Author's Notes

Hey all,

This is a short story which I thought up of when discussing the ending of Fate Apocrypha and how it could have ended differently.

I'm going to be writing this on the side of my main story, Kancolle Alt, and I'll be putting up a disclaimer here and now by saying I'm not a Nasuverse expert, I might be getting some things wrong about the characters or the events which occur in spite of consulting the Wiki, and I'd appreciate a review to point out the mistake so that I can improve the story.

Thanks, and let's get started.

By some miracle, she'd made it.

Mordred had engaged the Assassin of Red in battle as their battle plan had predicted, and it went better than expected. Semiramis was finally forced to retreat in the face of Mordred's Noble Phantasm, Clarent Blood Arthur, hitting her harder than expected and nearly killed her.

She now sat with Shishigou in the ruins of Semiramis' demolished lair, smoking a cigarette for the first time in her life. A voice projected into Mordred's mind had her turning to Kairi, tensing up for another attack. But Kairi raised his hand to have her wait, Mordred dropping her cigarette to summon her armor and sword anyway.

'Mordred-san? Shishigou-san?'

"What is it, Jeanne?"

Kairi looked around in a vain attempt to locate the voice's origin, and Mordred began to worry about the floating fortress' structural integrity as another ominous rumble permeated the crumbling Gardens of Babylon, paying half a mind to Jeanne's words.

'We beat Amakusa Shirou before he could activate his utopian wish. The Greater Grail's now yours to make a wish with.'

"Don't you have a wish of your own, Jeanne?" Mordred could almost feel Jeanne shaking her head even as a disembodied voice, giving her humbling answer.

'I have no wish of my own. I was summoned to ensure the smooth proceedings of this Greater Holy Grail War, and I have fulfilled my duty. We can project your wish into the Greater Grail by proxy, so please be quick, lest the Hanging Gardens collapse beneath our feet.'

For a second, Mordred's heart swelled at the thought of lifting the Sword of Appointment, Caliburn, from the ground. But she remembered how Kairi wanted to bring her adopted daughter back to life, turning to her master with a creasing expression.

"Kairi, your daughter…" But Kairi rubbed Mordred's hair by the crown, another puff of smoke escaping the tip of his cigarette he grinned stupidly.

"Come on, Mordred. You've done well in this war, you should get a chance to wish upon the Greater Grail! I've already experienced more in this war than any average mage ever would in their lives, summoning the greatest Saber and winning a Greater Grail War!

And after surviving this war and spending time with you, I think I can start moving on." Kairi lowered his head to look down at nothing in particular, Mordred's heart softening upon seeing Kairi's sunglasses reveal watering eyes.

He weakly uttered, "I now believe my daughter's in a better place somewhere. It'd be selfish of me to have her come back down and spend time with this old geezer, watch me die and be left alone till her second death.

Being with you, I think I've come to accept my daughter's death, bringing her back now feels tasteless upon reflection. I just hope that I can be with her in my next life, and I can't be so selfish as to have her suffer another inevitable death for my sake."

Taking in a shaky breath, Kairi pushed his glasses up to hide his melancholic gaze. He patted Mordred on the back, remarking in an enthusiastic tone would've convinced Mordred in any other scenario.

"Come on then, make your wish, Mordred."

It felt like a secretly-dejected father watching his children grow up and inevitably spread their wings, either by being married off and/or carving out a life for themselves. But Kairi still looked on the bright side, like any normal parent would upon seeing their children come into their own as adults.

The knot in Mordred's throat didn't go away even after Kairi's reassurance, but mentally pushed it aside to consider her wish.

She didn't want to cheat and have the Grail lift Father's sword for her, so…

"I want to get the chance to lift the Sword of Appointment, and carry father's burden in his place!"

She lifted her gaze towards the ceiling, the world around her shuddering as if she was being disconnected from the mortal plane. The air warped around her as she looked back at a stunned Kairi, his sunglasses reflecting the radiance which enveloped her figure.

A resonant voice boomed in her mind.

VERY WELL.

There was a flash, and everything faded to white.

