14Hello and welcome to my new project titled 'A Game Of Fate."
I won't waste your time with a long author's note, I hope you enjoy this chapter and the story in general, this story should be updated regularly since the chapters won't be too long, this chapter is 4.3K words long but most other chapters will be between 1.5K words and 3K words. Excluding next chapter which might be even longer than this one.
Thanks to Merlin Pranks101 for beta-reading this chapter. Go check out his account, he makes awesome Fate and RWBY stories.
Chapter 1: Awakening.
She woke up. It was so long ago that she last had this feeling.
Looking around herself she could already notice how different the world was, the air itself seemed to be different than what she remembered.
Though this wasn't France. If it was she would have felt it immediately. This wasn't her beloved country. The grail itself had given her explanation of where she is. A nation named Japan, a whole ocean was separating her from her country.
She looked down at her clothes, she was wearing her white combat armor. She then looked around her, she was standing on hard dirt, fields full of wheat ready to harvest surrounding her. A breeze came through, her long braided hair whipped upwards beautifully.
Her heart filled with a kind feeling of nostalgia as she realized she was somewhere that resembled her life, a farm.
She was a farm girl after all.
She couldn't help but let her lips form a warm and innocent smile as she noticed a small house at the end of the field.
She took her first step, towards the house, it brought her out of the shadow of a tree, the sun beamed at her and another breeze of air found its way to her, she smiled more and started walking towards the house.
...
"Agh! Shit shit shit!" He cursed as he tripped over the muddy hill, he was pretty sure he would have died if he wasn't a heroic spirit, he undoubtedly hit his head on a few thick branches.
He tried to control his fall by hardening his body and grabbing into a nearby tree but all he succeeded in was landing in an even more awkward position and slamming his head straight into the mud.
"Of all the places you could you drop me off here? Is this some kind of sick joke!?" he was frustrated, and he had every right to be. Of all the places the Grail could have summoned him it did so on top of a muddy hill in the middle of a forest.
He staggered to his feet and wiped as much dirt off his clothes as he could. He noticed how the command seals were still there on his right hand.
He sighed and continued his journey. When on top of the hill he had spotted a village far in the horizon, it would take him less than an hour if he was to walk there.
And so he marched onwards, hoping to get there before the sun fully sets.
...
It was only a few minutes away from night. An old couple had been relaxing together, enjoying some time together when they heard an unexpected knock on their door.
The elderly woman started pushing herself off her armchair but her husband stopped her before she could. "It's fine dear, I'll go see who it is." He said as he pushed himself off his own armchair, he had some trouble getting up but he managed.
He made his way to the door which hadn't knocked a single time since the first knock. It was almost as if the person behind it is making sure to not annoy them.
He Opened the door and immediately got shocked by the person standing in front of him.
It was a beautiful young lady, wearing a...unique outfit. A long white dress and what seemed like Silver armor covering her waist and silver gauntlets covering her arms. He was lost for words at first but she seemed to be quite embarrassed herself.
"H-hello?" The man said.
The woman before him smiled and answered. "I'm very sorry to disturb you but I was hoping that you could help me?"
"I- I uh-" The man was interrupted by the voice of his wife coming from inside the house. "Who is it, dear?" She called out.
"Give me a minute, love." He replied before shifting his focus back to the woman in front of him.
"What do you need?" He asked, a bit tentatively though kindly.
"Well, if it isn't a problem, I'd like information on where exactly we are, I'd also appreciate it if you could spare some clothes."
"I- yeah, of course. I think my wife might have something that suits you."
"That's splendid, thank you so much!" She said with a smile, the man returned it with a smile of his own.
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of thunder echoing in the distance.
"It looks like it's about to rain." The man said, he paused and looked as if he was pondering something, he eventually spoke again. "How about you come in? The weather report said it will rain heavily."
"I- I." She stumbled on her answer, she wasn't hoping for this kindness, she didn't want to drag anyone into her problems.
The man interrupted her before she could answer. "Come on, it's nothing, I promise you. Besides, we were planning on having dinner soon, it would be nice to have a guest since we never get any."
