Beta read by Shigiya, Fluffy Slayer and DOOMRAIDER.
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--Feoh–
Sitting comfortably within the confines of a guarded but luxurious 4-horse-drawn carriage were two of the most important figures in Feoh and Ur Alicia and Prim. They were heading back to Feoh after visiting the Mortadella brothers' estate a while ago.
Prim, for the most part, distracted herself by reading books or shifting through unfinished paperwork, while her cousin, Alicia, had been mulling over something. With the ongoing silence edging her on, Prim decided to break the ice.
"We will soon be arriving." She said, hoping to get Alicia's attention. "I hope we're not too late, Maia must have already arrived by now."
Hearing that woman's name made Alicia frown, her nose huffing with distaste over hearing that woman's name. Even with everything Prim said and how Celestine herself had acknowledged the redhead, Alicia still couldn't bring herself to accept the former mercenary. She was far too carefree with her responsibilities. The last time Alicia visited her kingdom, Maia had put off her duties, and has yet to establish a council to help in her duties, preferring to drink merrily with the grunts than govern her territory while her kingdom was in shambles.
"Onee-sama, you're making that face again… you can't keep ignoring Maia's existence as a Shield forever. Her methods may be a bit unorthodox but she is a wonderful and loyal person. Just give her a chance to prove herself…"
The Princess Knights were supposed to be united, holding no resentment or bias between each other. Despite their worship and loyalty to Celestine, the Goddess always made sure that the others have an equal say in all matters, believing that it's better to be united.
Her cousin sighed.
"This cannot be brushed aside, Prim. I believe that Lady Celestine is obviously unaware of the consequences this would have on us in the future. I respect Celestine-sama, but there is a reason why peasants don't rule territories. They are incapable, ignorant of the finer details required in these matters and their managerial efficiency would leave the people in dire straits in the future. Maia would have been more suited to the role of a Princess Knight, with Ken governed by Beardsley in her stead. He is far more competent and capable than that woman."
Beardsley was an advisor to the Arcturus family for as long as she could remember. He used to be an apprentice under her father's tutelage before ascending the role of helping her manage Feoh as its prime minister. Despite his weird and sometimes creepy attitude, he got the job done in record time.
Prim frowned at her cousin's words.
'I hope they can get along soon, Maia is a good person,'
She first met the newest Shield during her blessing ritual, she was honestly quite fun and amazing to talk with as she regaled her many of her adventures as a mercenary — becoming one of her few real friends that treated her as just Prim. She couldn't help but giggle about that time when Maia, in one of her many attempts at flirting with Vault, tried to borrow her dress to show off to him. While their height differed greatly, the dress still held onto her body quite nicely… though the chest area was a bit loose, much to Maia's disbelief. Still, it took less than 5 minutes for her to trip and fall into a muddy puddle.
Thankfully Vault wasn't there to see it and Prim was kind enough to never speak a word of it.
Returning to her senses, she gazed at the beautiful scenery of the green woodlands through the carriage window. "Hm, this place… Do you remember the last time we were here?"
Alicia nodded her head, "You used to wander around these parts behind uncle and aunty's back. I would then be tasked with retrieving you as Beardsley was never able to find you no matter how many men he brought with him for the search." A gentle smile appeared on her face as she reminisced about the good old times when Prim's parents were still alive. Back when they were shielded from the back stabbings and plots of the disgusting noble faction as well as the Dark Queen's invasion of Eostia.
"I remember there being a certain waterfall in these parts where we would play all day till nightfall. Do you think that it's still there?" Prim asked.
"Of course, it's still there," Alicia answered. "Not like it will suddenly dry up over the course of a few years. And I'm pretty sure that to this day no one lives there."
An idea popped inside Prim's mind, she looked around the lands before signaling the coachman to stop the horses.
"Eh, Prim… what are you doing?" She asked worriedly.
