If there was anyone Prince Morded would count as her first friend here in Chaldea, it would be Mash Kyrielight. Don't get her wrong, she's made many friends in this place. Lancelot, that one French girl, Percival, about a fourth of her father's alternate selves, the Archer, that one pipe smoker, so on and so forth. But if she was asked for the very first, she would not tell a lie. It truly is Mash.

"Ah! Mo-san." The Red Prince turned around to see the subject of her thoughts carrying a clipboard on her hands and Merlin's pet on her shoulders.

"Hey there." Prince Mordred smiled as she walked towards the girl. They were near the summoning area where Gudako was still suffering from her quartz loss. Da Vinci and Romani make sure that she doesn't find a rope somewhere, while Mash is in charge of making sure that her senpai doesn't find the 'emergency stores'. Stores of which the Red Prince helped in stocking up 2 days ago.

"It's been a while since we've seen each other." Prince Mordred said, "How have you been lately?"

"Oh, you know. Senpai's still out with Gareth-kun and the rest of his party." Mash looked down with a hint of despondency before bouncing back, "Gudako-senpai's still trying to summon the archer version of Gilgamesh-san."

"She's still trying? She's been at it for weeks now!" Mordred exclaimed. "How's that going for her?"

A loud, infernal screech grated the ears of the two girls. They turned towards the summoning room and winced as they heard the people clamouring towards Ritsu and talking about some… goose?

"You need help with something?" The Prince smiled shakily as the yelling increased, "I'm not doing too much, so I can help you out if you want."

"Sure." Mash replied in turn as she walked away from the chaos that was sure to spill outside, "I need help in listing the potential servants for Gudako-senpai's next quartz mission. Once Senpai's team comes home, Gudako-senpai will lead the next one as soon as possible."

"Quite the tight ship," Prince Mordred hummed, "I wouldn't mind being in one of those missions, if you think I'm good enough to join. Being out of combat is nice and all, but honestly it gets boring every now and then. Not that I hate being here, of course."

"I understand, Mo-san." Mash smiled as she wrote the Prince's name on the paper. "Mo-chan was like that too, when she was first summoned. Lily-chan and I helped her adjust to life in Chaldea, and what she said then was nearly the same as yours."

"Really?" The Red Prince perked up, "Well, at least we have something in common."

"How is she? I mean, have you tried talking to her?" Mash asked as they entered the cafeteria. "I know she's a bit rough sometimes, but surely not that much to start a fight."

"She's… alright." The Prince forced a smile, "We talk whenever we bump into each other at the hallways, at least. Oh, who am I kidding? She wants nothing to do with me. If she's not annoyed at the sight of me, she's just plain indifferent. I want to reach out to her, really. It must be hard to be in her shoes. But she's just not making it any easier for me!"

"I get what you're feeling right now." Mash smiled. sympathetically, "But I hope that you can figure things out between the two of you."

"Thanks, Mash." The Prince smiled brightly in return, "That means a lot to me."

The pair then turned their attention towards the oddly silent cafeteria and noticed that the people there were looking at them with intrigue. The Prince raised an imperious eyebrow, causing the people to look away and return to their own devices. The Prince looked towards Mash, who looked back in confusion. They then went towards Emiya, who was manning the bar whilst talking to all of the Ishtars and Ereshkigal present.

"Emiya-kun~!!!" Summer Ishtar hollered with an empty glass, "I'd like more of that cocktail you made~. Oh, and don't forget to make it pretty."

"I know, I know." Archer muttered as he served ice cream to Ereshkigal. "But I must advise you to drink less. This is your 5th drink, and even servants fall into drunkenness."

"Mou, I'm not a baby, y'know! I can handle my liquor just fine." Summer Ishtar crossed her arms, clearly upset.

"Oh, well if it isn't the talk of the town. You're looking like a lovely couple, already. Don't you think, Archer?" Ishtar cheekily laughed as the attention of the group turned towards the pair.

"We're a what?" Prince Mordred asked in confusion. Archer just sighed heavily and pinched the cheek of the mischievous goddess.