Though she was hesitant, she decided to accept his offer, she smiled and expressed her gratitude with a "Thank you" as she stepped into the house.
It almost instantly felt warmer, she followed the man into the living room after closing the door behind her, the house was quite small yet very warm and cozy.
She stopped behind the man as they reached the living room. He smiled and introduced his wife. "This is my wife, Jeanne."
He then introduced himself. "And I'm Michael." He said
A cheerful giggle escaped the young girl's mouth upon hearing the name of the woman. Some things last a while but she never thought her name would last this long.
"What a wonderful coincidence, my name is also Jeanne. It is very pleasing to meet you, Ma'am. And you too, sir."
"It's also nice to meet you, Jeanne. Come, have a seat." The woman offered with a slight smile.
The Ruler started noticing how nice these people are, very kind to someone they only know by their first name, she was lucky to find such kind people. "Thank you." She said as she took a seat on one of the chairs in the room, careful to leave the other armchair for the man if he wants to sit in it.
"I'll go heat up dinner, dear." The older woman said with a smile to her husband as she left the living room. The man then took a seat in the armchair.
"I hope you don't mind me asking but what is a young girl like you doing out here all alone?" The man said.
"I'm trying to find the town of Fuyuki. I had nowhere to ask for directions but here so I came to ask for help." She paused for a moment then continued. "Though it seems like I'm going to get a lot more help than I expected so thank you once more."
"Ah, it isn't that much, we rarely have visitors here so we try to be as hospitable as we can."
The sudden clash of heavy rain with the roof of the house startled the man a bit. Though he soon relaxed a bit before speaking once more. "Well then, how about I go ask my wife if she has any spare clothes for you? You can feel right at home, the bathroom is right over there." He said before pointing to a door behind him.
"Yes, thank you very much." Jeanne answered before making her way to the bathroom. The man stood up and went to his wife.
...
"God fucking damn it!" He yelled as he pulled his leg out of the deep mud. It was fully night and he was barely halfway through his journey to the village. His calculations weren't wrong, it's just that he didn't expect that his way to the village will be full of mud pools that were deeper than Scathach's sadism towards her students.
His leg sunk again. "AGGGGGH!"
This was going to get frustrating really fast.
...
The clothes fit perfectly. Black boots that could easily resist harsh weather. A white shirt with a tall sleeve that was covered by a brown leather jacket. And finally, normal and sturdy jeans. The one thing she didn't understand about the jeans is why they were ripped from the thigh and knee area. Sure, they looked good but they definitely aren't going to help in keeping her legs dry. Still, she couldn't be too picky, she was lucky that the couple was kind enough to give her clothes in the first place.
Still, no matter how kind they are, she couldn't stay for too long or their safety would be on the line, that's why she already set her mind to absolutely leave after dinner, no matter what.
She then looked at her left hand. They were there. Three command seals, she knew what she had to do and she knew she had to do it before the other six know her whereabouts.
After making sure that the clothes fit, she started taking them off and then switched back to her armor, she had a feeling those clothes did not belong to the old woman, she wanted to make sure not to start any unwanted emotions for the couple. They were definitely for someone with modern taste.
Soft knocks on the door snapped her out of her thoughts. "Dinner's ready, just thought to let you know, take all the time you need and we'll be waiting for you."
"Thank you, I'll be right out." She heard him move away from the door and making his way back to the living room.
Though for now, she went out of the bathroom and towards the living room. She could already smell the food, and if she were to be honest. It smelled horrible, horrible to the extent that if it tasted the same as it smelled it would be almost inedible.
She reached the living room and saw an open door with the lights turned on inside, she assumed that's where the old couple is and made her way to them. Upon entering the room, she found them both sitting on chairs, a decently big table in front of them, on that table were their plates along with her own plate. Lastly, a huge pot was placed at the center of the table, she assumed that it was the source of the horrid stench.
The older woman noticed Jeanne and her eyes lit up with excitement. "You know, I haven't mentioned it but you look beautiful in that cosplay." The woman complimented.
