FATE/CURADH BEAG

"Little Champion"

Chapter 14: Guilt By Association

With the combined chaos of battle against an impossible opponent and the destruction of Sgaradh now safely in the past, Connla could finally take a moment to relax her frayed nerves and think about everything that just happened. The brief sense of calm was immediately replaced with intense sorrow and confusion. She couldn't tear her eyes away from Scotland as it shrunk further and further into the cloudy distance. The trauma of everything she just went through blanked her mind, and she couldn't think about much else other than Cuchulainn's twisted face as he saw the thumb ring glowing.

Back when she was first brought to the Land of Shadows, she asked Scathach why the ring would glow strangely like that. Several years later, when she felt her pupil was mature enough to understand, she finally explained what the significance of it was - it represented the bond between parent and child, acting as proof of their lineage. It was what gave Connla some hope that her father was still alive somewhere out there. It provided her with the drive to continue her brutal training, wanting so much to show him what she could do, and that he would be proud of her. Perhaps, in some morbid way, she wanted to destroy the Tree of Emptiness for that very reason. Saving other timelines was nice and all, but she really needed a personal stake in all of this, and she figured it would be her way to get her father to notice her.

Now, though? All of those feelings were being viciously uprooted and stomped on one by one.

Connla didn't know what to believe in anymore. She had found her father in the worst way imaginable – as an enemy of humanity who destroyed the rest of the world, and was hell-bent on bringing the Celtic Isles to ruin as well. How could she possibly be the offspring of someone so monstrous? What did she do to deserve this? The mere thought made her want to puke up all of her internal organs.

Then again, perhaps it finally explained why Scathach absolutely refused to talk about her father whenever the discussion came up. Connla had asked the question so many times, and Scathach would either sidestep the discussion or say she was too busy to talk about it. It got to a point that she eventually just gave up and quietly mused about it during her free time, sometimes writing her thoughts in a secret diary she kept.

Connla never knew it, but Scathach did feel guilty for leaving her niece ignorant about the truth. However, it was for her own good. The poor girl's mind would collapse if she knew her father had mutated into a false god capable of ending entire civilizations. Scathach's greatest desire was that Connla completed her duty without ever meeting Cuchulainn, but she knew that would be just a fantasy. Cuchulainn would never ignore someone trying to go after the Tree of Emptiness, which he was bound to as the Lostbelt's king. The only question was whether or not the ring would shine to indicate their blood ties.

If Scathach were still alive, she would be just as devastated by this result as Connla was.

As Connla stared with an empty gaze at the greying skies, Liath Macha gently trotted around her, then kneeled beside her and nuzzled his face against her. She barely acknowledged his presence, but did hold him close so she had something to support herself with. Fir and Fial likewise crawled up next to her and saw her vapid expression.

"Connwa…" Fial whimpered sadly.

"Are you okay?" Fir asked in a worried tone.

Connla's lip quivered as she mumbled, "I'm… fine…"

That didn't convince the twins whatsoever. Fergus witnessed this, and after looking Connla over to make sure she wasn't injured, he asked them, "Could you two look after her for a bit? We adults need to talk about some important things."

"Sure," Fir replied, and Fial nodded in agreement. The three children rested their backs against Liath's body to use him as a makeshift pillow, and Fergus covered them with a bear pelt blanket to keep them warm. Connla's mind was so devoid of rational thought that she didn't even notice what was going on around her. Fir and Fial sat on either side of her so they could make her feel a little more comfortable.

Once he got them settled in for the night, Fergus returned to the bonfire where the others had assembled. Conall lay on his back with his arms sprawled out, Cathbad smoked his pipe, and Morrigan perched herself on the log that Fergus chose to sit on. The crackling fire, hooting owls, and singing crickets would have made for a wonderful campfire scene where everyone could get together and have a fun time. Unfortunately, merriment was the furthest thing from their minds right now. They had some serious matters they needed to discuss – matters that could potentially shape Ireland's entire future.

After a long and unnerving silence, Fergus murmured, "Morrigan."

"What is it?" the goddess asked.

