By the Bonfire: Our Divergent Paths
"I just don't think a sword is right for me."
It's a comment that barely holds his attention as he drags the whetstone over the blade, if there is one thing that can dent Titanite, it is the unbreaking scales of the dragons.
"Then wield a spear."
He replies without diverting his attention away from the sword.
"Tried those but they just seem to…hmmm. There isn't a lot of power when I swing them around."
At those words, he stops for a brief moment and raises his head, turning towards the direction of the speaker and staring at them.
It would be no different from looking in a mirror, save for the difference in expression they are identical. Brothers, one and all.
The face of detached contemplation that barely registers their situation lingers on him, his brows furrow at the sight of them as he tries to think of an answer to what they just said. Yet he cannot come up with a single word.
"...Swing them around."
He repeats the words in a flat tone, hoping that he heard wrong.
Instead his conversation partner nods his head dejectedly, arms folding over his chest and a sigh spilling out from between his lips.
"And I tried to see if they could forge me a larger sword but even that doesn't feel quite right for me."
He can't understand what is being spoken of here.
They are identical, even the difference in weapons is nothing more than the need for diversity within the formations. They have no personal preference for what they wield, be it a spear, a sword or a bow. They are all capable of wielding the arms of the Silver Knights depending on whatever role they are called to.
So he is curious as to whether this is some sort of joke.
But the look on their face lacks any sort of humour.
He straightens out and frowns.
Sword forgotten as he stares at this one person, he is not alone as the others in the armoury are starting to turn their heads in tandem. Within moments there is silence as they all stare at the one individual who is somehow oblivious to the shared thought running through the minds of all of them.
What is wrong with this brother?
"Another one, huh?"
His head turned to the groan that was doubtless not meant for his ears, nothing more than a private complaint, but he was drawn towards it all the same as Captain Okita leaned over her desk and pressed a palm against her temple. He could see the way her eyes glazed over as they beheld the form in front of her.
From that, his attention shifted to the person who had delivered the report.
Siegfried, the dragon slayer.
Staring at the man was painful at times, he turned his eyes after only a moment.
"Sorry." Siegfried inclined his head.
Captain Okita exhaled and waved her hand. "No, it's not your fault so there's no need to apologise for it. Quite frankly I should have expected something like this to happen sooner but…ah well."
He turns from the conversation and fixes his attention on his own reports.
There is something calming about it as he puts pen to paper and writes out the events of the day, if there could even be called events for his patrol, there is little that happens when he moves through the areas.
Though he starts to suspect that is because the troublemakers have wisened up to his movements and are trying to avoid him.
Perhaps changing his patrol times would aid them in that regard?
It is a thought worth considering at another time.
A faint hiss draws his eyes up as the door opens, he stares blankly as Sir Gareth of the Round enters the room with a frown and then glances about for a few moments, clearly searching for something before the frown deepened further, hands on her hips she turns and faces his direction before speaking up.
"I don't suppose you have seen Verndari, have you?"
"I encountered them earlier in the day, yes." Arkon raised a brow behind his helm. "Is there some issue that they should be made aware of?"
Gareth pauses for a moment, a curious expression flies over her features as she goes wide eyed and rooted to the ground. Slowly peeling her vision from him and sharply down to the ground, lips rolling inside and shaking her head.
"Nooo…just wondering was all."
He's encountered more convincing pickpockets.
But it is as expected.
A knight shouldn't lie-
The thought is like ash in his mind and he feels a pang of disgust shoot through him for a moment, but he quickly buries it and nods his head up and down, returning to the report and continuing his work.
He is about halfway down the page before he notices that Sir Gareth has yet to depart the room, rather her shadow has moved closer to his desk than before and he gradually raises his head once again to stare at her. Not that she looks at him, rather she has her arms folded and her gaze fixed completely upon the door.
With her back to him, he cannot see her face but he can assume the expression she is making from how tense her shoulders are.
He goes back to writing after a few seconds.
"Arkon?"
"Yes, Captain?"
The call from Okita is almost welcome to distract him from whatever shenanigan this is.
"Can you accompany Siegfried? Apparently Pharros has been messing with some of the lights again and we need to figure out which ones she's been trying to rip apart."
With a nod of the head, he quickly stands up and sets his pen down.
Though he barely manages to get around his desk before another voice, quieter then the other, speaks up and has him incline his head towards it.
"How was Verndari when you saw them?"
Gareth still is not looking at him and he cannot quite place the expression on her face, nor does he really want to think about it all that much. Instead he just answers bluntly and continues on his way.
"They are carrying on."
What was he to say?
He did not inquire about their physical nature and nor does he find himself caring for it all that much in the first place.
