Ici il y a des dragons Chapter 6

Sense of Self

Tatsuko looked at the male Saber with a raised eyebrow. "Did you just say your name was Siegfried?"

The Saber nodded. "That is my name."

"I was close enough." Ritsuka said.

Siegfried raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Ritsuka answered. "I was just talking to myself."

Siegfried nodded. "If I may ask, how is it that you knew I was here?"

"We heard that there was a dragon slayer here by Saint Martha." Jeanne answered.

"I see." The Saber said. "And what else did she say?"

"That we'd need a dragon slayer to take down Dark Jeanne." Kojiro answered. "Will you help us?"

Siegfried sighed. "Sumanai, but I don't know how much help I'll be…"

The group looked at him in shock. That wasn't what they were expecting. Emiya raised an eyebrow as he noticed something odd about the male Saber.

"Something happened to you, or am I just imagining things?"

Siegfried nodded. "Yes, I was badly injured while defending this city from a group of Servants."

The Platinum haired man tugged his shirt slightly, revealing a nasty slash mark with a sickening purple glow. Marie moved towards Siegfried and examined the wound. After a few moments, Marie stared at Siegfried with a calm expression. "Hold still, I might be able to fix this."

The Rider placed her hands on the wound, and made a small chant. A warm glow emanated from her hands as she attempted to heal the Saber. A few minutes went by, and nothing happened. Marie looked at the wound and sighed. "I'm sorry, but it looks like I can't fix this."

"Let me take a look." Medea said. The Caster walked up to Siegfried and examined the wound. When she was done with her examination, the blue haired woman exhaled sharply. "It's a curse, and a powerful one at that."

"It's as I feared then…."

"Can't you fix it, Medea?" Tatsuko asked.

Medea shook her head. "No, this requires a specific set of skills that I do not possess."

Jeanne was about to speak, only for Roman to appear on the communicator with a frightened look.

"Guys, I have bad news." He said. "I have three Servant readings and they're rushing towards you."

"Only three?" Cú asked. "That shouldn't be a problem."

"Oh it can!" Roman said. "I have another reading that says an ultra size lifeform is with them!"

"Ultra size!? What the hell does that even mean!?" Tatsuko yelled in panic.

"What do you mean by that!? It means that you're about to be hit by something huge!" Roman yelled.

CRASH

Everyone turned around and saw that the castle's exterior crumbled behind them. Soon, an enormous shadow fell over them, blocking out the sun as it let out a mighty roar. Everyone looked up and stood there in absolute shock at the creature before them. Its scales were black, and it had a gray underbelly. On its chest was a blue marking, similar to the markings that were on Siegfried's torso and chest. Its wings were large enough to almost wrap around the castle. No words were needed to tell them what they were facing.

Standing before them was a dragon.

But that wasn't all. On its back was Dark Jeanne, smirking at them. Not a second later, Sanson and Carmilla arrived atop their wyverns.

"Well well, it would seem that the wilted flower decided to take us seriously." Marie said.

Dark Jeanne merely scoffed. "Keep talking princess, I actually brought someone here to shut you up."

Marie looked at Sanson and sighed. "I had a feeling you would show up too."

Sanson raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So you remember me?"

"I've never forgotten your face, you lazy artisan." Marie answered.

Sanson smiled. "That's good to hear. I've never forgotten yours either. Your face, and your pale white neck. I feel like this is destiny. The fate of an executioner killing the same person twice, I feel like only we share that kind of connection."

Mashu's eyes widened. The Shielder recoiled in disgust at the Assassin's words to Marie. Mozart clenched his fist and glared at the white haired man.

"Unbelievable!" Mozart shouted. "Not only in life, but even now you're eager to execute Maria? Could it be that you are genuinely mad, Sanson?!"

"As a human, it pains me to discuss our relationship with a low-life like you." Sanson replied. "Amadeus, you claimed all lives, all humans, are filthy. But I disagree. Humans are sacred, precious things. We are incompatible, you and I. Trash like you who couldn't even love humans, trash who couldn't understand her, has no right to be next to her."

"Calm down Sanson." Dark Jeanne replied. "He's just trying to rile you up."

"Forgive me Master. I got carried away."

"Kind of creepy." Tatsuko whispered to Ritsuka.

"Only kind of? Try a lot."

Marie turned to look at the two Masters, having heard what Tatsuko said. "Sanson's not usually like this. Something's wrong with him."