"Can you tell me what happened to Cuchulainn after the Cattle Raid ended?"

"Oh? You don't want to know about his connection with the little lady?"

"Sure, I do. But, well… Cuchulainn said some things that are bothering me. They aren't adding up with what Medb told me, and I need an impartial account of everything that occurred back then."

"And what makes you think I would know everything?"

"Don't play coy with me. Scathach told me that you followed Cuchulainn around as his accomplice during his rampage against the rest of the world. I also know of how you tried to win his affection during the Cattle Raid, and that he rejected you every time. There's no way you would ignore him becoming a god who shared an equally twisted mindset as yours."

"Eh he he. I'll take that as a compliment," Morrigan chuckled. "And you're right about me following him after he became Taoide Olc. But to say I committed the same destruction as him? You humans certainly are in love with rushing to conclusions without concrete evidence."

"I never said that. If I'm accusing you of anything, it's not trying to stop him."

"Ah, the classic 'inaction is just as sinful as action' argument. Look at me. I'm but a single goddess. What would you have expected me to do against a demigod bonded with a Phantasmal, powered by Dagda's Cauldron, and crowned as this cancerous world's king by the White Tree? The most I could hope to do was to preserve what little of his humanity remained by being someone he could talk to. It's only due to me that you were able to have a rational conversation with him in the first place."

Fergus' face twisted with revulsion, not just at her, but also at himself for thinking she could have done anything against such a behemoth of an enemy.

That was when Conall sat up and said to Morrigan, "I'm more interested in why Cuchulainn ran away when he saw Connla's ring. What happened to make him go berserk like that?"

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. I was with the twins during your battle with him."

Conall briefly explained what occurred during the fight, particularly of Cu Roi's gory death, Fergus' geas with Cuchulainn failing, and Connla's ring glowing strangely. Once Morrigan understood the full story, she chuckled and said, "I see, I see. So Scathach's worst nightmare finally came to pass, just as I predicted."

"Scathach's worst nightmare?" Conall wondered.

"That Cuchulainn would be reunited with his beloved child on the field of battle, and that the ring would reveal their lineage to him, causing him to go mad."

He scowled darkly, "Shit… Who would've guessed that Connla was Cuchulainn's kid this whole time? Yet, that ring of her is the only reason we're still alive right now. I don't want to believe it, but it has to be true. Their connection is literally what pulled our asses out of the fire back there."

"Indeed," Fergus murmured. "So it is exactly as I suspected. Setanta really did have a physical relationship with Scathach's sister Aife, which gave birth to Connla. That explains why Culann's dogs behaved irrationally, and why Liath Macha allowed her to ride him – they must have smelled his blood within her."

"Blimey… I can't imagine how much shock Connla must be in right now…"

Neither of them wanted to dwell on it. They knew there was no way she could fight as a warrior when she was in the depths of such a soul-crushing depression. They would have to think about what to do with her before planning their next move. Then the violet-haired king asked the black bird, "Morrigan… Did you know about Connla's origin this whole time?"

"But of course," she replied. "There's nothing I don't know about the man I became hopelessly infatuated with. All of his battles, all of his affairs, all of the people who loved and hated him… I know aaa~aaall about them. Naturally, I knew about the one and only woman who produced an heir for him, only for him to coldly abandon that child and fight in the Cattle Raid shortly after returning from Scotland. He must've had absolutely no idea that he successfully got Aife pregnant, especially considering all of his countless other trysts failed at that. Then again, maybe he had his suspicions, given that he left her a Bloodstone ring when he never did that with any other woman. Of course, none of that mattered when he forgot everything about himself after becoming a god. That ring must've given his psyche a good jolt, wouldn't you say? Oh ho ho ho!"

"If you knew this whole time, does this mean you have your own plans for Connla?"

"Oh, good gracious. What are you accusing me of?"

"If you're so interested in messing with Cuchulainn's life, what makes me think you wouldn't do the same with Connla's?"

