All Hail Britan -CHOO- .. !?

[Celestina Barbieri]

Day 1 0:01 - Celestina's Room

A silent surging sound ran through the room, stemming from the circle within its midst, carefully prepared by the woman in front of it, calmly chanting a spell, none of her words reaching outside. The name of that woman, Celestina Barbieri and she was actually still far from a woman, a teenager and part of her just a child. -bam bam bam-

"........" -bam bam bam- "Let me in. Come on. Please!! You can't be asleep by now. That's not possible. I-I know that you were tired, but s-sorry. I forgot my keys. The door is locked." -bam- Her face was calm and she continued her summoning spell for a servant, but she began to get restless inside and her eyebrow twitched involuntarily. Could this woman be quiet for once? It was Celestina's first day in Lucca and also the first time in another country. Many things had not run according to plan.

Everything from minute one had been one continued rush. She was secretly an heir of one of the most renowned families in the Clock Tower and her very own mother one of the greatest the Mage Association had ever brought forth. Celes had extremely big footsteps to fill and her tainted past made this only more difficult. She had been supposed to stay inside the house and continue her training, hone her skills to perfection and then step forward into the hall of Lords and show her superiority before them.

She honestly did not feel like playing the demonstrator before a group of people, who mostly were not worth it, but Rules were Rules. Lorelei Barthomeloi, her mother was not really known to be the typical Lord, but this only strengthened the desire of her other relatives to form the young girl accordingly.

The Lords of the other houses, maybe not all, had no respect for anyone other than themselves and would just be too eager to see the great house of Barthomeloi, the house of her actual birth, fall and replace it. It mattered not, even if this would mean a major weakening of power within Clock Tower. A place full with backstabbers, only few you could call a friend and the higher you climbed the lonelier it became. Yes, this all came down to one thing. She was not ready yet, and wondered if she ever would reach the perfection of her mother.

Instead she had to hurry to get ready for the war, was in just one moment put into a plane, in a rush found a suitable appearing catalyst and prepared a common room in this student home for a summoning ceremony. There were many problems with this and the biggest came in the form of a red haired girl from Japan. She did not like to have a room mate, less during a grail war, but it seemed like people wished to test her.

The fact that she was Japanese did not matter much to the young Noble. Most seemed to look down on them in Clock Tower and they were honestly not the most proficient in the use of magic, but it did not matter.

Shamanism and other arts were just more common and could not live up to the powerful, orthodox style, seen in Western Houses, they were mainly beginning as hatchlings in the Mage Association and quite powerless. One knew that power meant a lot, but Celes preferred to see competence at play, before deciding on a person's worth and she could not deny that she was at least to 50% coming from the same homeland. Even if this feature seemed to have gone under in the Barthomeloi gene pool.

-bam-

-twitch twitch-

Her mother might dislike them stronger nowadays, but she remained neutral. -bam- -twitch- ...or not. No, this one was really an exception. She had been annoying from the very first second, wanted to comb her hair and had a serious big sister complex. A very lazy, incompetent, older sister to be frank. Only her hair brushing abilities seemed well developed. That and her sewing skills, although using it for something dark and threatening. Just by opening the cupboard, which was supposedly hers, she noted that it was filled with an absurd collection of costumes of her room mate, Kyouko.

She had begun to lose all respect for Kyouko and commoners. They were crazy! That must be it. They were all some people whose lack of magic circuits and lack of prana allowed something to pollute them and drive them into madness. Patiently waiting, the summoning reciting over and over again, she had suffered under Kyouko, but indulged her queerness. She had promised to stay at a friend's house over night and Celes had really looked forward to it. Summoning a servant and then preparing for her first day in school.

That was the idea until the crazy cosplayer, whatever this cosplaying was, had taken a serious liking to the young magus and did not wish to leave her alone. A bed was meant to take a rest and not for ...skinship with a total stranger. It was absurd to sleep together in one bed if you had two beds. Celestina was not a person to dwell in a comfortable lifestyle, but if you had two beds you should use them. Apparently this Kyouko did not share her sentiments when she was waiting in Celes' bed.

Fortunately, the Barthomeloi magus in disguise managed to convince the abnormality to take another warming bath before sleeping hours and intended to lock her up in the bath, make her fall asleep in there and proceed according to schedule. How should she have known that the fool had as much knowledge about the layout of this room as the newcomer and undressed in front of the exit. Had Celes known that this was not the room to the bathroom, she might not have kicked her out ... into the hallway. Well, she had a towel.

The blood from her veigns dropped down on the circle and the spell had been completed. Finally. She could curse under her breath, without ruining the ceremony. The room was filled with blinding light. Celes had done well in placing a barrier around it.

"Come forth." Who had she summoned anyway? It felt like she used something without reading the instruction manual beforehand.

[Uther Pendragon]

It was, a dragon standard. Fashioned of purest gold, and with the greatest of intentions, as it was to symbolise that its King was blessed by the dragons with their power. It was one of many old relics that had been stored in the ancient Barthomeloi estate's many rooms. In a rush, its taker did not bother to read the label and expository text written on the podium upon which the standard stood. It was simply the most appropriate-looking one in the room. Perhaps by that virtue, then, one could say that its ancient allure, its hearkening back to ancient days when dragons still roamed the world, was what allowed it to be selected from the room full of many other old artifacts.

Indeed, one might even say that the blessing of the dragons remained, and it was this ancient power of the greatest phantasmal race that brought it into that vault in the first place. But now, its purpose was accomplished. For at the end of the day, no matter how much the dragons had blessed this Standard, one of a unique pair with the other lost in the shrouds of time, it was still only a symbol. The true brunt of the blessings that the dragons bestowed, was not upon these statuettes, but upon the King whom they represented.

This King was the man who coined a surname that would become famous the world over. But it would not be his use that had brought the surname world renown. No, it would be through the use of his child, that this name would reach every corner of the globe. It would be through the offspring Arthur, that the name Pendragon would become a household commodity whenever one spoke of knights and noble deeds and chivalrous kingdoms.