With that interaction over, he heads off with Siegfried from the office and into the hallway, passing by one of the humans - Sylvia, a blonde woman wearing the standard Chaldean uniform with an orange tinge to the front - as they step into the hall and briefly catches the eyes of the woman. They stop for a moment and he does not miss the way their eyes dart just behind him towards his cap before her shoulders slump a little in relief. Then she keeps on moving as though nothing happened in the first place.
But Arkon saw it all the same, it was impossible to miss.
"Have you been burdened by…the other Silver Knight?" Calling out brings a sudden stop to Sylvia, the woman turns to face him for a moment before shaking his head from side to side.
"No." Her response is rather smooth but he does not fail to notice the faint way her cheeks tinge red for a brief moment. "Just…thought you might have been him for a couple seconds. Sorry for giving that impression. I'll just be going now."
With that, she turns and moves away before he could consider giving another word to her.
But he just stands there and stares at her retreating back before shifting on his heel and bringing himself about. Already he can feel his features souring as the nature of her interaction leaves an unpleasant feeling within him. It is a physical effort to keep his hands from clenching into fists and to stop him from grinding his teeth.
"Is something the matter?"
He thanks Siegfried in his mind for providing him with a distraction, the tanned man watches him with furrowed brows. Arkon shook his head from side to side and stepped forwards, moving past the Saber Servant and down the hallways.
"Nothing that is pressing." He answers. "Pharros has proven herself to be problematic again, has she?"
"Hm." Siegfried responded with a hum of acknowledgement.
Not the first time and he doubted it would be the last, but tampering with the workings of whatever sorcery kept the illumination of the building working was hardly as bad as previous efforts from her. He is aware that she is one of the overly curious types of sorcerers and perhaps, given time, she could understand how everything works.
But he is not of the opinion that ripping into the walls at random is the best method of gaining understanding.
Nothing really sits right with him when he wields a sword.
The handle is often too short for his liking and while the spear fixes the problem easily enough, he cannot help but feel as though he is not using it as it should be used.
But that is something he can tell at a mere glance.
Even his training does not help, though he can wield a sword and spear, even string and use a bow, none of it sits quite right with him. Especially as he glances around to his brothers and sisters, they are all of the sort where they can wield them with a grace that he lacks.
He can see it when he strikes the target, when he uses his full might.
There is no graceful movement and no elegant thrust.
He just swings it as though it were nothing more than solid metal in his hand, his full might being used to crush whatever is under the weight of his blow.
Though he stomachs it.
Until eventually he notices something that is impossible to ignore.
He is stronger than most of his brothers.
Even those who have found their names and are building strength and identity are not his close equals in sheer might. He exceeds many of them easily enough but there are some who are still beyond him.
But he spends his time with one brother in particular.
"Do we have other weapons?"
He asks the question one day and his met with a bewildered stare in return, it is an expression that he has never before seen on the face of the more stoic of his kindred and it's rather humorous for a moment, but it passes as the shock fades and is replaced with a more exhausted frown.
"You are still bothered by your current arms? What problem ails you now?"
He exhales and shakes his head.
If there was one thing that didn't make sense to him.
Just one thing that was the problem…
"They aren't heavy enough."
"What?"
"The weapons." He explains further. "I hold a sword but the grip is too short and I hold it too tightly…sometimes they end up breaking when I swing them too hard. The spear is better with the handle but it just lacks the same weight and I can't swing it like I feel like I should with something like that."
The more he explains, the more he finds his brother's face contorting into something twisted between surprise and irritation.
He is not quite sure what the problem is though.
For some moments, neither of them say anything.
Then his brother palms at his face and lets out a sigh before turning on his shoulder.
"Fine. We can see if the blacksmiths have something that can aid you…But this shall remain a request."
Turning about, his brother jabs a finger into his face right under his nose.
"The work of the smiths is far too vital for the war effort to contend with dealing with whatever bewildering request you can come up with because the weapons you hold don't quite feel right. If they cannot spare the time then you will make do with the weapons you have on hand. Are we understood?"
Despite the serious expression on their face, he smiles widely.
"Completely and utterly! Thank you brother!"
Rolling his eyes, his brother turns from him. "Do not thank me for putting up with your queer nature."
He keeps smiling, however.
He glances up from the drawing and towards the person for a brief moment, frowning and then holding up his thumb.
It doesn't look quite right but…
Ah, there is it.
The slight shading of the eye.
Other than that - and the slightly paler complexion - the pair of them are almost identical.
"You are rather good at telling us apart, Sir Ledo."
He smiles good naturedly at the comment from King Artoria.