Fergus and Conall glared at Morrigan as she pondered the question in silence. A log in the bonfire popped loudly, spraying tiny embers all around them for a second. All this time, Cathbad listened to them while smoking his pipe. He broke the tension by exhaling deeply and asking, "The bigger question is, what does any of this have to do with our current situation? Fine; Connla is Cuchulainn's daughter, and her ring saved your lives. That doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things."

"The hell does that mean!?" Conall exclaimed. "Cuchulainn was trying to capture her during our fight! Now that he knows he's related to her, it'll make him behave even more irrationally than before! It's like using Ansuz Runes on a raging wildfire! Who know what he'll do after a revelation like that!?"

Fergus suddenly raised his hand and urged to the upset swordsman, "No. Cathbad's got a point. It may be a hard blow for all of us, but it doesn't do much when we have to plan for Cuchulainn's retaliation in the near future. We forced the Celtic Isles apart, and he's not going to take that lying down. His ultimate goal is Medb's destruction, and he will never stop until he accomplishes it, even if it means forcing Scotland to reunite with Ireland using nothing but sheer willpower."

"Then why not just throw Medb at him so he'll leave the rest of us alone? I sure as hell wouldn't mind."

Morrigan shook her head. "That's not going to happen. Think about it; why would Cuchulainn obtain enough power to become a god in the first place? It's because Medb is in a similar situation."

"A similar situation? The hell does that mean?"

Cathbad glared at Conall, then muttered, "There is such a thing as naivete, but this is just ridiculous. How could you not know about the vast amount of magical energy Medb has at her disposal?"

"Well excuse me! I don't keep up with all the comings and goings of the bimbo who ruined Ulster!"

"Hmph…"

"Don't be too hard on him," Fergus said to Cathbad. "He and Connla only just joined our ranks as Champions. They aren't aware of Medb's true capabilities as a queen."

"Fine. If you don't know, then I'll just have to enlighten you. Although she doesn't show it, Medb actually is something akin to a goddess in her own right. You know those Red Branch Braves she always has tending to her every whim? They're not soldiers she recruited; she actually constructed them out of her own blood. Think of them as golems that listen only to her."

Conall's jaw dropped, and he gasped, "The hell!? Those brutes are actually part of Medb herself!?"

"Correct. She infuses them with enough magical energy so they can function independently, yet still tethers them to her spirit so they are unable to disobey her. That's why everyone says they're like her eyes and ears – anything they see and hear will be transmitted to her. She doesn't spend much time in the public sphere because she needs to be in a state of rest in order to pick up what the Braves are witnessing.

"Furthermore, her power is directly tied to how much territory she possesses. Since she was already Connacht's queen and amalgamated Ulster into her province, her magical energy levels increased substantially. Coupled with forcing Munster and Leinster to join her coalition, and securing Galway as the capital city of all of Ireland, you can see how she has the strength to command an entire army of Braves when she could only craft a small handful of them during the Cattle Raid. You could say that Cuchulainn did us all a favor with destroying the rest of the world before Medb could conquer it."

"Holy shit… That's just beyond messed up…" Conall murmured in disbelief. He didn't want to fathom that the world's destruction wound up being better for humanity compared to what Medb had in mind.

"That's why she needs us Champions to serve her as well," Fergus added. "The Braves may be an intimidating force, but with the limited amount of territory Medb possesses, she winds up being incredibly vulnerable to an assault from Cuchulainn. The Braves are also not strong enough to fight him."

"Well, we sure as fuck aren't strong enough either! How're we supposed to explain how badly we screwed up without her delving into some sick fantasy over how to punish us for our failure!? Seriously, we've got a demon god and a whore queen breathing down our necks!"

"Settle down. I've got a plan in mind."

"You do?"

"But first, I need to understand something from Cathbad."

The elderly druid snorted in disdain as he muttered, "Let me guess; you want to know more about the order Medb gave me."

"Exactly."

"Well, it happened right after you four left for Scotland."

Earlier…

Medb glanced at Cathbad and said with a chillingly blank expression, "There's something I need to discuss with you."

"Hmm…" the elderly druid murmured. "I have a strong suspicion of what it could be."

"Oh? If you're so wise, then tell me what it is I'm thinking."