"Don't mind her. It's just baseless rumors." Archer said as Ishtar loudly complained, "What are you here for, again?"

"I'm assembling Gudako-senpai's team for the next quartz mission." Mash offered with a hint of suspicion. "We just wanted to know if you'd like to come with us, Emiya-senpai."

"Well if there is a vacant spot and no one wants to take it, then I'll go." Emiya replied as he let go of Ishtar's cheek. "I'll have to find a substitute chef, though. Can't exactly trust people like Gawain to make everyone's food, now can I?"

"Okay, I'll put you in as 'maybe'." Mash wrote down before looking back up, "I will go as Cu Chulainn-san too if he wants to as well."

"Well, you can find him at the training rooms." Archer said as he made a cup of tea for Ishtar. "You can ask Jeanne too just in case you need ample protection."

"Sure! I'll see you soon, Emiya-senpai." Mash said as she walked out of the cafeteria with the Prince in tow. The last thing they say was Ishtar accepting the apology in the form of tea, and also the hushed whispers that seemed to be directed towards the two of them. At least, in Mordred's point of view.

"What was that about?" The Prince asked as the doors closed behind.

"I'm not sure, actually." Mash answered with a shrug.

Later….

It just doesn't stop!

No matter where they go, the Red Prince and Mash found themselves the subjects of scrutiny and murmurs from not just the servants but also the Chaldea staff. What on earth are they even talking about? And why does it seem to be about them specifically?

"Hey, kid! You alright?" Cu Chulainn asked as he put his spear down. They've been sparring ever since Mash and the Prince got here. Mordred took the offer just to kill some time.

"Yeah, I'm alright." Mordred's armor dissipated into light, "I can't help but feel like a thousand eyes are all over me again. It's like Camelot's court when I was King."

"Lemme guess, you didn't like it then and you still don't like it now." Cu Chulainn leaned on his spear. "Do you even know what they're talking about?"

"That's the thing! When I ask, they run away." The Prince groaned. "I'm not exactly mad about it, but it feels like Mash is part of it too. She doesn't deserve that kind of chatter around her."

"Hmm…" Lancer then looked behind the Prince and said, "Maybe you can ask her now. It seems our little eggplant has already found out the secret."

Mordred turned around to see Mash with her head buried under the clipboard she's been carrying. She must've gotten all the names she needed. A closer inspection showed that she was burning red around the cheeks. What's she flustered about? And why can't she look at the Prince dead in the eye?

"A-a-ano… Mo-san, let's go find Jeanne-san now." Mash answered with a shaky voice. Another eyebrow was raised by the Prince. When she looked towards the Lancer, all he could do was shrug in confusion.

"Mash, wait up!" Mordred ran towards the closing door. "What was that about?"

"Oh! Uh, uhm… I'll explain along the way." Mash smiled nervously. Mordred, still suspicious, abided by the girl's suggestion. They stayed silent for a few seconds before Mash finally found the confidence to speak.

"So, uh, Mo-san." Mash spoke with a cryptic tone, "Did you fall in love when you were alive?"

"Huh? Where is this coming from?" The Prince looked at her with alarm.

"Just…. Humour me if you will, for only but a moment." Mash answered, her speech changing noticeably, "Have you fallen in love once, when you were still living?"

"...Well, there's no harm in telling. It's not like he'll be mad about it or something." The Prince justified to herself. "Yeah, I fell in love twice. Galahad became my husband in secret for… as long as I remember. Sorry, my memory is shambles. But I do remember our children. Heh, boy was that a huge controversy back in the day. I was still posing as a man - a bachelor actually - when I announced my son and heir. Some of my lords called him a bastard, those pricks."

"H-how did that come to be?" Mash asked as her face turned ever crimson.

"Well when a man and a woman love each other very, very much-." Mordred smiles cheekily as Mash gasped in mortification.

"Ah! No, no, not the birds and bees Mo-san." Mash waves her hands in the air, her normal speech momentarily returning to her.