The father would be left behind, overshadowed by the greatness of the son. Or daughter. But then nobody really cared, since the true secret of the once and future King died with the last of her knights. The circle with its brooding blue illumination erupted into a golden pillar that rose to the ceiling.

Twin dragons spiralled from within the array of arcane inscriptions on the floor, tracing a helical path around each other as they followed the pillar of light upwards, as a moth to the flame. It was as though the figurine had come to life and found its twin, the two rejoicing at their reunion and celebrating by heralding the arrival of their King.

The phantasmal beasts roared as they continued their climb into the ceiling, their tails leaving in their wake on the floor a trail of coalescing fragments and particles. First the instance of plate-mail boots, and then working up to the greaves... As the dragons ascended further, so too did the structure that assembled itself as though from the very light that they left behind. Just before they struck the ceiling, however, they broke their helical dance and inverted the act, now spiralling down and around the armoured knight who had appeared at the centre of the circle.

The dragons sat down beside their liege and put forth mighty roars that resonated with each other, announcing the arrival of their King. With his heralds having done their duty, the King opened his eyes, this very action apparently being enough to dismiss the twin golden dragons, which vanished into nothing. Information flowed into the King's mind. The Holy Grail. Heroes from all times and corners of the world. The prize of ultimate power, a single wish.

But he dismissed this prize as a tool for a greater purpose. What of his home, and the growing nation he had left for his child? How did she fare? Yes. Indeed, the might of Britannia became pronounced in the world, a mighty empire that spanned the globe, and ruled a third of its people at its apex. His legacy had given birth to the greatest empire the world had ever seen. And this made him proud. His child made him proud. Their achievements made him proud.

But all was not well with Britannia. It had since lost its supremacy over its former dominions. They had fought for independence and such and such. Democracy. This was all well and good. But this 'British Commonwealth' was no British Empire. That was unacceptable. Once he had gained the prize, the world would once again see the power of Britannia. The world would hail her, for Britannia would finish what she started. Yes, Britannia, who ruled the waves and a third of mankind, would return to her previous glory and surpass it.

Follow protocol. He locked eyes with the only other person in the room, a young girl whose cold gaze would fit very well with the picture of aristocracy. It was a pride that he shared, though perhaps in something else. While he was proud of his nation, she might have had it simpler, such as a name. But he could only guess. His lips curled into a little smile. Who else would have been more fitting to summon the Dragon King, than one whose very face announced her bluest of blue blood?

"Servant Saber answers your summons. I ask of you: are you my Master?"

[Celestina Barbieri]

Not even the endless annoyance of Kyouko or the unknown future could harm this moment. She had succeeded. Maybe something to be expected of a Barthomeloi, but she was undeniable no expert and learning with the greatest could increase and nurture one's talents further, but it also caused a complex when the target one wished to reach was an Idol for Magecraft, like her mother.

Success... she felt a bit like back then when she managed to cast her first spell, but this time not daring to turn around to look if she may gain a friendly smile, applause or eventually a hug just to realize that this small hurdle had meant nothing. No, Celes knew that this was to be expected of her and nothing grand, but still..


why did she feel a bit happy and relieved when the dragons showed that a powerful servant would show up momentarily? She did not know, but really nothing could ruin this moment.

-bam bam-

"Hello~?"

...Almost nothing.

A pity she would have to end this fast, clean up and then get this terror on two legs back inside. Some ideas came to mind, but somehow she always ended up throwing them away, because her fantasy became too vivid and honestly too violent. Worse was that this Kyouko seemed to have some potential. Manipulating her memory would not be easy. It was better to remain cautious and live with that chaos brain, rather than trying to reform her. Hopefully Celes own mind would stand untainted before the red head's bad influence.

Now he appeared, the after match of the summoning, so glorious that it was worthy for a Lord of Clock Tower, a knight with clear eyes and a charisma that even captivated Celestina, if only a little. He had to be more than just a knight, maybe a leader of their honored group or even a king.

The halls were filled with great artifacts. Could she have eventually summoned HIM!? The great king of knights? The King of the Round of Knights, King Arthur? There was nothing better for the pride of an British magus than summoning this Icon of Britain.

Responding to her servants smile, she did in equal and smiled back. Just a reflex, an emotion copied from others, she felt happiness for the success in the summoning, but she did not realize that this feeling was really happiness. Her stoic face, she had kept over ages swallowing any emotional expression before it could reach the surface, her face.

"Welcome," she answered accordingly, and then raised an eyebrow. It was difficult to understand this servant. His question seemed so standardized and inappropriate. Who else would be his servants? Did he see anyone else? The room was empty, safe for those plush animals on Kyouko's bed. None of them seemed to have the slightest magical abilities, although Celes sometimes felt as if her eyes were magically drawn to them. Regardless... answer, answer!

"Yes....I am your master." Naturally. I command you, king of plushie...... No, I..

Those were the moments when she was glad that she was not a woman of many words, always thinking about her words carefully before making such a stupid slip of words. Well, whoever he was, he better be strong. She required a strong servant to make up for her weakness and inability that became so apparent in her mother's presence.

"Your class.." would have been the second question, but ... "I feel like you are talking. You are awake, please open~" The sub-nuance was sounding dangerous, really dangerous, but even that was something incognito-Barthomeloi could ignore, not so the fact that Kyouko already seemed to adapt to the barrier. She would soon hear their conversation. It was better to have her servant dematerialize fast.

"I would like to hear your name and ...try to get this over fast. My honored room mate seems slightly impatient." What else should she say? Well a couple of minutes were still within the allowed limit.

[Uther Pendragon]

Much as he believed that such a standardised question was utter foolishness, and how it made him sound like he was some scripted cur acting in a play, it was too late to take it back. In fact, time was currently of the essence, and he really shouldn't have dabbled with the script, nor briefly scanned the apartment room, for the matter. Those things lying on the bed were toys called plushies, which brought into question why such a powerful magus would have them in the first place. Well, the only other possibility would be that it belonged to this honoured room-mate of hers.