"You want me to destroy Sgaradh."

"You catch on quickly," Medb complimented the druid, but her narrowed eyes and sly smirk hardly suggested it was a good thing.

"If Cuchulainn really has made his return, then we're simply not prepared to face him. The best we can do is buy ourselves some time while our forces are being assembled."

"Even with me creating as many Braves as I can, they would be little more than minor obstacles to slow him down. Hell, that goes for the rest of my soldiers and Champions as well. The truth is, no one is powerful enough to defeat him. Any heroes the rest of the world may have produced were thoroughly stamped out. No one can protect me from Cuchulainn's wrath…"

"If you understand that, then what's the point of separating the two nations?"

"Like I said, I have to use every measure to buy myself some time. Whether it's throwing the entire populace in Cu's way, or forcing his territory away from mine, the ultimate goal is to stymie him while I make my preparations."

Cathbad raised an eyebrow. "Preparations for what, exactly?"

"What else? To save myself."

"Yes, I figured that was the case… But how do you plan on doing so?"

"He he he he. That's for me to know."

He grew annoyed with her aversion at answer his questions truthfully, but he suspected she had many grand schemes in her mind that she would never share even with her most trusted advisor. Whatever they were, at least she wasn't shy about admitting they were all solely for her own benefit. Medb always had been a bold and selfish woman, and nothing was ever going to change that.

Instead, Cathbad attempted to change the discussion by asking, "What of Fergus and his entourage? Did you intentionally send them as a distraction for Cuchulainn?"

"Something like that, I suppose," she said. "But there's more to it than that. The Braves have been picking up some odd rumors throughout Connacht of Fergus performing movements that I never ordered him to do. He's been spotted meeting with people around the other provinces' borders, particularly around northwestern Leinster and northern Munster. He's usually with Cu Roi in Munster, but his movements are harder to track in Leinster. Trying to send Braves to spy into into those territories is too strenuous on my Spirit Origin, plus their presence would alert Fergus right away.

"That's why I decided to take care of two problems at once. If Fergus and Cu Roi are plotting something against me, then it would be prudent for me to use Cu as a means of disposing them. You parting the Isles would provide me with extra assurance that they can't return to Ireland while fighting Cu in Scotland. Besides, Fergus has been annoying me with his insistence on governing the lower-class peons his way. I let him do so since I couldn't be bothered to do all of the thinking for people who are only useful as meat shields and taxpayers. Now that Cu is on his way, I don't have to bother with such pretext anymore since I can conscript everyone as my faithful soldiers."

"I see… I have to admit, pitting your enemies against each other is a genius strategy," Cathbad remarked, doing everything he could to repress the bile building up in his throat.

"I know, right? I'm so smart, I scare myself sometimes."

"So my objective is to destroy Sgaradh. That shouldn't be too much of a problem, though I will need to delay my travel by a day so as not to alert Fergus' group."

"That's fine. I'll let you handle the rest at your discretion. The only thing I care about are the results."

"Very well. By your leave, then."

The present…

Once Cathbad finished recounting his story, the others became deathly silent. The aura of shock and disbelief was quickly replaced with an atmosphere of fury and revulsion. Although Conall was upset with this turn of events, he couldn't help but stare at the clearly apoplectic Fergus. The King of Connacht was so outraged that he visibly trembled and inhaled through his nostrils in a futile attempt to calm himself. His cheeks flushed beet red, and his lips were tightly sealed as he struggled to keep himself from shouting crude profanities, fearing he would wake the children with his ranting.

Morrigan was the only one who remained unperturbed with this news. She resisted the urge to giggle, worried that Fergus would smash her beneath his fist if she offended him. She eventually asked him, "So, what are you going to do now? Cu's return is one thing, but Medb's self-centered politicking is a whole different bucket of maggots. Can Ireland really afford to be further subjected to her whims during such an impending crisis?"

"Not a chance. Not while I'm around," Fergus growled. "I thought that getting on her good side and preventing any catastrophes from the inside would be the best course of action for this country. Now I see that it was foolish of me to try and convince Medb to care for anyone besides herself."