"Oh, lighten up. I was just kidding with ya." Mordred laughs, "Hehe… it's funny, though. Galahad would react the same way. But moving back: how did our relationship come to be? It's… a long story. We've known each other since we were children. He's the son of the man I counted as my father, so I treated him like a brother. Ugh… now that I put it that way, I can see what Morgan did to my Father all over again. Nevermind that! We simply grew to love each other after years of working in the same royal court. That's as much as I can say for now."

"How was it that I- I mean, How did Galahad marry you." Mash looked away in embarrassment. "I believe he was not too… invested in the idea of relationships. Much less marriage in general."

"Well, yeah that is true." Mordred mumbled as she crossed her arms, "We were passed 20 when we got together. Which is, mind you, really old in our standards. Father conceived me when he was 15, after all. I don't exactly remember what made him change his mind, but what I do remember is how I reacted."

"And how was that?" Mash looked at the Prince. She was surprised to see that it was Mordred's turn to grow red in the face.

"Well…" Mordred laughed nervously, "That's how little Arthur Morrigan was made."

"Ah-!" Mash dropped her clipped board. As the Prince went down to grab it, she looked up to see that they were in the same intersection that she met the Knight of Treachery not too long ago. But instead of seeing the Knight as she looked up, she saw her father… all three of them. They all had varying emotions along their faces. But the one that unified them was shock.

Genuine, pure shock.

"I-im a grandmommy…?" Saber Lily cupped her gaping mouth. Her surprise then turned to indescribable joy as she ran for the Red Prince to hug her.

"I'M A GRANDMOMMY!!!" Lily exclaimed as she twirled the poor Prince like a large stuffed bear.

"L-lily, please." Mordred weakly complained as the blood in her head went to her feet that was swinging into the air.

"Whydidn'tyoutellusthatyouhadchildren,Mo-sanwewould'vecelebratedwithapartyandgiftsandwe'llevenaskMastertosummonthem-" Lily placed the Prince down on the floor and fired rapid questions towards the poor girl. Mordred looked like she was about to puke from the unexpected G-force.

"Lily, please calm down." the Blue Saber placed a hand on her shoulder, "I know you're excited, but let the girl have some air."

"Oh! Uh, my apologies." Lily stepped back sheepishly. "I got too carried away."

"It's…. it's alright." Mordred slumped as she forced her stomach to calm down. "Just give me a minute…"

"So the rumours are true." Saber Alter commented as she stood beside Mash. "Well done, you pesky brat. You're a father now."

"Don't you mean, 'Mother'?" Mordred raised an eyebrow as the Alter turned away from Mash, "Prince I may be, I was raised as a girl y'know. Mom made sure of it, unfortunately."

"As amusing as the idea of you prancing around wearing frilly princess dresses is, bear in mind that I was not talking to you." Saber Alter smiled as she tilted her head to Mash, "No, I'm talking to Sir Grail Knight over here. I never thought that it was possible, but here we are."

"...What?" the Prince asked as a dizzying pain suddenly found itself in her head.

"You don't know?" The blue Saber asked worriedly, "Mash is a demi-servant, a vessel for Galahad because of a… project that Chaldea conducted in the past. He is not present in his own body because he does not wish to be summoned from the Throne of Heroes."

"Wait… it doesn't make sense." Mordred rubbed her forehead as she looked at Mash, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I- I tried, Mo-san." Mash looked away frantically, "But Galahad-san took over my body the moment he found out about the rumors."

"He's in you right now? And conscious?" Mordred walked up as she grabbed the girl's shoulders. "That's great! Can I talk to him?"

"I don't think so, Mo-san." Mash said despondently, "He's retreated deep into my Saint Graph, meaning I might not be able to reach him."

"Damn it, I knew he would do that." Mordred huffed as she crossed her arms. "I love him to death, but he really needs to stop disappearing on me. It's why people call him, 'The Royal Ghost', back in my world."

"Oh well, no point in crying over spilled milk." Mordred looked to her fathers, "By the way, are you guys interested in joining us for the next Quartz mission?"