"Onee-sama, let's have a small break here and take a stroll into the woods like we used to do — we've been sitting here since dawn." The area was deserted aside from the harmless woodland creatures. They were also accompanied by a whole team of Knights and gold-plated Templars sent by the church to aid them in their mission.
Her cousin was unsure, not agreeing immediately and even looking a bit hesitant. Prim wasn't experienced in combat nor physically able to due to her weak constitution. Sure, she was blessed by the Goddess Reborn like the rest of the Shields, but her boon did not come in the form of anything remotely combat related. She even got fits of fatigue from just a simple walk. Alicia feared for the girl catching a sickness, or worse, getting injured or attacked while walking through the woods.
She was distracted by a pair of hands caressing her own. Prim looked at her with beaming eyes and a gentle smile that always calmed her down in the most stressful of situations.
"Don't worry, I'm no longer the same frail child in need of constant protection. You're here with me now, so nothing bad will ever happen!" Exclaiming in total confidence, her words extinguished most of the worries Alicia had.
Not wanting to see that cheerful face dim into sadness, she reluctantly agreed.
"Fine, but we will only stroll around for a short time before returning. Feoh is nearby and I don't want to be late for our meeting with Claudia-sama and Maia."
"Of course!"
After that, both girls left the carriage while the knights set up camp within the area. Placing the horses under the cover of the shade, they took a short break to converse and rested for the journey ahead. Contrary to what a platoon of knights would normally consist of, there wasn't a single male among them. One would think that it was due to a shortage of manpower but this is actually the result of Alicia's machinations. Her disdain for the opposite gender was an established fact throughout the seven kingdoms, to the point that even the Templars sent by the Church were females.
"Huuu, the weather is amazing!" Prim said, secretly watching Alicia arch her back to stretch herself — the girl's eyes wandered momentarily to the blonde Princess Knight's figure before retreating swiftly.
"Granted it's nice at the moment, but I fear it's going to worsen judging by those clouds heading our way."
"Fret not Alicia, Have you forgotten that I love rain? The idea of lounging by the fireplace with a book in hand, basking in its warmth and the sound of the pouring rain outside… Truly the best sensation one can ask for." Given her sickly constitution during her younger days, Prim was never given the opportunity to train with Alicia or the other soon-to-be Knights or Templars, as such she was relegated to menial tasks like attending meetings or dinners with nobles as well as taking care of the more administrative duties of Feoh and Ur. "When this war with the Dark Queen ends, do you think we could go on such outings with the other Princess Knights? I'm sure Celestine-sama and Luu-Luu would enjoy having a break from their busy lives."
Before Alicia could give her answer, she was called by one of the Knights. A stoic woman standing at attention with short dark hair that reached to her shoulders that went by the name of Sara, if Prim remembered correctly.
"Alicia-sama, we have a few issues with our supplies from our last stop."
Hm, their supplies? That sounded strange to her, the only supplies they had on them were food and water.
"Alright, I'll be right there. Tell the others I'll join them in a few seconds." The situation was giving the blonde bad vibes. Not trusting those disgusting Mortadella brothers one bit, Alicia made sure to check everything before leaving their estate. "Prim, I'm sorry to say this but can you return inside the carriage for now? I don't want you to stand out in the open like this where you can get hurt."
"What?" She was not prepared for such a request so suddenly. "B-But we're all alone here and there's nothing dangerous within miles. I'm not a young kid anymore Onee-sama! I can take care of myse—"
Unfortunately, Alicia was having none of it.
"That's enough!" She shouted, making the pink-haired girl flinch. "I will not have this discussion here, this will only take a few moments." With that said, she followed the Knight and headed towards where the others had gathered, leaving her cousin behind.
"Tsk!"
Prim felt frustrated and pouted as Alicia turned to go check on the situation.
She loved Alicia with all her heart and knew the former desired nothing but the best for her, but that that overprotective nature of hers was far too suffocating at times. Treating her as if she was still some naive child unable to fend for herself.