More specifically how honoured she was to have such a room-mate as his Master. But in any event, it would not do any good to prolong this event any longer. He had better things to do, such as restore the great Britannia to her former glory, and steer her beyond that. It would only be unfortunate, that he would not be able to do so, without his wife and child by his side. Yes, she was a stolen wife, but she proved truly loyal to the very last.

"I am the High King of Britannia, Gorlassar above heaven. I am Uther Pendragon, the Dragon King." Three titles. Not bad at all. Yes, they reflected his pride quite well, and though they certainly would not be as humbling as the King of Knights, they said much about his power as the king who received the blessing of the Dragons. This was a birthright he had passed on to his child, which she inevitably used in her own way.

"We may continue this discussion in silence, my Master." It was a cowardly act, to hide from this mysterious honoured room mate in such a way, but there were some things that had to be prioritised, such as the future of Britannia. Any able King must be capable of proper planning and strategy. Still, it never hurt to try and gauge his Master's common sense. He smirked. "Are you sure that you would not instead trust me with bringing your honoured room mate down to her knees in genuflection at the grandeur of my kingliness? She would be no match for me, even if she chooses to disregard my authority and becomes hostile."

Yes. Even ancient kings of sub-Roman Britannia had senses of humour.

[Celestina Barbieri]

Ah... King Arthur's father.

Most likely anyone would come up with this thought, but she did not wish to voice it. The father of a prominent person? It was no different from being the daughter of a promi. The daughter of Lorelei Barthomeloi. It was certainly something to be proud of, but who liked to stand in the shadow and lose one's identity because of another? This was not the region or the era to add all ancestors after your first name...

So he was King Uther, dragon king Uther. It sounded nice, but he would certainly not be able to turn into a dragon or summon one. That would make the War a bit easier, but he was a worthy hero. Of course this one would also end up in the throne, even if his legend concerning his night with Arthur's mother was less than pleasant for Celes.

...He reminded her of her own father. Her choice was apparently not so great, but he should at least be more powerful and useful. At least he was fast on the uptake, but she could not do much with his humor.

"I have neither the intention of showing you around as my distant relative with an armor fetish, nor do I wish to include or harm civilians in this War. You won't ge..."

The door opened. It just opened!? "I fortunately had a hairpi....n? WHO UGH..." The hobby lock picker was fortunately slow in more than just one thing and could not finish her sentence before the magus quick-witted blew her candles out. A strong blow into the stomach knocked Kyouko out and the girl landed urgently on the ground.

"If someone throws her out of the window, then it will be me...."

There was no emotion in her voice and could easily be misunderstood for a clear intent. A part of her actually desired to finish the job and have this room for herself, but it would go against her morale code... maybe. There were not really any rules about treating a maniac and witnesses usually had to be removed. No... it would only be proof of her failure. There was no need to kill the cosplay nut. Not now, at least.

It was better to bring the unconscious girl into the room to avoid curious eyes and that was the only reason why Celes pulled the naked body inside, before shutting the door with a hint of anger in her movements. This room mate was full of wonders and not a single one was pleasant. Fortunately this event would soon be no more than a dream for Sherlock Orange... not that he ever picked locks.. did he? To be honest, her knowledge about fictional characters was close to zero.

Most of her time had been spent in other areas, like Grail Wars, Magic, Vampires and ...Grail Wars? She tried to recall something else, but there was nothing, absolutely nothing! ...But this common world knowledge would be enough, it had to suffice. She did not live in a cave and knew about modern technology, although her first time to use one of those microwaves looked a bit clumsy. Kyouko had called her cute at that moment. Since when was incompetence a sign of cute or did they really speak an entirely different language?

But it was still an interesting technical device for a technical device. She reminded herself that it would be better not speaking about the greatness of microwaves to some Lord and dropped the thought. Nonetheless, it was a pity that microwaving an opponent would consume more prana than worthwhile.

Right.. there was her servant. "Well, the conversation can continue, Saber. Do you have any questions?"

[Uther Pendragon]

He could feel the pressure. He had no proof, of course. But a battle-hardened instinct said that there was disappointment. You couldn't mistake it, really. He was in the shadow of an immediate relative. Most people wouldn't even be able to answer the question "Who is King Arthur's Father?" on Jeopardy, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, or other such game shows. Not that he knew that as a fact, or about the existence of game shows, for the matter, since they were irrelevant, but if he did find out such things existed, then it was likely that he would accurately deduce this common problem.

Indeed, somebody recently answered "Henry I" after using the 50:50 lifeline, which left that, and "Uther" as the only two choices. One couldn't even blame a lack of common sense. "Uther" sounded similar to "Arthur", but there was always the possibility that it was made up and that the similarity to the name was intentional. This showed how little known the man was, regardless of how he was the originator of the name "Pendragon".

But despite this embarrassing fact, the King had to think progressively. There were mistakes. The childish decision to declare war with one of his closest vassals over one woman was a mistake. The decision to use tricks and deception to get this same woman was a mistake. Giving Arturia away to Sir Ector was possibly a mistake. These mistakes came back to bite him, and hard. But out of this domino effect of mistakes came redemption in the form of that child, who created the inspiration to give birth to a mighty empire. A final saving throw to prevent the kingdom from falling apart.

"Whosoever pulleth this sword from the stone shalt be the new King of Britannia." It was a sword sealed with his blood, and a sword that only his blood could free from the stone. Even if on the off-chance that Arturia decided not to pull it out, she would not have a choice in the matter. She knew her ancestry. If for some reason, they decided to just continue jousting, and some unworthy cur did win, the sword would remain in that stone and haunt Britannia for all time. It was the symbol of the Pendragon's divine right to rule. If you didn't have it, you did not have the blessing of the gods. King Winnerofthejoust would fall to the people, who would demand the true heir to the throne, or at the very least, send for someone to pull it out for him.