Sanson said nothing as he stared at Marie. Dark Jeanne took the opportunity to look at her saintly counterpart with barely restrained contempt.

"I think it's time we finish what we started back in La Charite." She said. The Chaldeans and their allies readied their weapons as Dark Jeanne's mount snarled at them. The dragon stared at them all with a hungry gaze.

That is, until he saw Siegfried.

The dragon roared, nearly bucking Dark Jeanne off of it.

"Calm down!" She shouted. The dragon didn't listen, causing her to click her tongue in frustration. "Why isn't he listening to me?!"

"It's because I'm here." Siegfried answered.

"Siegfried, are you sure you can-"

"I'll be fine Mr. Fujimaru." Siegfried said. "I've recovered enough for this much."

The platinum haired Saber walked towards them, gripping his sword tighter.

"It's been a while, Evil Dragon Fafnir. If you've resurrected, I will send you back to your slumber…"

Fafnir continued to roar in fear. Dark Jeanne looked at the Saber with widened eyes as he gripped his sword with both hands.

"Oh shit….."

Blue flames surrounded Siegfried's sword. "Noble Phantasm, Release!"

Siegfried rose his sword above his head, the flames having finally reached their apex.

"Balmung!"

Siegfried swung Balmung. The blue flames erupted from the blade and shot towards Fafnir and Dark Jeanne. The enemy commander gasped in realization at what was about to happen.

"Fafnir, climb up now!"

The dragon immediately flew up away from the blast. The dark Servant chuckled at Siegfried, gloating that he missed.

Siegfried panted heavily. Ritsuka rushed to his aid to check up on him. He could tell the wound was hurting him, but he didn't know how bad it was.

"Sumanai." Siegfried said. "But this is the best I can do for right now."

"You did your best Siegfried." Ritsuka said. "Just rest while we try to drive them off."

Siegfried nodded. The male Master looked at the rest of the group and nodded. There was no way they could win this with Fafnir on Dark Jeanne's side. The best they could do is push them back enough to make them retreat.

Fafnir regained his composure for a few moments before snarling again. The Chaldean Servants and their allies readied themselves once more in order to fight off the opposition.

"Artillery, FIRE!"

Fafnir flinched as a cannon ball hit him in the face. Everyone turned towards the source, and stared wide eyed as they saw the French army in the town, reloading their cannons. Standing alongside the artillery was a man. His face was plain, but he stood out amongst the soldiers with his silver armor and ornate sword. His hair and eyes were black, alongside the gloves he wore. The moment Jeanne saw him, she couldn't help but smile.

"Gilles!"

Gilles raised his hand to prepare the bombardment. "Aim at those dragons up there! Fire all cannons!"

Several volleys of cannon fire erupted. Fafnir flinched as the projectiles hit him repeatedly. Dark Jeanne growled in frustration. "Okay, that is it! Carmilla, Sanson, fall back and leave this to me! Fafnir, open fire on those bastards!"

The two Servants nodded and flew away. The dragon reared its head back, and prepared to incinerate the French army. Ritsuka and Tatsuko looked at Medea with frightened expressions.

"Can you teleport someone to stop the attack?" Tatsuko asked.

"Yes." Medea answered.

"In that case, send me!" Jeanne replied.

"And me." Mashu said.

Medea nodded, and began chanting the spell.

As that was happening, General Gilles stared at his men as the dragon was about to spew its flames. "Everyone, take cover!"

Unfortunately, the army wouldn't be able to do that in time. The dragon spewed a pillar of fire from its maw. The sheer range would have made finding cover futile, something General Gilles realized too late. The knight merely closed his eyes, and waited to be swallowed up by the encroaching fire.

"Luminosité Eternelle!"

"Lord Chaldeas!"

The General's eyes widened as he saw Jeanne and Mashu appear a few feet in front of him, repelling the flames. The black haired knight and the blonde saint didn't even acknowledge the venomous taunts and hatred directed towards her as she helped Mashu prevent the dragon's fire from breaking through their defenses. If their hatred for her gave them the strength to carry on, then she was satisfied. A small smile formed on her face as she remembered that she was an optimist, so she had no need to be afraid.

As that was going on, Dark Jeanne sensed an opportunity. If she could take out the Masters and the rest of their Servants now, then those two would lose power. She turned her head to look at the castle, only for her to growl in frustration.

The Chaldeans and the rest of their allies weren't there. They vanished like thin air.