Or is it Prince Artoria at this stage? He cannot quite figure out which it is, given that they were a King of the distant past who did become a King. They might be in the form where they were not a King, but they would eventually become a King and had already been a King.
Ledo stopped thinking for a moment and stared straight ahead.
He was thinking too much.
Just like that, it was all wiped away and the smiles returned just as before, glancing towards Lily and nodding his head up and down.
"I am sure you can tell that we Silver Knights all look identical to one another."
Surprise flashed over the face of Lily. "You do?"
He blinked. "Yes? Has Arkon never taken off his helmet before?"
She shook her head from side to side, confirming the worst of his fears.
His brother was still ever so serious but what news was that to him? They were all much the same and perhaps he was the one who was the exception. Unless he counted Siefer in that number as well, in which case Arkon was probably the most serious out of all the brothers he had met because he at least remembered the one or two times that Siefer smiled.
Arkon rarely did any of that.
Ever so glum, a shame.
He was sure they had a very nice smile, just like his own.
"I guess it would be too much to hope for but…Maybe he has probably taken it off in the past and just never in front of you? You're a bit of a new arrival like me as well, aren't you? So that might be the case, might it?"
Lily blinked twice, then cupped her chin and nodded. "I think you might be right. He could be the opposite of Sir Palamedes actually. I know that he only ever wore his helmet when he really started to get serious. So that just means that Arkon takes off his helmet when he gets serious instead, right?"
His eyes narrowed in thought.
Yes.
"That makes perfect sense." He declared after a moment and went back to drawing, subtly adding in a small note about this 'Sir Palamedes' and crossing lines underneath it as well.
He was making some rather good progress with all of these little diagrams and notes on the knights of the Round Table.
Not the first order of knights he had met but they were rapidly closing in on being one of the more colourful, but that was just below the Knights of Virtue from Alkindor.
They were a colourful bunch, really.
Sometimes a bit dour though.
Depended on which virtue he encountered.
"So how many of these do you have, by the way?"
He was jerked from the past by Lily leaning forwards and staring at the notebook in his hand, though it was only the manifestation of one of his personal skills, it would not be wrong to say that it was one of the many he had created during his very long life.
Ledo perked up and felt some pride and excitement sweep through him.
He always enjoyed it when someone talked about his notebooks and travel logs.
"I have a lot."
Lily stared unblinkingly at him. "A lot?"
"Yes."
"Wow." She sounded a little impressed. "You must have been travelling an awful lot to collect so many of these. I never did something like that when I was travelling with Merlin, Kay and Ector but…eh-heh. I don't think that Kay would have really appreciated it if I wrote down everything that went wrong."
Ledo tilted his head. "Really? That is where some of the best parts of an adventure come from. They all have their ups and downs, some are just as exciting because of the missteps rather. It would hardly be an adventure if nothing went wrong, would it?"
She opened her mouth, but he did not spare much time in flashing up another of his notebooks and flipping through the pages.
"Ah, this was during my first voyage to the great mountains of the…hmmm…might have been the seventh cycle? Not sure. Never kept track and hardly paid attention to it but it was a long time ago so I forgot most of it. Though that might be because I slipped down the mountain at one point."
Lily's brows raised up her forehead. "You climbed a mountain? Why?"
Why?
"I just felt like it."
"...You…really?"
"Yep."
"That was all the reason you needed?"
"Pretty much, yeah." Ledo tilted his head. "I don't think you need much more of a reason to go on an adventure in the first place rather than because you get bored and just feel like going out and doing something exciting. I saw there was a big mountain there and just felt like climbing all the way to the top to see what was up there."
Lily leaned forwards. "What was up there?"
Ledo paused for a moment, glanced down to his notebook and flipped to the next page.
"...A waterfall…and a hydra."
He chuckled after a moment.
"Ah, so that was where I got the recipe for hydra skewers. I forgot about where I came up with that so that's definitely something to make a note of-"
Ledo stopped and then shot to his feet, eyes wide in realisation.
"Ah! I just remembered! The kitchen was collecting all those recipes, weren't they? I should contribute some to them! I found loads of them while I was travelling and…ah…do you think we would even be able to find hydra meat in the first place? What if there is a difference in species and some have more toxic flesh than others or something? I know a couple fish like that…"
Lily stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "Maybe one of the ones from simple cattle would help?"
She was probably right.
But it didn't feel as exciting.
"...I'll find and kill one of the hydra that comes from this world and see if you can eat them."
Yes, that sounded like a plan to him.
"Someone say something about killing?"
He turned to the voice without even blinking, then stared at the tattooed figure approaching them with a lopsided grin.