And adventurer after adventurer would fail, until Arturia takes her turn to fetch the sword for the "king." Lo, it would only be then that the "king" would realise the folly of his method, as the one who drew the sword was obviously the rightful King. Or, he could plan to have her murdered and keep the sword for himself. But surely, she would be protected. And if that nutjob Merlin was reliable for one thing, it was making sure the plan succeeded. Nevermind how roundabout it would be, but Arturia had no chance of escaping her destiny. That enough could be said.

It was cruel, yes. Her life had already been written out for her. But he wanted her to believe that it was a choice. Was it better than binding her to this fate officially? The King was not one to brood over the morality of choosing between a blatant lack of control and creating the illusion of control. He had a one-track mind, and it was concerned with the future of his nation. Had Arturia been properly raised to become the King, in the presence of her father, then she would know this very well. The King was there for his people. It was the ultimate sacrifice. For the sake of many, the few with power had to surrender their humanity and serve in the designated office. No doubt, by the time she drew that sword, she knew it as well.

The question was, would it alleviate any doubts she might have had, if she knew that her father had made the same commitment? That same sacrifice?

But enough about that past... brooding upon decisions made over a thousand years ago was not going to change the present, or the future. The King was impressed by his Master's martial ability, and resolve. She wanted to be in control? Then so be it. It took one with a true desire for control to be able to keep this King in line. He was not the kind to let his past achievements go to his head. Instead, he would liken this to his more youthful days, when he served as his elder brother's General. Yes, that would be him at this moment.

The way she so efficiently handled this honoured room-mate also indicated quick thinking ability, and superior coordination with the body in order to efficiently execute these thoughts. But most importantly, he could feel the superior levels of flowing prana, something that, as the Grail was telling him, was so rare that only one or two people in the whole world could supply. Already, he was fully confident that his Master was the most powerful one in the war. And why not?

"I only wish to know a few things, Master. Your name, your goal, and your methods. The first is self-explanatory. How can I know my Master, cooperate, and work closely with her, if I do not even know the most basic thing there is to know about a person? The second, so that I may know drives you, in order that I may have two things to fight for. And the third, that we may be able to cooperate more effectively. I have made some great mistakes in the past, as you may know. The greatest two were betraying my closest vassal for his woman, and using deception to lay my hands on her. I have made it a personal commitment to not squander this second chance by reusing such vile means to achieve my goals."

[Celestina Barbieri]

A smile grew on Celes' face. It was just one of her means to get through life. Something she had seen in a magazine. A little actor could be found in many people, but the magus was extremely skilled. But everything was just on the surface. No matter how well she would do in several roles, romance was out of her repertoire. Something that required a real understanding of emotions, real feelings were just beautiful ideals for the elitist.

Albeit the smile was fake, as fake as it could get, she could feel some sincerity in the servant's word and had to admit, that he might have earned some plus points. Still someone trying to fish for points with eloquence and smooth talking. Her past stories would probably just earn him some extra nooks for his strategy. Well, there was not much to lose by telling him a bit, especially when there was hardly anything to tell. She was born, raised and was now here. The end of her absolutely beautiful life story of an attempt to gain acceptance.

Mister Pendragon would be a great item in her strategy to fulfill that goal. He was an item, wasn't he? Standing there in his armor, and wishing to be of service to the human magus. Hmph, that would be the thought of a totally naive, little brat. He was more than a mere familiar, although she disliked to think of herself as inferior to that man. Her mother could eventually best some of their kind, it was natural that she should aim no less, no matter how crazy it sounded, when she could already feel the huge difference in strength between them.

Saber, a useful class in a battle against magi, if his magic resistance could live up to the tales of powerful servants of the Saber Class of previous wars, as much as she could actually gather from them. They were a secret and even the highest members of Clock Tower were quite uninformed, and nothing existed of the previous war. Only some lost town. It did not take special education or intelligence to know that something in the war had gone terrible wrong, but it would have been nice to know more about it. Celes goal was not to gather special information about the previous catastrophe, but knowledge was power and she was no fool.

"Beautiful words. I hope you can keep your promises and stay chivalrous. A heed of advice. I am more than just upset at the slightest hint of betrayal. Try it and this form of yours will die. I will fight this grail war alone if I must, no matter what body parts it might cost me."

She sounded a bit haughty, but fully serious. The dark haired girl had some troubles to believe it herself, but she was able to swallow her fear and push the pride to the surface. There was more on the line than her life. Her word was binding, and although she realized that she continued to make it more difficult for herself and pushing herself into a corner, she just could not stop. She did not like Japanese People too much, and yet she felt like one of those samurai, who ended their own life to restore their honor for the sake of their family.

If she would dishonor her family, it would be a betrayal of her mother and all of her ancestors. An unforgivable crime, that not even a purging and return to Akasha as nothing but a part of its soul mass could ever hope to remove. Celes did not intend to die, she was not even interested in the grail or a victory. It was merely to prove herself, but would the higher ups be happy with anything but a flawless victory? ...No, it was not the time to dwell in those things and get overwhelmed by fear. There were some things she might be scared of, just like any other human, but they were pointless, always something she could ignore or turn into a strength.

Failure on the other hand, there was no fear bigger than that of failure..... "I know that this is a war and it won't be beautiful, but I don't intend to turn into a beast, like those vile vampires, losing all their humanity for some bit of strength. An ugly victory is a pointless victory. I won't stand in for deceptive, vile means. My name is Celestina Bar...bieri, and I will fight the enemies as they may come. I have no intention to kill, if not necessary, and am willing to show mercy, but this does not mean that I will hold back in a fight. You are my sword and I hope you won't forget that. Yet....."

A short pause followed. She had certainly in the last moment decided to leave her real name as a secret. Perhaps she was still thinking that she would not wish for anyone to tie her to the noble lineage in case of failure. He was her partner, but she did not wish that the High King of Britain no matter how terrible a father he had been, will know that there is an incompetent Barthomeloi around. Or worse, spill it in some conflict. His trust in her on the other hand seemed to be higher than her trust in herself. What could drive this man to trust her? What were his goals? ...Goals...