"No shit, man," Conall retorted. "It took you this long to figure out what was blatantly obvious to everyone else?"

Cathbad said, "There is no doubt that your presence was a beneficial one while it lasted. But now she grows tired of your insistent nagging and wishes death upon you. How do you plan to respond to such provocation?"

Fergus pondered this question for a moment. Then he stood up, cracked his knuckles, and declared, "Fine. If that's the game she wants to play, then I'm all for it. So long as she believes Conall, Connla and I died during our battle with Setanta, that'll give me more freedom to get things ready."

Conall's eyes widened in surprise. "You want us to fake our deaths?"

"Yes. That means we can't return to Galway to report to Medb. If we did, she'll probably cook up some stupid excuse to have us executed."

"That's true. There's also the matter of Medb potentially finding out about Connla being Cuchulainn's daughter. Who knows how she'll react if she knew?"

"I know. That is something we absolutely cannot allow to happen. Now I see why Scathach was so determined to keep Connla's parentage a tight secret from Medb. I have to respect Scathach's wishes and do the same, or we'll all be in huge trouble."

Cathbad smoked his pipe again, then said, "I guess it's up to me to return to Galway and tell Medb what happened."

"Please," Fergus implored. "Please don't tell her that the three of us survived. The only reason we can have this conversation is because she can't send Braves out this far into Ulster. Once we part ways, we have to go underground until the time is right."

"Don't you worry. I'm a pro when it comes to keeping secrets. Besides, I've already cast my lot in with your coup. I'd have everything to lose if I slipped my tongue."

Conall immediately became astonished and blurted at Fergus, "A coup!? You're planning to rebel against Medb!?"

"That's right. I've been working with Cu Roi to build up an alliance of people who have grown tired of Medb's dictatorial regime. She usurped as many resources as she could from Munster and Leinster, especially with funneling their water supplies to the Galway region. She was able to do the same with Ulster more freely since she owned the province, but it involved a lot of coercion, extortion, taxation, and even seduction for the others. That's why the suicide rates have risen so dramatically ever since Dublin's Fall."

"Good god! Is there no depths that woman won't sink to just to get her way!? If it's a rebellion you're planning, then count me in! I'll do anything to shove my sword into that wench's black heart!"

"Oh ho ho ho!" Morrigan finally cackled in delight. "What a delightful turn of events! Cu would have a good laugh if he heard of this infighting!"

"You plan on tattling to him, you goddamn bird?"

"That'll hardly be necessary. He'll be able to tell that there is inner turmoil brewing within Ireland's populace. If Scotland was closer, he would've gladly launched an assault during such confusion. As things are now, he'll have to sit back and watch the show while he gets his own preparations ready. Hell, he might actually be glad to see his former countrymen rising up against Medb, practically doing the dirty work for him. If this coup is successful, he might not need to wage a full-on war, since he's only interested in killing Medb anyway."

Conall and Fergus glanced at each other uneasily. Then the former wondered, "Would it really be that simple?"

"We can only assume it won't be," the latter remarked. "I want to go on the assumption that Cuchulainn is preparing for battle between Ireland and Scotland. Before that happens, I want to topple Medb's regime and install myself as king in her place, then prepare for defensive measures against Cuchulainn's undead army."

"Sounds fair to me," Cathbad agreed. "Discretion is the better part of valor, and few are as valiant as Fergus mac Roich."

Conall nodded, but then glanced back at Connla, Fir and Fial as they slept. He asked Fergus, "What're you going to do about them? I don't know about you, but I don't feel comfortable with involving the kids in such a political mess."

"I know," he replied. "Connla is especially in no state to help out with a rebellion. I'm going to have her stay with a friend of mine who lives nearby. She's good with children, so she'll help her recover from her shock."

Morrigan then asked, "Do you think I could have Fir and Fial stay with this woman as well? I'm going to be quite busy with monitoring the situation, and I can't have them getting caught up in this. They've become fast friends with Connla too, so I think it makes the most sense for them to stick together."