"Food hunting." Ledo elaborated. "Cooking and eating a hydra."
Nahr Alma paused for a brief moment and then made a noise. "Oh, so that's just what you were talking about."
Oddly enough, he did not sound disappointed in the least and if anything, the twinkle in his eyes got a little bit brighter than before.
"Sounds like a splendid idea to me. What's the problem then?"
"Whether the meat is toxic."
"Oh. That." Alma smacked his lips and crossed his arms, leaning backwards and turning his eyes upwards to the ceiling. "Hmmm. Yeah. Some animals just have bad flesh like that which is a really poor sport. The least they could do, as losers, would be to let the winners have their flesh, wouldn't you say? Otherwise what's the point in really hunting them in the first place?"
Ledo nodded his head along with the God. "Exactly…Though I suppose someone could use magic to make the meat safe to eat, right? That seems like the sort of thing that someone could do. Maybe if there is a problem you can just use miracles to curse yourself of the effects at the same time as well…But the problem could also be the taste as well."
Snapping his fingers, Alma frowned. "Yeah…Well, let me know if you're planning on going hunting for it. I'll be sure to sharpen my scythe just in case!"
Wandering right past them, Alma waved his hand in farewell and left them be.
That was a nice interaction, if a little odd how he showed up at the mention of killing and then just walked off.
Ledo turned back to Lily. "What do you think?"
Lily wet her lips and jerked slightly. "Uhm…"
Her hand came up and wiped at her mouth.
"Sorry. You got me thinking about food so…I've never eaten a Hydra or anything like that before so…I wouldn't be able to tell you how it tastes but you seem really passionate about this sort of thing."
Ledo only grinned and pointed. "I told you. Adventure."
"...What does Hydra taste like?"
"...Kind of tough." He replied after a moment. "Chewy as well. A bit like snake."
"That makes sense."
"It does, doesn't it? Though it actually tastes pretty different to wyvern."
"You've eaten a wyvern before?"
He nodded his head up and down. "Oh yeah. All sorts of different species of wyverns as well. They really had a lot of them going on throughout all the eras and they all had their own tastes about them."
Whipping out another notebook, he flipped through the pages.
"Come on. We can get some food while I talk about it because this has made me feel really hungry."
He wanted to wield a what?
"You want to wield what?"
"A hammer."
Even hearing it repeated again brought him nothing more than abject confusion, his arms dropped to his side and he stared wide eyed at his brother. Somehow thinking that this would be nothing more than some elaborate attempt at a jest.
He was rewarded with nothing more than a perfectly innocent expression which confirmed the very worst of his fears.
Raising his right hand, he rolled his fingers through his scalp and tightened his jaw until the frown felt as though it had been carved into bone. For what felt like years did he level his brother with a golden stare which could have pierced through even the unbreaking scales of the Everlasting dragons.
And his brother just stood there with his hands on his hips.
"I came up with the idea after seeing General Havel-"
He felt like coughing just after hearing the name, immediately straightening out and staring at his brother in some deeper understanding, but with no less confusion.
"General Havel is one of the first holders of a Soul, he prized his club from the maw of a dragon and fashioned it himself…Not to mention that he is a dozen times stronger than even the greatest knights that we have in our regiment or even any of our brothers."
Predictably, his rant earned him nothing more than an excited nod of the head.
"Exactly! I think that General Havel has the right idea. None of the piercing works so just hitting the dragons with pure force has to damage what is under the scales, right? Like even if our armour doesn't break-"
"That is not how it works." He cut that line of argument short with a raised hand. "We are living. The dragons are but stone given motion. Nothing more and nothing less. They break when beaten enough and that is all you need to concern yourself with."
He stopped for a moment and waved a hand. "More to the point, a hammer? What is it to look like as our mighty forces appear to spread the influence of our Lord and you appear to, what? Proclaim yourself the greatest smith?"
"I can forge it if it's a bother for the smiths-"
"That is most certainly not the problem here." Once more he waved his hand, then sighed and dropped it down, shifting his attention away and closing his eyes.
Of all the things that he could have come up with.
A hammer?
Where was the grace and the elegance in such a weapon?
Even now his mind conjured up the many stares that his brother would receive if he showed up to the battle with nothing more than some club and started swinging it around as though he believed himself the second coming of General Havel.
His lips twisted in distaste at the mere thought such a thing could happen.
…And yet…
His eyes opened and he glanced towards his brother, meeting their still smiling face and frowning deeper in thought.
"It isn't as though we were never told we can't wield other weapons, right? We just got what we were given."
Very slowly, he blinked at the argument presented to him. "...Excuse me?"