"....what do you seek the grail for?" She had no wish, so she should probably support him in his endeavor to get it. Hopefully it was nothing too stupid.

[Uther Pendragon]

His laughter would have disturbed the neighbours had the room not been surrounded by a sound-proof barrier. It was a robust laugh, filled not with mockery, but admiration. Yes, a Master who had her goals laid out before her, a clear determination to win and. The actual wish seemed to have been cast aside, as it would seem victory was her be-all-end-all, but he could tell that there was more to it than simple victory. Nevertheless, this affirmation was all he needed.

This spoke of some sort of personal code, at least. Was it chivalry itself? Perhaps, if her family dated back to an old age. Given the amount of energy he was receiving, it seemed to be the case. Regardless, she was worthy to become a Knight as any who had served under him and his offspring. It was a fall from grace, but it only spoke true of what people said. It mattered not how much good you accomplished, or how great your successes. You will only be remembered for your evils and failures.

Excepting the few, the proud, the righteous, humanity was in that regard, negative.

"Then we are in the same boat with that regard, Master Celestina. Having seen and done my share of deception and subterfuge, I have discovered that it leaves a crass, disgusting after-taste."

The legends spoke much of his dastardly exploits into breaking the codes of chivalry, of stealing one man's woman, and thus siring a child that would be King. But they spoke not of the years that followed, of bitter remorse and regrets. Mistakes that could never be returned, never be taken back. But he was no fool who would waste the wish of ultimate power for the sake of undoing his errors.

No man was perfect, and it was in the life of a King to live and shoulder the consequences of bad decisions. He had to always look to the future, to make up for the losses of the past. "Your affirmations are strong and determined, a declaration worthy of any knight. Rest assured that as your sword, I shall reward your valour with the glorious and beautiful victory that you desire!"

Falling was not an option. This was a war where victory was the only escape. Those who fell had to wait for the next opportunity, and the next opportunity would have yet another chance of failure. "My wish is a simple one. Any King worth his salt would desire to serve his nation, his people, to the greatest possible extent. To rule as King is to bear the burden of millions and transform that burden into success. I understand that my blood and descent inspired the rise of a mighty empire, and that this empire dissolved over the ages. I wish only to reunite with my kin, and with them revive this empire, raise it to heights it had never seen in its history."

It was very ambitious to say the least. After all, this empire was already unmatched in the history of the world, having extended its grasp to all of the continents, and at its peak having governed a quarter of all man. "Indeed a King is not the nation, but her guide, one of many who will direct the course of her history. The nation herself is the people, and I would be proudest to see my people at the apex of glory." Even if history were to forget him once more.

He had closed his eyes as he spoke, and opened them once again as he came back down from the clouds of fantasy. He was proud enough as he was of his people's achievements. But there was so much more that the could do, if they just put their minds together under that mighty banner once again.

"But enough about ideals of grandeur. Surely, we must focus on the war that is now. The dream is meaningless if there is no clear strategy to attain it. I have but one question remaining, Master." His lips curled into a smile, eager for action. "When do we begin?"

[Celestina Barbieri]

He was laughing after her statement.... He was laughing. No greater humiliation could be done to the Barthomeloi than laughing about her ideals. It came to her that this servant was not taking her for full, wait!! ...Did he? Something seemed different. His eyes were not filled with disgust, but something else. She just could not make out what it was and her initial misunderstanding changed to confusion.

Her eyes remained cold and her gaze and face unmoved. But the question in her head remained. Why in the world was he laughing? Humans were so hard to understand... okay he was a servant, and yet likely more human in behavior than his master. This certainly also did not change the issues with his behavior. Solving a spell, analyzing its effect and understanding how it works, how it could be improved or stabilized was so easy compared to human beings.

It was also easy to understand the next move of an opponent in combat. Taking a look at their body, seeing it move and knowing what muscles they moved in order to get the desired result was easy for her. Celes was a planner, constantly planning ahead. Even if she had no ability to split her thoughts up to gain faster end results, her high level of perception and this little muscle trick allowed her some small level of precognition, if only for some direct confrontations. To some extent lesser than those Atlas people, yet in some regard far more effective. She made good use of it during fencing training.

In the current situation though, it did not help at all. She could understand the theory, maybe what the next suitable tactical move might be, but she was completely outclassed when it came to understand a person's reasons behind their actions or their motivation. Why was she so ...useless? The young heir was certain that her mother would not have those issues. She would clearly issue commands to her servant and finish this in one go and instead she was incompetent enough to allow a weirdo of a class and room mate to almost ruin the summoning, not to mention the enormous tiredness, she felt.

Celes had no sleep the past days, it had been one continues run from one place to the other and she had drowned in preparations. Everything had just gone too fast. A situation in which his unexpected praise was quite welcomed. It was perhaps the first time ever that someone had praised her as far as she could remember. A knight and a magus were two different things, but she did not dislike the idea. Unlike most others, she preferred a chivalrous act over the dry reading of books. Maybe, because there was an actual challenge behind it.

Yet, this had just been a dream so far.... The revival of a hero. An interesting thought, and likely to be possible with an item of the strength of the grail. Even, if it was clearly a weaker version. The lack of information is quite disastrous. Especially in concerns to that catastrophe. Who did not know about it?

"All of them or just King Arthur? ....But more importantly. It would be too early to move tonight. I am aware that the grail should give you information, but I wonder how well you have adapted and know about your surroundings. If you so desire we can take a tour through town, but it might be more efficient to do so by day."

Masters could be stupid, but they were said to focus on their battles at night. She would eventually rush into a battle, tired and unprepared.

"I have just arrived myself... and that one is my room mate. Beware of her... she is dangerous."