She hated this feeling.
Watching them leave, Prim decided that she would prove her wrong. With how quiet it was in the woods besides the sound of birds chirping, she made a decision.
"Hmph, what is there to be afraid of within these woods? I'll be fine.
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.
Bam!
A metal gauntlet smashes against wooden crates was cracked open, immediately fruits and vegetables started pouring out onto the ground. These were the supplies provided by the pig brothers before their departure.
The putrid and rotting smell coming from inside angered Alicia immensely. It was a stench that made many of the women reel back in disgust, some even feeling sick after remembering these were the same food they ate not that long ago.
"What is this smell!?" Alicia demanded, pinching her nose.
"It's this thing," one of the girls pointed to an apple with what looked like… white slime covering its exterior. "We couldn't identify this substance, but we did find the source of it." One of them showed a broken jade bottle that Alicia remembered was a gift the brothers gave to Prim. Most likely it during the journey, and contaminated the rest of the supplies.
Anger rose inside her heart. 'How dare those pigs dare offer such a thing!? To Prim no less!'
"Burn it all! The entire stock is useless to us. We've almost reached Feoh, and I will not have this repugnant substance anywhere near my kingdom!" Her words were law and the knights started disposing of the contaminated supplies, while making sure to not touch the white substance.
Those damned pigs, this was no different from a slap to her face. A stain on Prim and Celestine-sama's generosity. If this was a joke on their part, then she would have their heads on a platter!
'I'll have to inform her about this.' thought Alicia to herself as she made her way back to the main carriage.
"Prim, we need to talk! It's about those Mortadella brothers!"
"..."
No response came, the scene was quiet with nothing but the sounds of leaves rustling. A frown came to her face. Was her cousin that angered by their previous argument? No, she wasn't that childish to just ignore her.
"Prim, please come out of the carriage, why don't we go on that walk now?" Alicia said gently, feeling guilty for how she might have hurt the girl's feelings. But her safety was a priority even if it means becoming a bit strict. "Listen, I'm sorry if I said something impulsive in my anger, but I promise to make it up to you."
"..."
Yet she was met with silence again. Worry settling into her heart, she reached slowly for the door handle and opened it. Her eyes widened, Prim was nowhere to be found. The fear she felt turned into a full-on panic.
"Prim! Where are you?!" She shouted. Not seeing her within the vicinity, she proceeded towards the knights. "Have any of you seen where Prim went? !?" Alicia was met with silence as not a single one of the knights had an answer, having been preoccupied with disposing of the contaminated food.
Watching them avert her glare, Alicia's face turned scarlet from fury.
"You useless imbeciles! Find her, search every nook and cranny of the camp! If you see any suspicious individuals then detain them immediately! Go!" After giving out orders, Alicia unsheathed her rapier and signaled everyone to disperse before rushing inside the woods.
"Prim!"
Behind every tree, above the branches, inside any dark caves, and around small hills — there was not a single trace of a pink-haired girl.
"Prim, where are you!?" She began hyperventilating, tears nearly building up as she tried to suppress any bad thoughts on the worst case scenario. She was safe, she needed to be safe! There was no danger around, not a single bear or boar roaming the woods as far as the blond Princess Knight's eyes could see as well as what her scouts had reported.
"Please… please, answer me!"
The fear inside her rose with every passing minute, she even had the other Knights and Templars doing their best in searching for her but came back empty-handed. There was not a single trace of footprints anywhere for them to follow, the area was far too big coupled with the strong wind blowing, — any evidence of her trail would be lost.
It wasn't til a while later did Alicia's ears pick up a certain sound coming from the distance. Like flowing water crashing onto the hard stone, reverberating through the air. A familiar noise she recalled hearing in her childhood, a scene of a giant waterfall surfaced in her mind as she finally had a clue where Prim must have gone.
"Prim!?"