Dark Jeanne looked back to Fafnir and clicked her tongue in anger. She could try and find them, but the cannon fire would just make it difficult. If she focused on the French Army, then she left herself wide open for an attack. Either way, there was no point in continuing. Dark Jeanne gently rubbed Fafnir's neck, causing the dragon to end its attack.

"Let's get out of here." She said. "Take me back to our base."

Fafnir growled, but still obeyed her. The dragon flapped its wings before taking flight. Everyone on the ground could only watch as the dragon flew away before they were out of sight. A few moments later, the rest of the Chaldeans and allied Servants made their way towards Jeanne and Mashu.

"Great job you two." Ritsuka replied.

"Thank you Senpai!"

"In anycase, I think it's best we leave." Medea answered. "We have an injured Servant here, and if I'm right, then you're the only one who can help him, Jeanne."

Jeanne nodded. She could hear the whispers of the soldiers behind her, calling her the Dragon Witch, a traitor, and a disgrace. Her heart sank as she heard those words, only for Artoria to put a hand on her shoulder.

"Jeanne, we have to go." Artoria said. The Ruler nodded and walked towards the group.

"Jeanne! Please wait!"

Everyone turned to see General Gilles slowly walk towards them. The French nobleman looked at Jeanne in disbelief, only for him to smile.

"You are indeed Jeanne d'Arc!" He said. "Not the Dragon Witch, but a bona fide saint!"

Jeanne did not reply. Instead, she simply, yet reluctantly, walked towards the Chaldeans. The moment she reached them, Marie stared at her in concern. "Shouldn't you answer?"

Jeanne shook her head. "If I do, then I will endanger Gilles's position. For now, we can't depend on them."

"Are you sure about this?" Mash asked.

"Yes, at the very least, I must endure the scorn of those who once fought by my side."

"But... Do they really hate you?" Medusa asked. "Do you truly believe that?"

Jeanne did not answer. Instead, she walked in front of the group with a heavy sigh. The moment the group left, a french commander walked up to General Gilles with an inquisitive look.

" was that just now?"

General Gilles shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know, but...re-examine everything we know of the Dragon Witch."

The commander tilted his head. "Sir?"

"Was it truly Jeanne d'Arc who attacked Charles VII?" General Gilles muttered. "Or some evil imposter?"

"Sir, what are you implying?"

General Gilles turned to the commander with a hint of suspicion.

"It's possible... That there may be two Jeanne d'Arcs in this world."

A couple of hours have passed to put distance between the Chaldeans and the French Army. Thankfully, they found a fort to rest in, and to make sure Jeanne could assess Siegfried's wounds. The Ruler then remembered what she was about to ask Siegfried before her dark counterpart showed up.

"You said that a group of Servants attacked you while you defended the city, right?" She asked.

"Yes." Siegfried answered. "But then something strange happened."

Mozart raised an eyebrow. "Care to elaborate?"

"One of the Servants hid me in the castle. My wound wouldn't heal, and I couldn't ask anyone for help either." Siegfried answered.

Everyone looked at each other with slight suspicion. It sounded like someone they knew…

"Was it a woman who could control a dragon?" Mashu asked.

Siegfried looked at the Shielder in confusion. "Dragon? No, it was a turtle... No, a dragon... A dragon turtle...but not only that, but she also had the presence of a Ruler Class Servant. Just like you Jeanne."

"I guess that's how Saint Martha knew you were there." Kojiro said. "She was the one who hid you."

"I see. Well, if I see her next I'll thank-" Siegfried stopped himself as he saw the looks in everyone's eyes. "Ah, I guess that won't come to pass…"

"Look at the bright side, at least she gave you a chance to survive." Tatsuko replied.

"Yes, but I still feel guilty that she had to save me when I was so useless."

Jeanne shook her head. "I might be able to do something. Let me check."

The Ruler looked at the wound, and her face became crestfallen. Everyone watched as her skin became pale as she looked at them with a sullen expression.

"Is something wrong?" Mashu asked.

Jeanne nodded. "I know how to fix him. Baptism rites can remove the curses, But, a Servant of considerably high rank must perform it."

"But can you do it?" Cú asked. "As a Saint, shouldn't this be a cakewalk?"

Jeanne shook her head. "My power alone won't be enough. Multiple curses have been put on Siegfried. It's a miracle he's even alive."

"Then how do we get rid of all those curses?" Mozart asked.

