lair.