She spoke those words with full seriousness. There was probably nothing that she could mean more in this world. The woman lying on the ground before her was a chaos. The greatest riddle and worst person to team up with. She could not understand her, not a single action of her made sense and her personality and character were totally different from everything she had been confronted so far.

Chaos, doom, corruption... and yet a certain innocence that made it even more confusing. She was just a commoner, who had some magic circuits, but was clearly no magus. A lower being as she was taught and yet Celestina felt inferior to that woman. It was worrisome. During her next thoughts, some use of the brain was accompanied by a move of the body. She took no haste in her movements and walked across the room, a hand to her chin and each time easily avoiding to step on her room mate.

"So what do sa kya!" The feint, high pitched yelp was new. Celestina had never done anything like that in the past, and was more surprised at it than the hand on her ankle, stopping her from her movement and bringing her down. And that was surprising enough already. People were usually not grabbing you, when they were sleeping or unconscious. Surprising the magus in this form was hard to do. Celes was stunned... like a fool, who had no control over her body.

Although she could see the result coming from a miles away, she still just smacked into the ground, barely slowing down the fall, and soon feeling the numbing pain. The physical pain was still favorable over those little hands grabbing Celestina and cuddling up to her like some kid to its most liked plush animal. Oh.. the disgrace... and Kyouko was quite strong for some psycho commoner.

"...Dangerous and clingy..." The thought of throwing her out of the window resurfaced, shining brighter than the sun. A welcome light in the darkness. There were still several hours left before sunrise.

[Uther Pendragon]

"It would be unfair to the rest of the family, would it not? Granted, there are some things that seem better left unbound," Like that whole affair Arturia's wife had, for example, but the solution to that was pretty obvious. "But there is nothing that a forward advance cannot fix." Including broken relationships. If that poor girl stuck married to a false man were to be brought back along with her King, then she would need someone to fill in for her. Or... perhaps she could be educated in the ways of the world as it were to day. It would be trying, learning to accept something that was of the greatest taboos in their day, but there were only two ways one proceeded from culture shock. Either they overcame it, or were consumed by it.

The Dragon King was not going to let a culture, of all things, bring down his family. That is to say, if he decided to bring her down that particular path once the day came. That was her decision, after all. Arturia's, not Guinevere's. He was not exactly one to believe in this sovereignty thing, but when the situation called for it, and when they were respectable enough, he trusted women to make their own choices. Like his Master, for example.

"Yes, given your rules of conduct, that is actually a more sensible idea. Only the daring, the idiotic, and the conniving would consider starting a battle in broad daylight. That does not, however, leave out the possibility of being ambushed in an isolated location with no witnesses." He would have to watch out for such moments and places. Worst came to worst, his Master could just rewrite the memories of any unwitting witnesses. It would be best to prevent such situations at all if possible.

"Nevertheless, Master, you may rest for now. As you said, it is important to be in an ideal condition should we meet our foes on the field. As to what I have been informed, there are only the bare necessities. Other details only flow in when I think of the specific subject matter. All I know of this battlefield is that it is in a far closer to proximity to Rome itself than I have ever been before."

He watched his Master pace back and forth, taking care to avoid stepping on what she seemed to seriously regard as a dangerous obstacle. This honoured room-mate of hers, who nearly interrupted the summoning and appears to be a true nuisance. Well... so long as she did not interfere with her Master's actions in the war, then she would not be much of a threat.

"..."

Celestina plummeted to the floor without warning. Perhaps the reason it slipped past his combat instinct was because this was not a combat situation. Nevertheless, Uther Pendragon found it somewhat demeaning that this apparently ordinary human was someone that a gifted magus like his Master considered a threat. Albeit one could say that the threat was in the context of an additional complication, an indirect problem that would lead to more directly dangerous situations.

The sleeping threat mindlessly cuddled up to its prey, and the King briefly wondered for a moment if he should step in to assist his Master in its removal.

"I will take this fact to heart, Master." Indeed, perhaps it would require something more subtle than prying off this sleeping distraction, and subtlety was not his strong point. His Master would have to give word before he did anything, but at the very least, he could show his support. Saber reached down and took his Master by the hand. "And if you require assistance, do say so. It is my duty as your Sword, after all."

[Celestina Barbieri]

Celes had been very carefully listening to her servant's words and shared his opinion. Oddly enough he seemed more caring and suitable than she had assumed, in fact he was probably the first person ever who had suggestion something rather than ordered. Or this was just because he was a servant who required a working source of prana. The girl who had never a father and not much of a mother either, somehow felt a strange sensation, that she could not identify, but shook it off.

She probably had hit her head a bit too hard, as she let things pass revue in her head, trying to analyze the servant's intent and understand the reason for her extremely embarrassing failure right in front of the knight that had once stood at the head of Britain, her home country. Not that she was one who held much nationalistic pride, she was not even one to think too highly about magi, but normals were still quite strange, weren't they?

Nonetheless, other than being too close and having underestimated Kyouko's reflexes, there was no clear result as to how she could avoid similar problems in the future and a counter procedure had yet to be developed. It would take some time, but Celes assumed it to be more than a worthy method of spending the night. After securing this hazardous material somehow.

"And if you require assistance, do say so. It is my duty as your Sword, after all."

The young magus raised her other hand, her lips still close to the floor and after an inhale and sigh quite sure that the last cleaning of this room is long overdue. "No need..," she brought forth a muffled rejection, strengthened by her hand signal, but still was at a loss as to what further actions she was allowed to take. Kyouko had more strength than she would have assumed, but breaking out would be no real problem.

The actual problem was the word breaking. Celestina had to use this word literally to get free and destroying the body of her room mate, albeit a small part of her welcoming this notion, still dishonorable and disgusting. She had to live with this one, and an overly energetic person was probably better than a dead or crippled one.. but just maybe. -squeeze-

Not at all! Maybe she should have taken the offer, but that was not possible. She was a Barthomeloi. She did not need help, she was not allowed to take help, less for such a pitiful task. Prana ran through her body as she reinforced herself and jumped up with ease. Even the weight increase, more than twice her actual weight caused no issue, but it did not stop the Sleeping Weirdo from holding unto her prey. A standing pillow was apparently still just a pillow.