"We're going to need another Saint." Jeanne answered. "That way, we can remove all the curses at once."

"Then we have a shot." Roman said over the comms.

"Uhhhh, Roman I hate to burst your bubble, but HOW do we have a shot?" Tatsuko asked.

"Well, if St. Jeanne d'Arc, or rather, Jeanne the "Dragon Witch" has the Holy Grail. There is a possibility–that a Saint was summoned as the result of the Counter Force." Roman answered. "And if St. Martha was actually summoned, then maybe there's more out there."

Artoria turned towards the allied Servants. "Do you guys know any Saint Servants to ask?"

Siegfried shook his head. "You're the only Servants that I've ever met."

"Mozart and I traveled together the entire time, and we hadn't seen any other Servants until we saw you." Marie answered.

"Well that complicates things." Emiya muttered.

"Yes, now we need to find a Saint Servant, and quickly." Medea replied.

"But how do we do that?" Medusa asked. "Do we all just go to every town one by one and hope to get lucky? That'll take too much time."

"That may be so, but it's better than letting the Dragon Witch pick us off one by one." Artoria replied.

"Why don't we split up into groups?" Marie suggested. "That way we have numbers, AND we can cover more ground."

"Sounds like a plan." Emiya said. "But now comes the hard part; how do we split up our group?"

Marie giggled. "Simple; Jeanne and I make one group, while the rest of you make the second."

Everyone stared at the Rider in shock. That was TERRIBLY imbalanced as far as splitting up went.

"Marie, that sounds pretty risky." Mashu said.

"Yeah, we should probably split it up more evenly." Emiya replied. "Otherwise, you both will be in trouble if a fight gets serious."

"That might be true," Marie said. "But think of it this way; with just the two of us, Jeanne and I will be more mobile. We can go into any town and get out before anyone notices."

"That is a fair point Marie, but sending one or two of us with you should help." Artoria countered.

Marie shook her head. "I understand your concern Artoria, but you have two Masters to worry about. They need to stick together in order for us to have a better shot at winning. So having you all stick with them increases their chances of survival."

"Marie, there's more than enough of us to split up evenly." Medea countered. "There's no need to only have two wander off and have the rest of us make the other team."

Marie exhaled sharply. "I understand your concerns. Really, I do. But this is the best chance we have. If we're just two, then we can move quickly and undetected."

"But-"

"Marie and I will make one half of the team." Jeanne said. "She won't be swayed, so we might as well go along with her suggestion."

Everyone looked at each other with concern. This didn't sound like a good plan at all, but Jeanne was right. Marie wouldn't be swayed. So it was just best to do as she asked. Ritsuka and Tatsuko reluctantly nodded towards Marie. Mashu walked up to Jeanne and handed her a small object.

"What's this?"

"It is a communicator." Mashu answered. "That way we can communicate through regular intervals."

Jeanne smiled and nodded. "Thank you Mashu."

Mashu smiled back as Marie turned to Mozart with a mischievous grin. "Amadeus, make sure you get along with tend to be misunderstood by friends."

Mozart rolled his eyes and laughed. "I don't want to hear it from you.

Anyway, Marie…"

Marie tilted her head in confusion. "Yeah?"

Mozart shook his head. "No,never mind. Just be careful along the way. Don't try to find a pastry shop even if you get hungry."

Marie gasped. "Oh! My heart beat thinking that you might propose to me again!"

Mozart stared at her in disbelief. "Why would you bring that up now?"

Marie giggled. "Sorry, I couldn't help it. When you said that to me, I was so happy that I told everybody about it."

Mozart's eyes widened as he pointed to her. "So it was you! You did it! You turned me down! You're such a femme fatale!"

Marie nodded. "I had no choice. After all, I couldn't decide who would be my fiance. And besides, you know how my life was after that, don't you? I was happy with my decision. It was best to turn you down. It turned out that you were loved by many people as a musician. That's why I ended my life as a silly queen."

Everyone watched in silence as Marie sighed. They decided to let those two vent in order to clear their heads.

"It can't be helped you see, I have no choice because I'm always in love." Marie said. "Maybe I was in love with a country named France. I only loved the country itself, not the people, and because I was so arrogant, I ended up getting killed by the nation."

"Are you a fool?" Mozart asked in disbelief. "You've got it all wrong. It's not that you were in love with the country. France was in love with you."

Marie stared at him in surprise for a few moments, before a small smile crept upon her lips. "Thank you, Mozart."