Everyone present knew that the Prince just wanted to switch the subject away from herself before it got too out of hand. Unfortunately for Mordred, the mischievous smiles of her fathers meant that they were not fooled. It might take a while for Mordred to recover from the pseudo-interrogation to come.

Later… the Library…

The Knight of Treachery was hiding.

Yes, hiding.

Mordred was never the type to read, that's just a fact. Even Summer Mo can agree, but she's not quite sure with her… Princely self. She can feel herself sneering as the thought of her crosses her mind. She was forced out of her irate thinking because she caught herself almost ripping the book in her hands in half.

"Oi!" a bratty voice called out, "Don't rip the books. You know how long it took Murasaki and I to make those? Ungrateful young'uns, I tell ya. Just because I'm the only one here to man the house, it doesn't mean you can do anything you want here."

The Knight rolled her eyes as the Librarian got off from his stool. She was seated at one of the many tables that was laid out before the main stairwell. She watched with boredom as the little boy with the mind of a grown up man walked towards her table to take the seat directly facing her.

"Be honest, kid. Why the hell are you really here?" Hans Christian Andersen leaned on the table, "You've been here for who knows how long doing absolutely nothing. Heck, you haven't even flipped to a new page in 30 minutes."

"Why the hell do you care?" Mordred threw the book aside. Hans sighed in frustration and tried to get the book for himself.

"I care because you're tossing my hardwork like it's junk!" Hans got back to seat. "The Genealogy of King Arthur and his heirs by Gruffudd ap Arthur. Oh nevermind this really is junk. You do realise that this isn't even an accurate historical text, right?"

"I know." Mordred scoffed, "It's a piece of shit, that book. It's nothing but damn fanfiction, at this point."

"Hey, don't disrespect such a noble artform." Hans pointed, "But let's not go there. Why are you here? I don't need Instinct to know this, but I'm guessing it's because of that newbie running around with your face."

"Wow, am I that obvious?" Mordred asked sarcastically, "I don't want anything to do with her, so I'm doing what I can to avoid her."

"You're not really doing much if this is your go to read." Hans waved the book, "You just wanted to know how the hell she hooked herself up with a man, didn't you?"

"Hell no!" Mordred retorted with a blush, "She can fuck whoever she wants, cuz it ain't got nothing to do with me."

"Even if that man is Galahad? That one guy not even a succubus could tempt? Yeah, right. Who are you really kidding here?" Hans raised an eyebrow, "Anyways, you're not gonna get that here. That Prince's timeline's not properly recorded yet, so you have to ask her for more details. But let's move on from that. Since I still give a crap about you, let me ask you this: why are you avoiding her? Why go through all this just to keep the hate alive?"

Mordred opened her mouth to answer, but her voice wouldn't come out. Confusion set in, before she tried again. Then she shook her head in an attempt to ignore the truth that was just on the tip of her lips. At the end of it, she stayed silent. Though Hans already knew what she did not want to say.

"Well would you look at that: a story as old as time." Hans rested his chin onto his hand. "Self v Self. You can't reconcile the difference between the two of you, so you just gave into your hatred-"

"You don't know shit!" Mordred slammed the table as she rose up from the table. "I already said that I'm nothing like her."

"And that's why you hate her." Hans rolled his eyes. "The Prince is everything you wanted to be."

"I said-" Mordred spoke but was cut off.

"Shut up. I'm sick of you skirting around the issue like a sissy." Hans raised his hand. "I'm going to lay it out for you: She's a King who is humble enough to call herself a Prince, she didn't rebel, she had a husband and family, a damn happy life, a successful reign, and most of all-"

"Don't-" Mordred raised her fist.

"-her father actually cares for her! Perfect life, don't you think?" Hans deadpanned at the blatant threat. "Oh don't you do that to me. I'm the only one who doesn't think you're an asshole around here! I'm just saying it as it is: she's pretty amazing."

"What's your point?" Mordred growled as she resisted the urge to strangle the boy.

"My point is: So what?" Hans asked.

"...What?" Mordred questioned. She felt her rage vanish as quickly as it came.