"Thank you for your compliment but-."
"Ah, don't be silly, I'm not going to let you continue that sentence. I was telling the truth, you are stunning." The woman said.
The man looked at his wife with a slightly concerned look. "Arrête, tu vas la gêner."
The woman answered. "Ne t'inquiète pas, ma cher. C'est juste un compliment."
Jeanne was confused to a whole new level. They just spoke her language, they spoke French."
"Excusez moi, mais êtes-vous français?"
The man and woman looked at her, completely bewildered. Though the woman managed to speak. "No, we just studied in a French school together since we were kids. Are you French."
"Yes, I am." Jeanne wasn't sure what she was expecting, the chances of her finding someone from her own home would be extremely slim at best.
Jeanne sat down after both the man and the woman motioned for her to sit. The smell was now ten times worse. She tried to hide it but she was doing everything in her power to keep her distance from the pot.
Though it was clear that the woman noticed it as she chuckled. "Don't worry, it tastes a lot better than how it smells."
She wanted to believe her, she really did, but she couldn't fathom how something that smelled so bad could taste even mediocrely good.
The woman opened the pot and inside it were what looked like dozens of leaf rolls filled with some sort of stuffing. Each role was so small it would barely be the size of her pinkie finger.
The woman started filling her husband's plate first, then Jeanne's, and then herself. Jeanne was sure not to eat before they both started.
Though, something that pleased her greatly was when she noticed both the woman and the man hold hands. The man looked at her with a genuine and friendly smile. "We like praying before eating, would you like to join us?"
So they believed in the lord. She wasn't sure how many of her religion resided in this nation but fate was kind enough to her to let her meet two of them.
Jeanne smiled. "Yes, that would be very pleasant." She extended her hands. The three of them held hands and closed their eyes, though the man spoke before they started. "Would you like to say a prayer, Jeanne?"
Jeanne smiled further, not realizing that the words were directed to the man's wife, she nodded and started praying.
"Father, as we sit here today preparing to eat this food, we remember your son. How he came here as a man, and ate with his family and friends just like we do. Thank you for the gift of Jesus, and that we can look to him knowing he understands our hunger. Bless us, Lord Jesus, and stir our hearts to remember you in all we do. In Jesus' name, amen."
...
He made it! He finally made it! He was just a few steps away from entering the village, his journey in the mud and rain was over, he could finally relax and think of his next move.
Or at least that was how it should have been if he didn't suddenly fall into a mud pit so deep that he completely submerged in it.
And he was so close...
He couldn't speak thanks to the mud, but if he could, there was but one thing he wanted to say.
"Fuck life."
...
Never in her life would Jeanne have predicted the food to be so good. If she didn't have manners she would have already finished her plate, the taste was unique, so much different from any other food she tasted back when she was alive.
"You have quite the appetite." The older woman said, amused and seemingly happy that Jeanne liked the food.
Jeanne blushed a bit and started to slow down while eating. She cleared her throat. "I must say... the taste is delightful. I've never eaten anything similar to this."
The woman smiled, almost seeming to take pride in Jeanne's words. "Well, it is an Egyptian dish, I learned how to cook it back when I and Michael here visited Egypt with our little girl."
"Well, I presume they have very tasty food there."
The woman chuckled. "You'd be surprised, almost all of their food is as good as this. Though I decided to learn this one because it's the simplest, you just need grape leaves and rice, you wrap the leaves around rice. If you want to be fancy you can also add spices."
"That's very simple for such a delicious meal." Jeanne said as she moved her chopsticks to grab another piece from her plate, though all that came out was the sound of the sticks hitting the plate's surface. She looked down and noticed how she already finished the plate.
She wasn't hungry, she couldn't be, she was a servant. Though if she was truthful, she would have loved more.
And as if it was a prayer answered by God, the older woman grabbed Jeanne's plate and started filling it once more. "You won't get to eat this often so you might as well enjoy what you can."
Jeanne had already noticed how kind these people were, but they just kept surprising her one time after another, this couple was truly pure. "T- Thank you very much."