The Rider walked towards Jeanne and put a hand on her shoulder. Marie waved at the rest of the group with a big smile.

"See you, everyone! I'm leaving now!" She said. "Oh! Amadeus, when I come back, let me listen to your piano again!"

Mozart smiled and gave a small nod. The two girls then walked into the west to search for a Saint. A few minutes into their trek, Marie noticed Jeanne's conflicted expression.

"Jeanne, are you okay?"

Jeanne nodded. "I'm fine, I was just thinking…."

"You mean about the Dragon Witch?" Marie asked.

Jeanne reluctantly nodded. "Yes."

"How about you tell me about it?" Marie said. "Maybe I can help."

Jeanne took a deep breath. "From the day I was born I've received God's revelations, and I just ran off without even looking back.I became a Heroic Spirit after I died, and then was summoned as a Ruler. ...I accept this fact as part of the natural order of things."

"But?"

Jeanne clenched her fists. "I don't understand–anything the Dragon Witch says, not a single word. I wonder who that "me" really is."

Marie squealed. "You really are beautiful!"

Jeanne blushed. "D-Don't tease me."

Marie giggled. "Well, it's the truth. But back to your dilemma, if I were you, I would probably accept the things the "Dragon Witch" says."

Jeanne stared at her in confusion. "What?"

"Take me for example." Marie explained. "I don't hate the people who executed me. It's a fact that I'm almost ninety percent positive about. But the ten percent that's left, or, it might be much smaller than that. That's a different story."

Jeanne looked at the Rider with curiosity. "Are you saying there are people you hate?"

Marie nodded. "Yes."

"May I ask who?"

Marie's face became saddened. Her body trembled slightly, as if remembering something she didn't want to.

"I hated those who killed my children just for a little bit." Marie answered. "They killed my son Charles, to hurt me. You should truly feel pity for him."

Marie took a deep breath to calm her nerves, and wiped a couple of tears from her eyes. "So, if my version of the Dragon Witch appears, I would probably think "oh, that's the other me." And accept the things she says. But that's not the case for you, is it Jeanne?"

Jeanne raised an eyebrow. "It isn't?"

Marie shook her head. "No, it's not because you don't want to get dirty, or don't want to believe you are. Nor does that mean you lack something."

"Then…..what is it?" Jeanne asked.

Marie giggled. "Why it should be obvious! You like people, don't you? People who try to move forward by groveling around. The unreasonable ones, the accusers. You love them all equally, from the very bottom of your heart."

"Yes. I do love them." Jeanne gasped. "Oh I see, there was no way I could hold a grudge against them because I loved them."

"Exactly!" Marie exclaimed. "That's why France was saved by you. It's okay, tell the Dragon Witch when you see her."

Jeanne looked at the Rider in confusion. "Tell her what?

Marie grinned. "Say what you want to say out loud. Say, "You're not me." Or, "I don't know you." Does that help?"

Jeanne smiled and nodded. "Yes, It was very helpful. When I confront her next time, I'm sure I can tell her what I want to say."

Not long after Marie and Jeanne left, the rest of the group decided to make their journey to find a saint servant in the opposite direction. A few hours into the journey, Mashu noticed Mozart's annoyed expression.

"Mr. Mozart, is there something wrong?" She asked.

Mozart nodded. "I'm worried about Marie."

"I agree….." Mashu replied. "Having only them make one team just makes me uneasy."

Mozart chuckled. "That's Marie for you. Make a fabulous impression, then make people worry by making strange decisions."

Mashu giggled. "I know a few people like that in Chaldea. Isn't that right Fou?"

"Fou Fou!" The white critter chimed as he jumped around Mashu's shoulders.

"Well, it looks like we have something in common." Mozart joked.

"I guess we do." Mashu replied. The two of them walked in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before the lilac haired girl looked at the Caster again in curiosity.

"Say, Mr. Mozart-"

"Please, just call me Mozart."

Mashu nodded. "Mozart, I remembered your conversation about proposing to Marie, and I was wondering…..do you still love her?"

Mozart laughed. "Certainly not. I have no more passion for her."

Mashu cocked her head to one side. "You don't?"

"Nope!" Mozart answered. "If I'd led a decent life, the divergence would've been that proposal. Like what you'd call the cornerstone of human history. What choices would this man, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, have made to end up this way? No matter what happens. No matter what lovers I meet, what friends I gain, what bliss I grasp. I would offer my life to music, and become a scum that abandons all human virtue."