"You said it yourself: You are not her." Hans leaned back on his chair. "You are your own gir- h–hey! Drop the damn sword. You are your own person. There, happy now? You are brash, loud, and very very strong. You don't take shit from anybody. So tell me, are you really going to continue wallowing in this pitiful state just because you didn't get as lucky as that Prince? It doesn't sound like something you would do, in my opinion."

"Wh-why are you telling me this?" Mordred whispered. Her shock and confusion made her lose focus just enough for her to drop Clarent on the ground.

"Because someone has to tell you." Hans crossed his arms. "Now, are you gonna get the hell out of my Library or are you staying to mope around? This is my one chance to enjoy myself with that Old Hag's absence, and I do not want to waste time counseling an overgrown brat like you."

"Asshole…" Mordred chuckled as she left the table. As she took her first few steps up, she turned around and said,

"Thanks, I guess." Mordred looked away, in a moment of unexpected bashfulness.

"Don't guess, mean it." Hans rolled his eyes as he walked back to his desk. He scoffed when the reply he got back was a middle finger. Once Mordred closed the doors to the library, two figures sprung up from behind his desk.

"Well done." Sherlock Holmes blew some smoke. "I couldn't have said it any better. Even if I tried, actually."

"Yeah, yeah. You told me that already." Hans said as the pair circled around the desk. "By the way, you two are terrible at masking your signatures. Can't you find a better way to snoop than just hiding behind some bookshelves?"

"It's a non-issue now." Archer reminded him, "What's done is done. Thank you for helping us here. Mordred wouldn't have believed us if we told this to her."

"I know." Hans crossed his arms. "She's a real piece of work to see empathy as a sign of calling her weak. Also, what kind of world did she grow up in for her to be more responsive to insults of all things? She really needs to get her life together."

"At least we know you care." Sherlock smiled at Hans' shock. "Have a good day, young Hans. And as promised: Archer here will give you a week's worth of whatever beverage you like."

"I'll try." Archer reminded the detective. As the pair walked out of the library, they laughed as Hans still had one last thing to say.

"I'm an old man in a child's body, Sherlock! And Archer! If I get beer, it better not be non–alcoholic, or else!"

Later….

The Red Prince Mordred, for the first time since a long while, felt the crushing feeling of regret.

"Oh my goodness, Mo-san! You look so beautiful in that dress." Saber Lily squealed as she did the finishing touches.

"Th-thanks, I guess." the Prince struggled to speak. Lily tied a bow on her waist too hard for a second there. A few apologies later, Lily was back to treating her like a dress-up doll.

She spent a good chunk of her afternoon being tossed around by the whims of her fathers. For some odd reason, they all decided to mess with her today. And it all started when she shared a bit more about her personal life to Mash. Lucky girl, that Mash. She managed to sneak out before the attention was pointed towards herself. If only she could do the same thing. Currently, the Prince and the Saber trio of her fathers are inside Lily's quarters. It's the only one between the four of them that is big enough to fit a lot of people inside. The other two prefer smaller one person rooms, which says a lot about them than they realise. In Mordred's opinion at least.

"And there! It's done, Mo-san." Lily clapped her hands in joy. She turned towards her bed and said, "What do you think, Alter and Saber me? Isn't she lovely?"

"She looks like she's ready to return to the Throne." Alter snickered as she bit her burger.

"You're right, Lily." The Blue Saber smiled as she got up from the bed. "But if I may, I believe that Mordred looks better with her hair down."

"Finally!" Mordred pulled her hair tie off. "I've been saying that since I got here." She shook her head to let her hair fall down naturally.

"Why don't you guys do this for my other selves?" Mordred sat near the makeup table. "The both of them would really appreciate you guys fawning over them like this."

"We do." Alter deadpanned. "That Mordred who uses Prydwen as a surfboard simply prefers bikinis like our Archer variant. The other one doesn't like 'girly' things. That one prefers being treated as a boy.

"So I've noticed…" the Prince looked at the mirror. Suddenly, all three Sabers then realized that Instincts were flaring up. Something's about to happen. But what?