...
He finally made it. The village was way smaller than it seemed, only consisting of five houses and what seemed to be a small barn.
Though one thing he did notice immediately was how all six buildings were firmly closed. Most likely because of the rain.
What the absolute fuck was wrong with his luck today?
...
Jeanne enjoyed the food, that was safe to say, though she also enjoyed the conversation with the old couple.
"So, how long has the wheat field been growing? It seems like it's ready to harvest."
The older man sighed. "Well, it's been ready to harvest for almost a week now...only-"
His wife interjected. "Well, Michael isn't really as young as he used to be, it is a bit too hard on him to harvest the plants so he just steadily does a small part every morning."
Jeanne felt sympathy, she knew the feeling, she was a farm girl and even she used to get tired, she couldn't imagine how it could be like if it is someone his age. "I could help you if you'd like, it's only right for me to say thanks." Jeanne offered, though the man was quick to reject.
"No, though thank you, we don't want to cause you any trouble. Besides, weren't you on your way to Fuyuki?" The man paused. "Oh, that reminds me, the direction to Fuyuki is quite simple, you just need to go straight forward after exiting from the main door, in a few hours you'll be there, it should only be an hour if you have a car."
Their conversation went on for almost an hour.
"Well then, Jeanne, it was very pleasant having this meal with you...but it seems the rain won't be stopping for a while. Would you like to spend the night here?"
They showed her their kindness once more, though this time she was sure to reject. "T-thank you but I don't want to cause any more trouble, I'll be heading out now-"
"Nonsense! You'll get sick from the weather, or even worse, I insist you stay with us until morning, it really isn't a problem." The woman kept trying to convince Jeanne.
And the same response was going to come from Jeanne, only it stopped thanks to an idea she had.
She still had to repay the couple. And she knew just the way to do so.
"I- Ok. Thank you very much, it's very kind of you to let me stay here for the night."
...
He finally found a decent spot where he could spend the night, little dirt and thick trees that almost halted all of the rain.
With nothing else to do, he decided it's time.
His rune knowledge was limited, though he still could manage something that simple, even if it might take him some time.
...
Jeanne, accepted the woman's offer, though only if she would sleep in the barn to cause no trouble. The couple was confused at first but relented when Jeanne insisted on the barn.
Almost an hour passed and Jeanne decided that they are probably deep asleep by now, that's when she looked around for a Scythe, she found one in the barn.
To repay the couple, she was going to make sure that they wake up in the morning and find all of their wheat harvested and stacked in the barn.
...
He finished the circle, all that was left was to summon. Thankfully, the holy grail gave him the information he needed to summon a servant. It was an incantation.
"Let silver and steel be the essence.
Let stone and the Archduke of contracts be the foundation.
Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall.
Let the four cardinal gates close.
Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate.
I hereby declare.
Your body shall serve under me.
My fate shall be your sword.
Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail!
If you will submit to this will and this reason…Then answer!
An oath shall be sworn here!
I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven.
I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell!"
A blue shine so bright blinded him. He could already feel an aura of immense power. He heard the voice before he could open his eyes.
"With you, I shall form a contract, my name is Scathach and you are my master. Let my lance and your leadership bring us victory."
"Sh-Sh-Shishou?!" The man said with so much effort it seemed as if he had to heave the word out of his throat.
The servant, Scathach, looked at him, he was completely shocked and perplexed. She wouldn't say it, but she also was surprised. "Cu Chulainn. It's been some time, brat."
...
Jeanne didn't take long to finish, it wasn't hard for a servant to harvest some plants, after all. Especially if that servant used to be a farmer.
As much as she wanted to directly thank the couple, she had to leave, she'd put them in danger if she lingered with them for too long, that's why she decided to leave after repaying them and taking the last thing she needed from them. Two chickens.
Both the chickens were already dead and their blood has been used to draw a summoning circle. All that was left now was the ritual.
"Let silver and steel be the essence-"
A bright blue light scintillated brightly, obscuring her vision and forcing her to cover her eyes. The deep and familiar voice rang before she opened her eyes.