"I'm sure she won't mind. They could also keep Connla company and help her regain her strength."

"Much appreciated. As much as I would love to stay with my niece and nephew all the time, my power as an earth goddess has greatly dwindled, meaning I can only be in one place at any time, just like you humans. I don't even have the strength to take on human form anymore."

Fergus raised an eyebrow and wondered, "Are they really related to you?"

"Of course they are. They're my sister's children."

"Where is your sister now?"

"She died a long time ago."

"Hmm…" he hummed to himself and glanced at Cathbad. If what Morrigan said was true, they had an inkling of who exactly this 'sister' was that she was talking about. He then said, "Fine, I won't pry for the details. But you still have to tell me what exactly happened between Cuchulainn and Medb at the Cattle Raid's conclusion. That's going to be the key in cracking this whole mystery."

"In due time, good sir. You already have enough dumped onto your lap as it is."

"Yeah."

After that, they ironed out a more solid plan for what they would do the following morning. Once they were ready, they extinguished the bonfire and turned in for the night.

While everything was happening in Ireland, Scotland continued to float further and further away from its sister nation. The Celtic Isles were no more – they now existed as two separate countries, one representing life, the other death. Within the Castle of Shadows, the central hub of the Celtic underworld, the being known as Taoide Olc leaned against the throne's backrest and gripped his head in sheer agony. Despite having fled the battle in Glasgow and run for kilometers back to his domain, the piercing migraine refused to subside. Just like what happened with the Isles, he thought he was being bifurcated straight down the middle into two separate pieces of meat and bone. Blood oozed out of his eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and countless lacerations that spontaneously opened up.

It was everything Cuchulainn could do to prevent himself from exploding into an indescribable mess of blood and guts. Not only was his body threatening to quit on him, his mind raced with thoughts that were frightfully familiar, yet so distant that it felt like they happened in a previous lifetime. His amnesia was clearing, and he recalled all of the memories he had as the boy warrior Setanta – his childhood, all of the people who loved and raised him, the rivalries he formed, the women he loved, the challenges he faced, his defeat at Medb's hand… All of those thoughts seemed to be condensed into a singular point, then rushed at him as an instantaneous torrent to mentally cripple him.

That's right… I remember now. I had Dagda's Cauldron seal my memories as a human away, so I could function more effectively as a god of destruction.

Unfortunately, something had undone that seal. He couldn't stop thinking about Connla's thumb ring. It possessed a strange power that reacted to his presence. He knew it was a Bloodstone ring, meaning Connla could never take it off. Furthermore, it was one he made while training in Scotland. He had shed his own blood, soaked some Runestones in it, and bound them to a gold ring. Knowing he was destined to die young, he imparted all of his hopes and dreams into the stones, so that his offspring would live in his place.

Then, he gave it to a certain woman…

A woman who looked eerily similar to Scathach, but had shorter hair and possessed fiercer eyes than his mentor. He passed it on to her… after he had done something so cruel to her body and dignity that he deserved to be called a bastard for it. But he defeated her in battle, and so it was only normal for the victor to enjoy his spoils (even if it earned him Scathach's absolute worst fury after the deed was done).

"Aife…"

The Scathach-lookalike was ultimately a fling to him. But she was one of many women who represented the hope that he could have a child. He never saw Aife again after that, but he did remember where her cottage was in the Ben Nevis mountains. That must have been why he was so attracted to it despite having lost his memories. He remembered the cut in the wall – he caused it when he cleaved Gae Bolg into it, pinning Aife between it and himself so she had nowhere to go.

Then there was the note that had been written in a child's hand. Cuchulainn still kept it on him, so he unpocketed it and read the scribbled letters carefully. Before, it hadn't made sense to him why there was a child living there when he didn't remember seeing one. Now it was all adding up:

It wasn't just any child who lived there.

It was his.

Aife had helped him make his dream come true… and he had absolutely no clue this whole time.