"I see….."

"But there's just one thing." Mozart said. "If there were someone who could change my fate, I think it would've been her."

"But Amadeus, doesn't that mean that you love Marie?" Mashu asked.

Mozart shrugged. "Oh, sure. I do love her. It's just that I'm not in love with her any more. Is there a problem with that?"

Mashu shook her head. "No, but I remember Sanson saying that you believe that we humans are filthy. Based on what you said, that means you think Marie is also filthy without exception…"

"So what?" Mozart asked. "I love anything filthy. Music is beautiful. We humans are filthy. You weren't aware of such differences? It's just a matter of category."

"Well...To me, that difference is too abstract…" Mashu said. "I guess I failed Marie…."

Mozart raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Well, she and I were talking about love, and I told her that I only understand it in theory, not practice….but she said that I'd understand it when the time came…."

Mozart put a finger to his chin in deep thought. "Hmm, that's a tough one. Love is something that when you feel it, you instantly recognize it."

"I…..still don't understand."

Mozart put a hand on the Shielder's shoulder. "Don't worry, Marie's right. You'll understand someday. You're going to continue your journey with Mr. Fujimaru and Ms. Tachibana, right?"

Mashu smiled and nodded. "Yes, when it comes to such things, they are the ideal partners to speak to, especially Senpai."

"Excuse me." Siegfried said. "I understand that you guys are talking about something nice, but the sun is starting to set, so I suggest we stop here and make camp."

The rest of the group nodded in agreement. While the Servants could keep going without rest, they still had two Masters who would need it. They turned to look at them, and saw they were almost worn out. They needed to get some rest, otherwise they would faint.

It took a couple of hours, but the camp was now set up. Before dinner was served, Ritsuka told the others to eat without him, for he wasn't hungry. The male Master then explained that he would eat in the morning, when he had an appetite. A few minutes after dinner was done, Emiya got up and decided to check up on the black haired teen. The white haired Archer didn't have to look too far, as he found Ritsuka sitting down, and looking at the stars with a saddened look. Emiya simply walked up to the male Master, and sat down next to him.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Emiya asked.

Ritsuka exhaled sharply. "I'm worried that I'm not being a good Master."

Emiya chuckled. "So that's what's bothering you."

Ritsuka nodded.

"Well in my humble opinion, you and Tatsuko are doing a pretty good job." Emiya said.

Ritsuka's eyes widened. "Really?"

Emiya nodded. "I was in your shoes once, so take it from me. You two are doing much better than others would, especially with the unique circumstances."

Ritsuka put his hands up. "Whoa whoa, back up. You were a Master?"

"Ah, so the others didn't tell you that." Emiya replied.

"No, they did not!" Ritsuka shouted, clearly upset.

"Sorry, I assumed the others would've told you." Emiya said.

"Well, how about you tell me the story behind that." Ritsuka said. "I genuinely want to get to know you more."

Emiya smiled. "It's complicated."

"I don't mind." Ritsuka said.

"Okay then, here it goes." Emiya took a moment to breathe. "For starters, the person you see before you was when I was a Servant during the Fifth Holy Grail War in three timelines. While my younger self, who was still a regular highschool student, was a Master in that same War in the same timelines."

"Really?" Ritsuka asked. "Who was your, or rather, HIS Servant?"

Emiya turned his head back to the camp, still smiling. Ritsuka turned his head as well, and noticed the Archer staring at a certain blonde Saber. The male Master's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

"Artoria was his Servant?!"

Emiya nodded.

"That explains why you know her so well!"

Emiya chuckled. "You could say that."

"Well, who was your Master?"

"A girl from the same highschool, Rin Tohsaka."

Ritsuka narrowed his eyes, an action Emiya noticed. "Something wrong?"

Ritsuka shook his head. "It's nothing. Anyway, what was your younger self like?"

Emiya sighed. "A stupid idiot with an impossible dream."

"You do realize by insulting him, you're insulting yourself right?" Ritsuka asked teasingly.

Emiya laughed. "I guess you could say that."

"Might I ask what that dream was?" Ritsuka asked.

Emiya sighed. "To become a Hero of Justice…"

It was Ritsuka's turn to laugh. Emiya rolled his eyes in amusement as the male Master fell to the ground, rolling on his sides as he continued to laugh.