Turning left and right, his brother stepped forwards and moved to his side, slinging an arm over his shoulder and pulling him down. "I from some of the others that Lord Faraam personally took to commanding the front regiments and found some soldiers to serve under him. I hear he has taken one of the named brothers and allowed him to model their very own weapon."
"All the more reason-" He brushed away the hand on his shoulder, rather gently, and took on a tired frown. "-that you should put this entire affair on hold until you are awarded such a privilege. What use is it to waste resources on such a design if you could very well end up dead after the next battle? Who else could wield such an unruly weapon as the one you have decided to find yourself, hm?"
For the first time, his brothers expression twisted into something other than a smile.
But he could hardly say the aura of contemplation was relieving.
"...So what you're saying is I need to make a name for myself and then I would get the hammer?"
He opened his mouth to argue, then stopped and closed it again as he realised that his brother was not entirely wrong.
Still.
Rubbing the bridge of his nose and his eyes, he sighed rather loudly and waved his hand back and forth. "I would assume that if you could achieve such a thing then you might be awarded the same privilege, but I would warn you not to-"
"Got it."
His brother cut him short, his head snapped up and he found himself glaring at their sudden excitement.
"I just need to make a name for myself-"
He lashed out and clamped an arm around his brother, yanking them forwards until they were almost nose to nose, his voice dropped low and his eyes fixed themselves onto matching gold.
"Listen closely brother. I will not allow you to act as some glory hound merely because you wish to swing a lump of metal heavier than all our other brothers and sisters. This is no game nor is it for you alone. We fight as one. We die as one. We serve the Gods as one. Do you understand."
His brother slowly nodded. "But the hammer-"
His grip tightened and cut them short. "If you can work with us and still elevate yourself high enough, you might be able to earn that privilege. But it is not for you to decide what weapon you wield merely because you do not fancy it."
Golden eyes darted away from his own and he held onto his brother for a little longer.
He released them and stepped back, keeping his voice hard but no longer at such low tones.
"I say this for your own good as I would for any other. We are here to serve the Gods and that alone. That is the sole purpose for which we were made. If we die, it is because it is our time and in the hope we further their goals…it is not for us to throw away our lives because we happen to want something."
Too many brothers and sisters had died.
Letting this one throw away his life for nothing more than a hammer was ludicrous.
"Just…"
Once more, his hand found a home atop his head, his eyes dropped and he wet his lips.
"At least swear that you will not do something foolish just because you think it might earn you a hammer. Not just you will suffer if it fails, but everyone as well. Remember. It is not just you on those frontlines."
He stepped forwards, beating his fist into the front of his brothers chest with a dull thud, looking them in the eyes.
"We are out there together. I need to rely on you just as you rely on me. Just as everyone relies on one another that they will see the day to the end. If you cannot do that, if you cannot set aside your personal glory-"
"I understand."
He stopped speaking at the deathly serious tone of voice, his brothers hand came up and gripped his raised fist, twisting it around until they were held palm to palm, almost as if it were a contest of strength.
"I will earn that hammer. I will make sure we are all there to see it. None shall die for the sake of it, brother. You have my word. I would swear it before the Gods themselves if you do not believe me."
Pleased though he was to hear such a declaration, he rather wished it was still not for the sake of a hammer.
Still.
At least his brother listened.
Siegfried was silent somewhere behind him, watching everything unfold.
Truthfully, Arkon could not find it within himself to blame the man.
Arms crossed, his eyes switched from Pharros and then to the other man, the one with a body of metal and looked more like some golem. Were it not for the glowing crimson orb that served as some manner of eye, the bulky form twisted and released a hiss of steam sporadically from the vents across its limbs.
Pharros turned her head and nodded to him in greeting, as though it was a passing thought, then went right back to pulling at the strings in the ceiling. The metallic ones which sparked every few seconds in ways he assumed they were not supposed to do.
"It is expected to stop when one speaks with you."
"Yeah." Pharros nodded her head in agreement, but did not stop working.
His features flattened under his helm, his eyes turned to the other man.
Charles Babbage.
"I was curious as to the nature of the power supply of Chaldea." He spoke in an echoing tone, a voice that was bordering monotone but not quite there. "Pharros offered to demonstrate while raising her own understanding-"
The lights shuttered off above their heads, the hallway was plunged into darkness with only the dim red glow of the gem crystal in the face of Babbage illuminating the corridor.
"Huh."
Pharros grunted in a puzzled tone of voice.
"Could have sworn that was the right…ah. No. I got it now."
The lights flickered on, the brunette pulled her hands from the ceiling and smiled, clearly pleased with herself as she turned and faced them. That proud look never once faltered even as he mustered his most disapproving glare.