Running towards it, her pace quickened as she grew closer. The noise was getting louder by the second and her concern grew more so. The number of trees became less dense while more sunlight peeked through the green foliage. Then it happened.
She saw it.
A large clearing with crystal clear water rushing like a river before heaving downwards a steep decline. The water rushed down the rocks, creating a thunderous roar that echoed across the land. Despite that, there was no sight of her cousin anywhere here.
"—!"
Before she was overcome with despair, a glint shined inside the water which attracted her attention. Upon a more closer look, she noticed that it wasn't just a simple light, it was a golden silhouette, the shape of a pendant; a golden necklace.
Prim's golden necklace that she had gotten for her on her birthday. The one that she had worn ever since.
"No..." She whispered in horror.
Alicia ran to the edge of the river, looking down at the waters below with a very worried expression on her face as she hastily grabbed the ornament.
"This... This is Prim's!"
If this was here then… no, it couldn't be!
The Princess Knight ran towards the rocky edge of the river that leads to the plunge pool below. For this pendant to be here meant that she must have fallen inside, and seeing how the current branches off into different sections…
"PRIIIIIIIIMMM!"
Her shout echoed throughout the entire forest.
{Break}
-Feoh, Border-
"Ha!"
Clang!
Two steel swords met in mid-air, the noise of metal scraping against each other rang throughout the area.
It was a sparring session between two people in the middle of a barren field. One was a young brunette in a defensive stance holding a bronze-colored sword with a single arm. Her other arm, which shined against the sunlight with its metal parts creaking as the gears inside it shifted for each of her movements — brought forth an attached shield that she used in combination with her custom sword.
"Haa... Haa... Haa..." Brynn was sweating heavily, her skin littered with slight cuts and bruises.
Her attention was focused on her opponent, a red-haired woman wielding a set of twin swords with a golden edge to them. She wasn't even sweating or showing any signs of exhaustion, she just grinned while raising those blades back up for another attack.
"And again!" Maia shouted as she lunged forwards.
Brynn tried to counter with a swift evasive maneuver while parrying using her shield.
"Argh!" The force behind the Princess Knight's strike proved to be too heavy for her, giving way for her to land a direct hit on the side of her shield, sending it propelling into the air.
"Gah!"
Disarmed and distracted, Maia swooped in for the final blow, holding her blades against Brynn's throat.
"Heheh~ you've improved a lot, I almost broke a sweat there."
Brynn gulped from her words, her body shivering from this turn of events. The fight ended far too quickly in her opinion, reasoning her opponent was simply too experienced in close quarter combat. She wasn't even given enough leeway to counter Maia's attacks nor evade them. Her reflexes were just too fast.
Brynn sighed, lowering her sword and shield.
"I lost...again."
Maia grinned, twirling her twin swords before sheathing them. "Come on! You're doing far better than expected, just a few more sparring sessions and you'll be back to your previous self in no time."
The former Knight nodded her head, unsure whether to take heed of the compliment or not. To be honest, Brynn felt overwhelmed. Replacing her dominant form with one prioritizing her prosthetic and shield felt so foreign and weird. Almost like re-learning swordsmanship from scratch. It finally dawned on her just how lucky she was during her fight against the assassin. While suicidal, the tactic she used then proved to have its benefits. Archer vehemently warned her to drop that type of tactic since it was reckless and detrimental, but even she couldn't let go of the idea of mastering such a skill and using it against stronger foes.
"You did good," came a voice from behind her. Turning around, she found her teacher holding a large bag on his shoulders and donning a brown cloak with a hoodie hiding his face.
"..."
Brynn couldn't help but gulp, his apparel was exactly the same as when they first met. Back when she stopped him in front of the village for supposedly being a spy of the Dark Queen.
She laughed at how absurd her past self was and how glad that she was able to meet this man.
That was also the first time she was captivated by his face, especially his eyes. They looked so sharp yet clear, an effect she still experienced to this day whenever his eyes focus on her. In fact, they are now more vibrant in her opinion, more alive and thriving with emotion when they first met. It was hard to explain, but his past self harbored a more detached and cold impression. Not to say he still didn't act the same, but it feels less intense now, and more natural.