"I'm sorry for this Emiya." Ritsuka said. "Hero I can understand, but Hero of Justice? That is the CORNIEST thing I've ever heard! Seriously, it sounds like a bad title for a Saturday morning cartoon."

Emiya chuckled. "Damn, I can't believe I didn't think about that."

"Well now you have that to mull over." Ritsuka said jokingly. "So, can you tell me more about the Holy Grail War from your perspective?"

Emiya nodded. "I can, but as I said before, I have three timelines worth of memories, so you're going to need to be more specific."

"How about the one you remember the most." Ritsuka said.

Emiya nodded. "Okay, but I'll warn you now, you might not like what you're about to hear."

Ritsuka nodded, allowing the white haired Archer to tell him everything about his past, and how he joined the Fifth Holy Grail War.

OC: (Sigh)... I can't believe it….

CV: I can't believe it either… Wait, what can't I believe?

OC: The next chapter… I was dreading this day.

CV: Don't dread, it's not good for your health.

OC: Easy for you to say, the next chapter is going to be a nightmare for me.

CV: Wait, why is… OH, it's because of her isn't it.

OC: Yes.

CV: Do you want to tell the readers?

OC: Well, they're gonna find out eventually, so might as well get it over with….for our loyal readers, I'm sorry for what you're about to hear. You all know by now that Orleans introduced one of my absolute FAVORITE characters in FGO…but what I didn't tell you, is that it also introduced another Servant that I absolutely hate, hate, hate, HATE with a burning passion. And that Servant's name…is Kiyohime.

CV: OH MY GOD, KIYOHIME? Just kidding, you told me months ago lol.

OC: Yeah, but in all seriousness, I'm not a fan of her or yanderes in general. Though there are exceptions to the rule because of their unique circumstances (Like Brynhild), I actually enjoy those exceptions. Kiyohime? Nope, I despise her. For starters, she says she can tell when you're lying…only for it to be revealed that she decides what's a lie and what's not. So if you tell her the truth, and she doesn't like it? She will say you're lying and burn you. Then there's the fact that she ignores anything that comes CLOSE to character progression, opting to remain as a yandere because of some unknown force. Seriously, I love a lot of characters in FGO, but she's one of the few I loathe, and there's like….five others in FGO that I hate more than her. And two of them aren't Servants.

CV: Well, can't really blame you for disliking her, Kiyo is a hard acquired taste.

OC: Exactly. Everytime I see her onscreen, unless it's with Osakabehime, I keep thinking to myself. "Shut up you creepy, stalking, childish, stubborn bitch! Stop taking screen time from Mashu, or any other girl because they're all much better than you are!"

CV: Even BB?

OC:...I honestly don't know who's worse, but at least BB is entertaining when bullied.

CV: True.

OC: Okay, let's just move on from this train of thought before I get even more pissed off. Once again, we decided to use some dialogue from the actual game, but switched it so Marie's conversation with Jeanne was first, then spliced some of Mozart's dialogue with Mashu into one conversation, instead of two. Because honestly? While the early game can be derided for many faults, some of which are absolutely justified (Looking at you Septem!), I actually thought that Orleans had some REALLY great dialogue between certain characters, and the above examples of Marie's conversation with Jeanne and Mozart's with Mashu are still favorites of mine, because it actually gives insight to these characters, and are pretty deep. Marie hating those that killed her son, and admitting it without hesitation shows that despite being in a body where she's a happy little cinnamon roll, there is a mother who still grieves the death of her little boy, and her other children.

CV: Yep, Marie hides a lot of the pain that her previous life caused her, and I think that little moments like those where she lets out what's in her mind are pretty good.

OC: Yeah, and I always questioned why people said that Orleans wasn't that great, when we had moments and dialogue like that. Sure the gameplay was terrible, but the overall story? I found it pretty neat.

CV: Three words: TOO. MANY. WYVERNS!

OC: We got wyverns! OH YEAH! Sorry (not really lol) but I couldn't resist.

CV: God dammit lol.

OC: Muahahahahaha. Oh, and for those who are reading this tomorrow, I hope you have a Happy Father's day, and give your dads a special gift!

CV: Already got my dad his gift.

OC: Same here….well not really, it's going to be coming to him a little late in the week, but it's a nice surprise.

CV: Nice, hope your dad likes it.

OC: Oh he will. And as always, we hope you like the chapter, and to look forward to the next chapter….and at my misery as I have to put up with that crazy yandere bitch…