"There. I got the hang of it."
Arkon took in a deep breath to steady his nerves before speaking. "As of this moment I am ordering you to return the state of the contraption to how it was before you arrived and interfered with it. You will then-"
"Oh, no need." Pharros climbed down her ladder.
He blinked. "What?"
"No need." Repeating the words, the woman placed the tools in the small metal box she had brought with her and brushed down her hands, facing him and giving a smaller smile but it was no less filled with unapologetic glee. "I got the gist of everything that I wanted out of it."
Then she turned and ignored him as though he was not there in the first place.
"Figured out the flow of the electronics. All we need now is some spare metal and we should be able to start working on some of those plans of yours. Should definitely be interesting to see if we can get some prototypes built and moving around."
Babbage released another burst of steam. "Indeed. The mixture of lightning and steam intrigues me. The hybrid engine of such a golem could well serve to further along the designs of having one purely constructed from steam and yet…hmmm. I could achieve such a thing with my Reality Marble, but to have it made with the hands of a regular man is-"
The words got away from him as he stared at the pair of them.
His eyes climbed to the hole in the ceiling and then down to the two as they just continued to ramble away to one another.
Somehow this was still not the worst patrol he ever had.
"The ceiling."
His sharp words brought both their attention to him, he jerked his head upwards and hardened his tone.
"Now."
Pharros raised her hands and shook her head. "Alright, alright. I was going to get around to it. Honestly…Some people just have no appreciation for geniuses, I tell you."
He had no appreciation for miscreants and vandals.
So he did not see what right she had to complain.
But he was not going to rise to the challenge of that, he would inform others of what had been discussed here. They could decide whether or not they could stop the pair of them.
He watched the pair of them all while they worked, as Pharros repaired the ceiling in such a manner that she was satisfied with - he made a note to have someone else come down and double check it later - and then saw the pair of them off with a silent and unbroken stare until they were out of sight.
Once that was over, he dropped his shoulders and unfolded his arms.
"What do you suppose they are working on?"
He turned to Siegfried and raised his eyebrow. "I am surprised you would ask."
The knight twitched for a moment. "Sorry if it is troublesome to ask."
"I do not consider it as such…" Arkon responded slowly, "Quite frankly I am of the opinion they should be watched far closer if their flights of fancy allowed them to engage in such reckless nonsense. Perhaps we are fortunate they contained themselves as much as they did but…"
"Hmmm." Siegfried hummed. "I was just curious if it will somehow benefit Master."
"One would hope." He muttered and turned around. "Come, we shall need to make our report to Captain Okita and then fill out the forms for this incident."
"Yes."
He appreciated the company of Siegfried.
Even if they did apologise more often than one would have expected but…hmph.
Not that it mattered at the end of the day.
He did it.
"I did it brother."
Blood spills down his lips and onto his chin, but it does not even bother him.
Nor does the fact his left side has been numb for some time, none of it bothers him.
"I told you."
His brother stares at him with wide eyes and he is not alone, the entire unit look at him as though he is something else entirely, with stares he has never before seen in a single one of them before.
But it is fine.
"I swore it."
Standing hurts, but he refuses to fall down, he looks his brother right in the eyes and smiles even wide, but its stick and something clings to the front of his teeth. Something that tastes a bit like titanite.
"None would die if I could help it."
And so he went back in there and dragged them back.
Two or three at a time.
It did not matter.
Not even as his armour was shorn from his body or as his flesh was seared and cooked.
He had never before smelled his flesh and been so sickened by how appetising it was to his senses.
But none of it mattered.
Not a single casualty from the dragon attack.
The first ever battle where they lost not a single soul.
He carried every one of them from the fires.
His legs wobble and his vision darkens.
But he does not drop, something has caught him before he hits the ground and he stops, blinking rapidly and bringing his eyes up, he meets his brother head on and his smile shrinks but loses none of his glee.
Because he did it.
"I'm Ledo."
The world starts to quiet.
But his brother keeps holding him up.
Because of course he would.
Because his brother would never let a single one of them down.
He didn't get it.
Even as he stared at it for a little bit longer.
He still didn't get it.
"I don't get it."
The person opposite just tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
"I mean…" Ledo rolled his jaw and drummed his fingers along his forearm, leaning back and forth before he bowed forwards and squinted at the wall for a few moments. Sniffing the air and then leaning back. "...Why?"
Queen Marie shrugged. "Because it sounded fun. We've also made a lot of good progress, you know?"
He turned and looked across the chasm that was easily a dozen metres across.