"Father." Prince Mordred gazed through the mirror. "Have you forgiven Sir Mordred for what she's done."

The temperature of the room sunk below freezing. Lily, having been caught in the crossfire that was sure to come, did everything she could to look as invisible as possible. The Blue and Altered Sabers directed their whole attention towards the Prince. Their faces are cold as ice.

"...I cannot speak for her," the Blue Saber looked at Alter, " But had it not been for a certain someone, my answer to that question will be No. I believe I forgave her long before I met her again here in Chaldea."

"Then why are you treating her like garbage?" The Prince asked, "If you truly did find forgiveness somewhere inside, then why not go the extra length and restore the bond between the both of you."

"It's because we do not forget." Alter answered, "It may have been thousands of years ago for either Mordred or the Arturia beside me, but not I. No, I remember it as if it was just yesterday. I only tolerate her per our Masters' wishes and that is the farthest I can go for that Mordred."

"Fine, be like that." The Prince turned around as her seat fell to the floor. "I get it, she destroyed Camelot. Shit, if my sons did the same thing, I might react like you two. However, the other me clearly regrets what she's done! She thought that you betrayed her by how you rejected her."

"Where did you learn about that?" Saber asked confusedly.

"The library." Mordred answered the disbelieving trio. "What? I'm a bookworm, remember? I now know enough to weigh my opinion in."

"Maybe." Saber Alter countered. "But I am already merciful. Like I said, tolerate her existence. Does that not suffice for a brat like her?"

"And that's why I'm butting in, Father!" the Prince insisted, "We look the same age, but I am decades older than your Mordred. To me, she's as much of a child as she is to you. I'm not just speaking as your daughter-from-another-time anymore, but also as a mother. This is the least I can do to help the other Mordred out. The most I would do would probably destroy half of this facility, but the point still stands: Mordred doesn't deserve your cruelty."

"And you need to stop meddling into problems that have nothing to do with you." Alter huffed in annoyance.

"Alter, enough." Arturia sighed, "the Prince has a point. This tenuous relationship we have for Mordred must change. As stubborn we Pendragons might be for grievances, we are also above meaningless feuds."

"Thank you!" Mordred raised her hands, "Finally, at least one of you has the sense to see what I'm seeing. Sigh. For all your greatness Father, you are utterly terrible at being a parent. At least my Father cared enough. Which is a lot if I compare her to you two."

"We were never prepared for such." Arturia looked down in shame. "I was content with Gawain as my heir. Then you came, and things turned out the way it did."

"It's good to know that there is at least one version of me who did what was right for you, Mordred." Saber looked up at the Prince and added, "I can only wish I was as strong as her."

"Yeah. I know. I guess what I wanted out from this whole conversation is to convince you - and all your variants too - that you need to end this divide between you and the other me. That's all I wanted from this." Mordred looked away in contemplation. "I would blame Morgan for this entire mess, but she's not here. She was the one who used the other me like a tool, not you. If I can just punch her square in the face for what she's done, I would. But instead it's you, Father, who's here. So please, I ask of you: make a change for Mordred."

"...we will think about it." Arturia nodded in agreement. And that brought a sigh of relief from the Prince

"You can also do that punch in the future." Alter said, "Morgan will return in a few days with the first team."

"Wait, Morgan's in Chaldea? How come no one tells me these things beforehand?!" The Prince asked incredulously.

Kshhnnkkk…

"Hey Lily, have you seen my Father? I need to talk to her about… the… mission…"

The nearly forgotten Lily jumped in surprise from the corner she was standing by everyone was surprised to see the other, but not more so than the Knight of Treachery. Her mouth gaping wide as she looked straight towards the Prince like a frog out of water. The Knight clearly has many questions to ask, but her brain short circuited before she could string a full sentence.

Plonk!

The Knight of Treachery collapsed on the floor. Her mind broken from the irreconcilable fact that her other self wore dresses like a pansy princess… and also from the thought that she looked good in them.

"Quick! Get her on the bed." The Prince called out to her Fathers.