"Master…"
She could barely contain her tears, for she knew the day had come for his departure. But she still hoped that it would last longer.
'If only this journey could continue forever…' she thought to herself, feeling her heart ache at the situation.
"Don't doubt yourself, your stance is grounded and firm. Despite the difference between you and Maia, you managed to hold on for a few minutes and even deflected some of her attacks. Of course, your defense still needs some work, as you tend to underuse the shield and even forget about its existence at various points. But with enough practice, you'll surpass your previous self with ease." Archer patiently explained, noticing how she was hiccuping and trying to stop herself from crying but had failed miserably.
He patted her trembling shoulder, having faith that the girl would stay strong while he was gone.
"When I first saw you, you were just an exasperating brat that I believe had no modesty, causing me trouble to no end from when we first met. But now you've turned into a woman who can pull her own weight, albeit still pesky from time to time and still has no modesty. I wonder how much you'll change in the next few months or even years. Who knows, you might even reach my level if you try hard enough… but then again, I'm not that amazing to begin with." The man smirked at his comment, feeling the situation feel similar to the goodbye he gave to Alice.
'I wonder how that girl is doing, hopefully she hasn't gone into debt again or ruined her Inn. That old blacksmith better be helping her out and not spend the entire day drinking. But then again, Bianca is also there to help her out.'
Walking forward, stopping just at the edge of the forest leading towards the territory of Feoh, Archer found Maia leaning against one of the trees with her arms crossed. Her face was blank without the slightest trace of emotions or even tears. A rare sight for such a boisterous woman without a filter.
Archer couldn't help but rethink his time with her on the roof. He didn't regret his actions, nor wasted time second guessing or pondering 'what if' questions. What happened could not be changed and he could do nothing but accept this reality… but he knew that all of this would soon vanish after killing Vault. What was the point of forging bonds that would only last a couple of days?
It's an answer that he's still searching for to this day. The Archer from the beginning of his journey in this world would have never done such a thing… he guessed even entities like him could change.
"Maia."
"Emiya," she called him by his name, something the girl only did in secret whenever they were alone without anyone near to hear him or with Brynn. "So this is goodbye… can't say I like it. In fact, I absolutely hate it. I'm contemplating using my status as Princess Knight to get you imprisoned here forever."
Archer shrugged, not really bothered by the threat "It was bound to happen at one point or another. Our time together lasting this long was unplanned. To begin with, it should have been only a day or two at most… but I decided to play the good guy and accompany you. And we both know there is no point in locking me up, I'd escape one way or another."
She scoffed, not bothering to deny his claims.
"Yeah right, that magic of yours being able to do so much makes no sense. I'm still wondering which gods or goddess' ass you kissed to get such an unfair blessing. Like seriously, calling forth a sword to crush mountains, only a drunk loon would believe that nonsense."
By now, he dismissed everything he summoned during his battle against the demon army. But it didn't change that a few lucky ones managed to catch the scene of the sea of swords and the Fake hollowed copy of Ig Alima. Luu-Luu did try to send more of her Knights to confirm the sighting, but all they found was an empty wasteland with a new canyon.
Most of them attributed this phenomenon to Celestine, calling it a divine intervention to save one of the Princess Knights due to the Church spreading this rumour. Which given what he saw inside his Reality Marble, wasn't exactly completely false that she had a hand in it.
"Do you believe those claims?" He asked, curious to know her answer.
"As I told you before, I don't know what to believe at this point anymore. I mean, the first time I met you was because someone turned a part of the forest near Grünes into ashes. So it isn't so far-fetched to think you did the same back then as well… I'm beginning to question whether you're a human or a god reborn like Celestine, while pretending to be something you're not."
Archer chuckled, "I promise you that I'm no god, nor will I ever be one."