"Yeah. I can see that. It's very impressive." And he meant that earnestly. "But I'm not sure what you need me for. From the sounds of things you've got everything in hand when it comes to the strength department and Havel is definitely stronger than I am. We arm wrestled once. He won."
Marie pat him on the arm and gave him a conciliatory smile. "I'm sure you did your best."
Ledo sniffed again and nodded his head. "Yeah. I did. So what do you need me for because I'm thrilled to help out but just not sure on what you need."
"Paintings. Banners. Drawings." Marie rattled off one after another, then stopped and widened her smile. "General artistic decorations! I know you're very good at doing that very quickly and knew you would be perfect to ask for it."
Well, he could not deny that.
"I've done plenty of drawings before, not many paintings though. Not sure if I would be any good at doing that sort of thing."
And messing up sounded as though it would be bad for-
His head turned and he stepped to the side as someone strode past him.
He double taked at the sight of-
Raising a hand, he pointed and looked down at Queen Marie. "Was that King Flann?"
Marie excitedly nodded her head. "Oh, he's been a delight to have around. You should see some of the sculptures he's been making out of the rock inside of the mountain. It has really been something special. We have these big statues of birds and…uhm…I think we had one of some sort of lion?"
His eyes turned to the sheets of tarpaulin which covered something in the far background of the cavern, already with a few other Servants striding around it.
Huh.
How did he miss those?
Ah well.
"That definitely sounds interesting-oh, right. Drawings. You wanted drawings? I can do something like that. I guess? Portraits of all the different Servants? I can probably do some big drawings of the adventures you have all had and then do them really big along the sides if that is what you want."
Already he remembered some of the tapestries and wall carvings he had seen in the past.
The depictions of great historical moments woven across layers of fabric and depicting many generations.
His smile widened. "I can definitely do something like that! Say no more! I just need all the adventures you guys have had and then I can definitely get to work right away! Point me in whatever direction you need!"
"Oh!" Marie excitedly clapped her hands and giggled. "Wonderful! In that case-"
"Oh! I know just who would be excited for this sort of thing!"
His mind turned to the idea of one other person, they might have been really serious all the time but he knew that they would definitely have the same tenacity to make everything so much easier for everyone here.
"I'll be back!"
Turning on his heel, he darted for the entrance and sidestepped someone just coming inside - was that Emperor Nero? Looked like it - and then through the abandoned door before casting himself into spirit form and launching himself upwards.
The longer he stares, the less sense it makes.
"He did what?"
Siefer meets him head on and shakes his head. "He has left his post and moved off."
Arkon remains silent for a few moments before he scoffs. "He is likely adventuring through the taverns again. Come the morning he shall be back in the-"
"Arkon." Siefer's tone holds a finality he does not find himself welcoming. Tension floods his body as his brother drops his hands. "Brother. Ledo was spotted travelling beyond the city gates in the early hours of the morning. He passed along his final message and offered his well wishes. He is gone. I doubt he shall return."
Arkon stares in silence.
Ledo is gone.
Ledo left them.
Abandoned them.
Betrayed their trust.
Just like…him.
"...How go preparations for the Izalith expedition."
If Siefer sees it for what it is, he does not choose to comment on it. "Lord Gwyn has chosen a detachment to follow him and-"
"I will volunteer my forces."
"That is not needed." Siefer is quick to respond. "It is nothing more than an expedition to discern why we have not had contact. You are better served here-"
"I am better served by the side of Lord Gwyn, as a dutiful shield."
He stomped past Siefer without trading another word with them.
"Such is my purpose."
If there is a retort to his words, he does not hear it.
Instead he marches onwards and through the halls, stepping past his brothers and noticing how some of them stop and turn their heads to him. They say nothing but he does not need them to say anything at all. He can feel all of their stares, all of their judging looks upon him.
Word of Ledo has likely spread like a poison throughout the entire guard by now.
They all know.
They all look at him.
He is cursed.
There can be no doubt.
Their entire regiment is cursed because of him.
The unspoken one betrays them.
Ledo abandons them.
Abandons him.
…But he is still useful.
He has to be.
He has a name like all the others and-
Arkon stops and feels his hands curl into fists, his head turns down and he stares at the floor for what feels like years.
No.
He is not like all the rest.
He is not like Ledo.
He could never do something like that.
…But it is his duty to keep pushing forwards, even if he is craven.
This time for sure.
This time it shall be set right.
Whatever happens in Izalith.
He shall do his duty and his Lord proud.
"That concludes the report."
He finishes with a small incline of the head to Captain Okita, she leans back in her chair and nods her head before standing up.