Furthermore, it meant that he doomed this child to die young as well. After all, he destroyed the rest of the human world. Medb stole everything from him after the Cattle Raid, so he figured he had nothing left to lose but his humanity. Ireland and Scotland rising off the ground had saved some people, but it was only a temporary solution. Sooner or later, either the ocean would rise enough that he could attack the Celtic Isles directly, or the land would erode so badly that no one could live on it anymore. No matter the outcome, Cuchulainn's child – the embodiment of his original self's hopes and dreams - was going to perish along with everyone else.

And it was all his own damn fault.

Cuchulainn slumped against the throne's backrest and slid into a hunched sitting position. Nothing could describe how much he had royally screwed up. His hatred for Medb had blinded him so much that he completely forgot about everything else.

I didn't have a choice… Yeah, that's it. I had to become a god. I had to give myself a chance to fight back against Medb. To do that, I had to destroy anything that she could claim as 'territory'. It was all to prevent that bitch from expanding her power…

He kept telling himself that over and over again. Yet, he felt like some pathetic loser making excuses the more he kept thinking like that. But he couldn't forget what Medb showed him… The horrifying sight that made him lose all sense of rationality, plummeting his mind into a state of pure panic and desperation. That thing was his true enemy. There was no question about that. If he couldn't protect anything, he would at least destroy that monstrosity.

Sadly, now he had something he wanted to protect from the creature living inside Medb.

Is it too late? Have I come too far to make amends with the kid?

What was Cuchulainn going to do now? He couldn't stop on his destructive path. However, he also didn't want Connla to wind up as another corpse on that road. There was also the fact that Scathach trained Connla for the last 15 years, and his assumption that she was preparing her to destroy the Tree of Emptiness Circinus. If the Tree could be felled, then all of this Lostbelt's problems would go away. Yes, he agreed that it was the smartest and safest course of action for Connla. There was just one thing that troubled him:

How was she going to pull it off?

As she was right now, there was no conceivable way she could fight it. He could only guess that Scathach taught Connla some sort of trick that he wasn't aware of. But for someone so small to challenge something so huge meant it was a strategy that was going to require her sacrificing her life. There was simply no two ways about it. To him, it meant it was a third way that Connla was going to meet a brutal end in this doomed timeline. She had lived under her mother and aunt's brutal regime for so long, only to have to throw her life away to save other parallel worlds?

Damn you, Medb… Damn you, Aife… Damn you, Scathach…

"Damn you all to hell a thousand times over!"

He screamed this to no one in particular. It was just his way of letting out the built-up stress and fury.

Cuchulainn trembled as he stumbled back onto his feet. The severe bleeding had subsided during his rest, so while he still felt a bit woozy, he wasn't in danger of dying anymore. Dagda's Cauldron would heal his wounds in due time anyway, so he had nothing to worry about there. From here, all of his struggles were going to be emotional in nature. He was most frustrated with Connla's upbringing and ultimate mission, along with how unfair it was that she would be unrewarded for all of her troubles. He knew she was a good kid, and she deserved better than this.

He needed to think of some way he could help her. It was the only way he could live with himself now. The only solace he had was that they shared an enemy in Medb, even if Connla wasn't aware of it yet…

He shook his head.

No. It would be a terrible idea for Connla to learn about that inhuman creature wriggling around inside Medb. She didn't need to know about it. Circinus was her goal, not Medb. He could go after the Tree himself, but he was this Lostbelt's king, which essentially hardwired him into keeping it safe. If he let someone else destroy it though, that could potentially circumvent the rule. After all, nothing said he couldn't assist that person in accomplishing it. If he could keep Medb and her forces busy with a war, that would conveniently 'distract' him enough for Connla to reach Circinus and do her job.

Yeah… that sounds like a good idea. If the Lostbelt is pruned, I don't have to worry about Medb escaping this world and threatening other ones. Besides, if she escaped, it means I'd have to chase her down and destroy other worlds as well.

That was the worst kind of nightmare Cuchulainn could possibly live through. He had to cull that woman in this Lostbelt. Anyone else would think that Connla was helping him in that goal, but in his mind, it was the opposite. He was going to be the one backing her up.

If the world wasn't going to reward her for her efforts, she could at least earn the god of destruction's love and support.