"......not that I need help, but you would not happen to have a suggestion as to how remove this without breaking it, would you?"

Her words were cold and distant, and turning her room mate into a thing completely inhuman, but although one would need to see into her heart and her mind, closed off to outside peeping toms, the fake Italian thought much higher about this kid than her tone suggested. Fact was that her prana although pitiful was still quite interesting... but imagining her in clock tower was more a headache than a joy, yet perhaps better... to not break this ones lively character.

Why in the world did she even care....

The next words, probably not perfectly chosen, on the other hand, were meant as stated. Word for word, she expressed her intent to secure Kyouko during the night, as only Akasha may know what this Bundle of Cosplay Mania and surreal affection towards a total stranger, namely Celes, would do during the night.

"And a rope would be nice too, one that is long enough to fit over her bed."

She tried to cross her arms under her chest, but after the restraint continued to bind her in place, she gave up and frowned slightly, passively urging Saber to take the initiative and do something about the mess. It was not necessary to order every little thing...

-squeeze-

"Hanging her out of the window would be also an option.... in this case it does not require to be that long."

One needed some options. It would already be difficult enough to come by a rope in a dormitory, and she also had overseen another issue, thanks to her yielding strength. Uther Pendragon would either have to steal or probably cause the biggest ruckus one might have ever seen in this building by walking from door to door in full armor and asking for a rope. For what one may ask? My master would like to tie her room mate up.

This scene slowly began to manifest in her head, still hazy, yet beginning to get more clear than any image delivered by her extremely tired eyes. Just get her off me, lock her up somewhere. I really don't care anymore. If all people here are like this, then this will be a real nightmare. I want to go back.... The next day would definitely become a battle! ...if she survives that night.

[Uther Pendragon]

Celestina sprung up to her feet with a simple movement, the application of a simple spell, more likely, given the superior quality of the manoeuvred. Yet despite her the amount of effort that she put into the act, lo and behold, the Honoured Room Mate was still fastened to her, gripping tightly to his Master's ankle. This truly was a most fascinating person. What were they feeding their children in this day and age anyway? Certainly not just grain and meat.

And yet at the same time, they were all so fragile compared to the people of the past. It was quite the paradox indeed, that he would love to look deeper into, if he had the time. It would no doubt prove vital to his revival of the Arthurian - heh, Arthurian - ideal. He mentally sneered. Since when did he consider himself subordinate to his successor? He was the father. He was going to instil the ideals of the age before Camelot. Of course, one couldn't deny that Camelot had its appeal, and that was why it became more legendary than the Britain that he had united against the Saxons.

But to be absolutely certain, there were really only a few things in between himself and Arturia. Uther had no doubt that once all had been said and done, they would be able to work out some agreement. It was the dream of a united people, under just rule and protection, was it not? Then it shouldn't be too hard to cooperate after settling on the fact that the basic tenet was the same.

"Hmm..." Now, it was Saber's turn to put a hand to his chin. "I must confess, Master, that subtlety is one of the furthest things I have from a strong point. However, nobody ever won a war by complaining about their own weaknesses." The Servant squatted down to a suitable level, resisting the urge to just pull off the hand that was fastened to Celestina like a barbed spear to a poor sod's innards as he thought deeply of a way to pry it off without breaking it.

Thinking in the long-term, as he'd just said, was not exactly his strong point. For example, he completely ruined a formidable alliance with Cornwall just because he'd wanted a certain woman who already happened to be married. Now, while he had to concede to the fact that something good came out of that mistake, more often than not, mistakes led to tragedies. For example, had he not done so, then soldiers' lives would not have been wasted in that war, and more would have been around to carry on the war with the Saxons.

Arthur would probably have been born through some way or another, that is to say, had he found some other woman to marry. In any event, the most valuable lesson learned from those times was that a true King had to be forward-thinking. He had to accept his mistakes, and learn from them, and learn from the mistakes that other people made - which was why a trip to the library was paramount to this campaign. A true King also had to focus on what was important at the moment, such as removing the living shackles that impeded his Master.

Saber first tested the obviously impressive grip by tugging on the offending wrist, in a way that wouldn't exactly be enough to rouse the Honoured Room Mate from her slumber. The answer was pretty obvious, regardless. She was strong. Regardless, the strength of a mere human was lightyears beneath that of a Servant, especially one of his calibre. It was a simple matter of controlling that strength so that it didn't break the Honoured Room Mate's arm, which was exactly what his Master wanted.

A trivial matter, to be sure, as one could imagine this strength being put to good use with the technique of wielding a sword. Depending on whether wanted a small cut, or a garish slash, for example, the adjustment of power was an important element. Gentle did not necessarily mean slow, either. Considering that she was put out of commission, then there was only a small threat that she would wake if he played his cards right.

Saber tugged harder a second time, and then a third, taking care to not make it too hard. As could be expected, the grip slipped a little, each time, despite trying to fight back. Resisting a Servant was futile, of course, and so in a few more repetitions - which was very taxing on his patience, one was certain - the hand was pulled free.

But the Honoured Room Mate's efforts did not cease, even as it snaked out yet again to try and grab its prey. Only this time, there was the grip of a gauntlet to hold it back. Sighing, the Servant gently lifted the peculiarity in his arms, set her down on her bed, and made short work of turning the blanket into a tight knot around her arms and torso, smirking in confidence at his handiwork.

"I trust that this is sufficient to meet my Master's specifications. If not, please do say so, and I'll use the bed sheet as a second knot."

[Celestina Barbieri]

Subtle.. that was a keypart to fight a war! Celes would need to warn herself about some of her own spells, because she could not deny that a couple of them were more on the ... flashy side? Was that the word a commoner would use nowadays? The young student wanted to adapt, for the sheer purpose of not sticking out and mending into the mass. That was exactly the "subtle" - Factor. Despite her great family and actual power, she did not believe much in her own potential before finishing her own plans, and even then, she would not be foolish enough to fight everyone by herself.