"Saber, Siegfried. Your fate rests in my blade, let us grant your wish together, master."
"And I'll be your master, Jeanne D'arc, though our previous encounter was short, your actions fascinated me, it will be a joy to work with someone as honorable as you."
Siegfried smiled upon recognizing his master. "Ruler, I hope you are not frustrated by my acts in the previous-"
"I'm in no way frustrated, you did an honorable deed that I admire. I look forward to what the future holds for the two of us, be it joy or pain, we are fated to face it. Though I should make this clear from the start, I have no wish for the grail, I've been summoned by the grail itself to take part in this war as a master."
"I see, so a master and a servant with no wishes..."
"Does it annoy you to fight for someone with no wish?"
"No, I understand. And I was summoned as a heroic spirit to serve you, if you will attempt to win the grail war then my honor bounds me to follow."
"Well then. I guess we should wait for the morning and start our journey, are you battle fit? I'd be more confident knowing that I have my back covered so tell me if you require any time to prepare."
"I'm battle fit, maste-" The saber stopped speaking all of a sudden. He looked shocked. He could barely utter the next few words. "M-master, yo- your armor."
"Huh?" Was Jeanne's simple answer, she looked down at her armor, at first it seemed normal but soon she noticed something that made her heart drop.
"Master! Y-you're armor is vanishing."
"W-what's happening?!" Jeanne panicked, it wasn't only her armor that started disappearing, she started feeling weaker and weaker by the second.
"D-don't look!" She ordered. Siegfried had already turned his head the other way and covered his eyes, much to her relief.
Though her armor was still disappearing, to her horror. Soon, it vanished completely, she crouched to the ground and tried covering herself as much as possible.
Not only was she completely bare all of a sudden, she could barely feel any power within herself, it wasn't only her armor that left her, that's for sure.
She had no idea what to do, her bag was right in front of Siegfried, asking him to get it would require him to open his eyes.
Just as she was about to give up hope and ask him to hand her the bag of clothes, he spoke.
"Master, turn around and face me with your back." He said. It sounded more a request than an order.
"W-why!?"
"Just trust me, master."
"F-fine, here."
Siegfried listened until it sounded like she stopped moving. He then took off his cape.
Jeanne suddenly found herself covered with a dark blue cape, she looked up to see Siegfried being the one that covered her, his eyes were still seemingly closed.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't think of anything else, master."
"I-it's fine, I'll get my bag and go change somewhere." She said as she stood up, less concerned since she was mostly covered now. She grabbed her bag and went out of sight of Siegfried.
...
"Shishou? How- did you try finding me on purpose?!"
"You know that's not possible, idiot. You're the one who summoned me here, aren't you happy in the slightest in seeing your teacher again?"
"N- I mean, yes... I am, I just didn't expect thi-" He abruptly stopped, he had a bad feeling.
"Cu, what's happening to your clothes?" His teacher asked casually.
"They're- wait, why are my clothes disappearing!?"
Not only that, he felt his powers diminish greatly every passing second. It didn't take long for his clothes to completely vanish.
What was said next was something that brought horror to his heart.
Scathach snickered. "I see you've grown in more places than one."
And so it ends! I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, as it might seem, this chapter was focused more around Jeanne, though don't worry, this story will always be balanced between all characters, including the next 5 masters and servants that I will most likely reveal next chapter.
(Things you might have not noticed about this chapter.)
1- The old couple, the man was named Michael and the woman was Jeanne. These might sound like random choices at first but for someone that knows the actual meaning of the name 'Michael' It won't. Michael means 'One who is like god.' And obviously the woman was named after Jeanne D'arc.
2- Jeanne mentions that she would feel safer if Siegfried was to watch her back which is ironic since Siegfried trusts almost no one to watch his back since it's basically his only weak point.
3-The dish Jeanne and the family ate is called 'Mahshi' And it is in fact a real Egyptian dish.
Much Love! Stay Hopeful! ZilverHope Out!