"You didn't deny my other claims," Maia stated, playfully hitting his shoulders with a right hook before hugging him, her arms wrapping around his neck. She buried her face, and Archer could feel something wet on his skin. "I'll miss you, so freaking much, even your shitty humor."
"Hm, someone is getting a bit too comfortable with me. I wonder what dear old Vault will say if he finds out about this."
"Shut up, you dolt," she whispered with her body pressing against his own, letting a sigh of content when he returned the embrace. "You once called me an immature and lovestruck girl, that hasn't changed one bit… I remember being so furious at you during that time. Now, I completely agree with you, I am a lovestruck fool and I do tend to act immaturely at times, that's why I had hoped you would stay by my side to counter that part of me. As for Vault… it was never going to work out anyways, and I'm happy with my current feelings, if I'm being honest, more so than with him."
The bowman patted her head, before pushing her away as he got the feeling that she wouldn't have let him go the longer they held each other.
"Take care of yourself, Maia. Also, your kingdom is a mess, a cesspool of criminals that a certain someone had turned a blind eye to for years. You trusted someone you really shouldn't have, and the people are paying for it. So get your act together and clean it up, I might visit it one day if it's good enough." Bringing up these details would help her deal with the deadlock in her journey.
Even if the Kuroinu disappeared, it wouldn't remove the scum and criminals proliferating within the other kingdoms, as that scenario was an impossibility. These types of people have always existed since time immemorial, Maia just needed to remove the power they held inside Ken to make the place safer for everyone. He saw how Luu-Luu handled her territory; it felt far safer and more functioning than Maia's. Everyone had a role, they all helped each other to better their craft of forging weapons and armors despite having no obligation to do so. They didn't operate on the belief of a singular goddess or the Princess Knight, they were just a bunch of blacksmiths who wanted to craft their best work.
Maybe that was Luu-Luu's blessing, her endurance could have been a natural trait of her race while Celestine's magic manifested in the form of luck and prosperity.
"Right," Maia grabbed his shoulders, before getting on her toes and giving him a gentle but long kiss. "Don't die out there, or I'll have to travel to the afterlife and forcefully bring you back."
"Humph, we'll see about that."
Looking at the vast expanse in front of him, Archer closed his eyes, focusing on his goal. He was close, so close to accomplishing it and returning to Alaya for his next mission. Vacation or not, he did enjoy his time with the people here, no matter how short it was.
"Take care," he murmured to the redhead before disappearing into the forest.
Seeing his silhouette fade away, Maia couldn't hold it in any longer.
thump!
She fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face as she covered her face, unable to hold it in any longer. It felt so bittersweet, their time together was so short yet blissful. If only she was a goddess, then she could stop time at that moment forever or just keep him by her side.
She heard footsteps approaching her from behind.
"Maia-sama," out of everyone here, Brynn was probably the only one who could understand what she was going through and sympathize with her.
"Hahaha, shit, look at me, falling prey to such a cheesy goodbye hic." She said in between her choked sobs. "Man, I definitely look so fucking pathetic right now… thankfully he isn't here now. That man would've never let me hear the end of it."
"..."
"Well… sniff I guess it was about time. He's probably halfway to his destination now, we might as well finish ours too." Maia dried her tears before getting up with Brynn lending a hand. "We're close to Ur and Feoh, let's go to the latter. Alicia, Prim, and Claudia should already be there, don't want them to start telling me off for being late, do we?"
Brynn hesitated before answering, "... Yes."
As they readied their horses and departed, standing on top of a tree in the distance was Archer, looking over them. He couldn't help but sigh once again, some things were just not meant to be… especially since he wasn't from this world.
"Right," Magical Energy started to circulate around his body, generating cyan-colored circuit patterns across his legs. "Time to leave."
Boom!
He launched himself into the distance, disappearing at superhuman speed.
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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, Harry Potter and my 3 other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post monthly commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.