Turning herself into a target because she could not keep herself hidden well enough was in itself a failure. Her room mate had already more in one sense proven to be a gigantic handicap, not in bodysize as they seemed equal in that regard, albeit the cosplay weirdo was surprisingly coming with a rather feminine figure. One that seemed misplaced at such an inelegant example of the human race and even less understandable after feeling the relatively high strength for a human being.

Another push on her slender rip cage would have probably pushed the entire air out of her lungs, if not for the reinforcement of her own body, and even her servant struggled to get this human leech off. Of course it took its sweet time because he seemed hesitant to break it, while Celes' own worries about this matter began to fade. Instead, she could call herself happy to have summoned an apparently powerful servant, one who was able to cope with this clinging madness.

She herself had already begun to lose hope in getting rid of her. It was meaningless to break the room mate and she had no useful options in mind. None of the lessons at the household had ever mentioned how to remove clingy people without damaging them. Well, actually people were never of any importance in the guide book of a magus. But seriously, what was that woman!?

An assassin out of the future? There was no need to kill Celestina, except she would one day really become a useful member of the magus society, and time magic was restricted. Nonetheless, the relatively skimpily dressed school colleague was a paradox big enough to assume everything. Maybe she was by far more powerful than Celes could feel. It was time to shake the head. That was not funny anymore. It sounded crazy, even more crazy than the room mate herself, and Celes wondered if this idea was already the first sign of an infection. Kyouko had by far enough contact to transfer a disease.

"Finally.... you have my gratitude" It felt odd to thank for this, but she was really happy that it was solved and she shared Uther's sentiments about the knot. Maybe it would hold. No, it MUST hold. "I am most certain that the knot will prove to be sufficient in keeping her down." Or not? There was still a little bit of doubt left, but should she really reinforce the material and turn it solid and strong? It was worth a try, but what would happen if she were to wake up?

As much as it concerned the normal human, Kyouko was fairly strong for an unconscious psycho, but she was still human. Either that or powerful enough that even reinforced material would not last. A second passed, before she affirmed her thoughts, and stated her intention aloud. It was better than nothing to go along with Saber's plan.

"A second knot might still be better... a safety. We should secure her tightly in her bed before she might fall out and hurt herself." Or rather get hurt by someone when she dared to leave her own bed again..... but those were words she kept to herself and walked to her own resting area. "If you don't need anything in particular, I might like to take some time to rest. This all was slightly .... energy consuming."

Although it was more a drain of the mind than the physical stamina, in a really bad way. The question was, how well would she be able to sleep in the same room as a big threat and a servant, who also happened to be a man? Two different beings together in the same room with her during the night. That had never happened before, and one of them was also from the other gender. Servant or not, he was a male, and her contact with them was even worse than with other humans.

[Uther Pendragon]

At this point, it became clear that Saber's Master shared his sentiments about the honoured room-mate. It was a lot better to be safe, than it was to be sorry. Especially after what he had seen of her resilience, it was completely forgivable for him to have doubts in his mind, that perhaps, even a knot tied by a Servant would be insufficient to keep her secured to the bed. "Absolutely, Master."

If he was familiar with the concept of cracking one's knuckles before getting to work, he would have done so, and it would have been an interesting motivator. But, lacking any knowledge of such a gesture, he instead made to with simply getting to work. With a single tug, the bed sheet quickly left a naked mattress behind, almost as naked as the person who had been strapped down to it with the blanket.

And, with the same dexterity that he had done with the blanket before him, the Dragon King had twisted the bed sheet, made of some very comfortable cotton, into a second makeshift twine, with which he could double the security on the honoured room mate. It would be very funny, if any visitors arrived the following morning and found this girl in such a state, sleeping like a baby. Especially with all these cuddly little creatures, facsimiles of real beasts, surrounding her. Ah, yes, plushies. That was what they were called.

It was funny how so many of these adorable little caricatures were of animals that were all great in their ferocity and lethality. And yet, they were popular! Perhaps there was something in the human psyche, that drove them to defang these formidable opponents, and reduce them to cuddly little toys that could be given to children and... adults who thought like children, or preferred these collections from their childhood.

There was no doubt in the mind of Uther Pendragon, that it was another way to strengthen man's perception of his superiority over the rest of the world, and all its lesser inhabitants. Of course most men of today didn't have the slightest inkling of what a dragon truly was, a mighty and ferocious beast whose favour and blessing was enough to turn "mere" kings into mighty kings. Perhaps they now believed, that Arthur had gotten as far as he did not because of the dragon's blood, which made him undeniably powerful, but because of his own ability.

The fact of the matter was, he would not be able to go around in that plate and duel so magnificently with scores of enemies without this blood and the power it gave. No, men of today believed that dragons were either some form of... dinosaur... which was completely understandable... or that they were fictitious altogether! Fictitious! Imagine that!

The King had made short work of the honoured room-mate, securing her tightly, doubly so, actually, to the bed. That having been done, another thing his Master had just said caught his attention.

"If you don't need anything in particular, I might like to take some time to rest. This all was slightly .... energy consuming."

To this, the reply was a simple one, and one that he could understand. This was what they called, in this day and age, stress, and it was something that contributed to aging, and other things that made modern humans quite fragile when compared to the people of old. Not that he was thinking her fragile, quite the opposite, actually, judging from the amount of prana she had in store and ready to give to him at any moment.

"Understood, Master. I shall stand watch for the time being, in spirit form, of course, to ensure the lack of any disturbances that might hamper the progression of our campaign tomorrow." With a bow, the Dragon King took a step back, and then two, to the side of the room opposite the beds, before disappearing into what more or less amounted to thin air. Though there was this something that nagged the back of his invisible head at the moment, which he decided to nail down before it went loose. "Unless you wish me to guard from the outside, albeit that would be a bit more problematic, in terms of security."