"As long as it was just that then yeah, I'd say a written warning is fair enough…I guess I can pass along something to Master if she keeps pushing it but for the time being I don't see what the harm could be in letting her and Babbage experiment."
She stopped, then turned to him. "But I know how bad excitable people can get and I'm concerned what would happen if the Fool learned about it…Well. That's for the future at any rate. Thank you for dealing with that, Arkon."
He shook his head. "I did only my duty."
Okita smiled once again, then looked to the other person by his side. "You as well, Siegfried. That's about you done for the day, unless you feel like doing another patrol."
"I can." Siegfried responded and without another word, he turned and marched right out of the door.
Arkon could still respect the dedication to the job.
"I will complete the reports and then-"
The door hissed open behind him.
"Brother!"
His skin turned cold and his words died in his throat.
No, it wasn't that his skin was cold.
It was that it was so hot it felt cold again, but the ever present itch started to worm its way through him. Just hearing the voice was enough for him to feel the bit of heat build up inside of his chest, but barely there.
Taking in a deep breath, he steadied himself and kept his eyes fixed forwards as he spoke.
"Do you have business with the-"
"Business? Hahaha! You're still so serious brother!" The clatter of footsteps and the i̶t̶c̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ jolly laughter grew closer and closer. He tensed as an arm was thrown around his shoulders and spun him about, he saw white in the corner of his eye and immediately noticed the lack of a helmet on Ledo's face.
"Listen." Ledo pulled him along, uncaring to the fact his feet were rooted to the floor and unwilling to move a single step, they scraped loudly as he was pushed and Ledo never so much as even blinked. "There is something happening that you should really be a part of. I know how diligent you are and I think-"
"As I said."
Arkon cut him short, raising his hand and pushing the arm away from his shoulder, stepping back and turning to face them properly.
"Do you have business with the security department."
Ledo blinked several times before tilting his head. "No? I came to see you-"
"Then we have nothing further to discuss." His voice was kept even, by some testament to his own strength, and he turned around and walked back to his table. "If that should change. Feel free to raise your concerns-"
"Ah, I see. You are on duty right now."
He paused as Ledo snapped his fingers.
"I'll come back when you are finished."
Arkon straightened himself very slowly.
"I am never finished, Ledo."
"Eh? You mean you don't get breaks? That's awful. I heard you never took the helmet off either. You must have terrible bags under your eyes brother. Maybe you really should get some time off to-"
He closed his eyes.
"Ledo."
Berserker went silent, but he felt their stare on the back of their head.
He felt his rising desire to just swing around and punch them in the head.
It was such an appealing thought for him, it would be so easy as well. It would never be expected and he was sure that by the time anyone even realised what was happening, he would have already thrown that fool to the ground and started peeling away the flesh from their bones and tearing into the marrow-
Arkon sharply intook his breath and glanced down to his hand, raising it up and turning it over, staring at the palm of his gauntlet.
His eyes glared at the flickering of chaos.
It twisted and dropped between the plates of armour as he curled his fingers into a fist.
"I do not take breaks. I have work to do. Important work."
His arms dropped back to his side.
"Do not involve me with this. Go and do whatever you want. As you have always done before."
"I want you to-"
"Just. Go."
"...Alright, but if you change your mind." Ledo replied, sounding somewhat dejected.
Though not before adding a final comment.
"Remember to take some breaks, overworking is bad for you!"
The door hissed shut.
Silence fell across the room.
"...Arkon? Are you-"
"I will finish my report, Captain Okita." He moved around his desk and sat down, grabbing one of the blank pieces of paper and pulling it in front of himself.
Though he could not find the strength to put pen to paper.
He just stared at the plain white with black lines without making a single move.
His body itched.
He was never getting any work done now.
And he knew it.
"Brother!"
"..."
"No, it's Arkon now, right!?"
"...You…you heard…?"
"Who hasn't! The silver knight who vanquished an Everlasting Dragon all by himself?! As expected of you, Arkon! You really went and one upped me! Especially after all that talk about not going for glory, you really got my fooled there! Hahahaha!"
"..."
"...Something wrong?"
"...No. Not at all."
"Then enough with the frowning. I can tell under that helmet you're frowning, Arkon. Heh. Arkon. It suits you, brother."
"..."
"Well, this is just the beginning! You and me, Arkon? We're going to see the end of this war together! I just know it."
"...Were it so easy."
"It is like you said brother. You and me, me and you, all of us together."
"..."
"Say it brother…"
"We are all together."
"Exactly! We rely on each other until the very end. We are all in this together, Brother. You and me. Me and you. All of us, because?"
"..."
"Arkon…"
"Because we-"
"Yes."
"Because we're brothers."