The blinding veil faded to reveal Mordred, clad in full battle armor sans her helmet (which was folded back on the nape of her neck.) Mordred was on a rooftop in a low-lying civilian area, standing on the tiled roof of a traditional Japanese home amongst many more for miles.

A familiar, saintly voice was projected into Mordred's voice, the confused Knight of Treachery ignoring the brewing disturbance near her.

'This is Fuyuki City. Specifically, this is the start of the Fifth Holy Grail War.'

"What?! I thought I was supposed to be at the field where Caliburn stood, having my turn to pull it from the ground?

And why are you still in my head, Jeanne?!"

But before she could continue, two heroic signatures flared up in the courtyard, one of which Mordred was painfully familiar with. She sneaked up to the edge of the building, observing the fight between a Saber and Lancer.

Specifically, Artoria Pendragon vs Cu Chulainn with some redhead in a school uniform spectating the fight. Mordred hit the deck upon spotting Father, crawling forward to peek over the edge in order to witness Father going up against the Irish Hound. Her status as Ruler was kicking in, allowing her to identify both servants with a glance.

Wait, what?

"Wait, Jeanne.

How the hell can I recognize the both of them, well, I mean, other than my father?"

'There was no time to explain then. Basically, you're here as a Ruler in this timeline to justify your abnormal existence, making you unbound to any master.

I'm mentally guiding you, since the Greater Grail has determined your liberal interpretation of 'impartiality' to be both a liability and asset.'

"Hah? But Ruler-Class servants can't interfere unless someone's playing the system, right?"

'The Grail's detected someone aiming to do just that to a Grail that's been corrupted in this timeline. Your wish of lifting Caliburn can be fulfilled due to the existence of Artoria-san.

She's the only servant you can attack freely due to your wish.

Sending you back in time allows you to duel with Artoria-san for the right to lift the Sword of Appointment. The Grail's deduced your lack of other wishes after that, meeting the criteria for a Ruler-Class' lack of desire for the Grail.'

"I can't accept this! I demand to speak to the Grail!"

The booming voice spoke up as the air filled with metallic screeches, Arthur battling with Cu Chulainn beneath her. They were blissfully unaware of the time-travelling knight's internal struggle with the dreaded item, the Grail's pitiless voice crushing any hope of averting the course it had set Mordred on and caused her heart to sink with every word.

THE SWORD OF APPOINTMENT, CALIBURN, CANNOT SIMPLY BE PASSED DOWN TO YOU SINCE ARTORIA PENDRAGON POSSESSES THE RIGHT TO WIELD IT.

NEITHER CAN YOU BE SENT BACK TO ARTHURIAN TIMES TO LIFT CALIBURN, CAUSING A TIME LOOP WHERE ARTORIA WAS NEVER KING SINCE YOU LIFTED CALIBURN IN HER STEAD. SHOULD THAT HAPPEN, YOU WOULD NEVER BE SPAWNED FROM HER SEED TO BETRAY AND KILL HER, BECOME A HEROIC SPIRIT AND TRAVEL BACK IN TIME AFTER WINNING THE GREATER GRAIL WAR.

RINSE AND REPEAT AD INFINITUM.

Bloody hell, a time loop was the alternative…

Was it her fault that she used the wrong choice of words?

Or was this inevitable all along?

Mordred watched Cu Chulainn's Gae Bolg flare up and glow ominously, a crimson flame emitting from its bladed tip. He took aim at Artoria as Mordred resisted the urge to intervene. Even though she had conflicted feelings towards Father, he was still a role model and an ideal figure to her.

Father was what she had always strove to emulate, even if they fell out due to Father's implicit rejection, the Round Table falling apart after Father prioritized duty over bonds.

Her heart stopped at the sight of Gae Bolg piercing Father's chest through her armor, causing Artoria to collapse as the legendary spear was fabled to kill anyone with a lethal homing strike.

Meanwhile, the Greater Grail sounded utterly inhumane whilst telepathically speaking with Mordred, unfeeling and uncaring for Mordred's predicament as it quoted the wish it so liberally interpreted to use her for its own ends.

"'to carry father's burden in his place.'

WE HAVE INTERPRETED THIS AS TAKING OVER HIM AS A SERVANT AND FULFILLING HIS ROLE AND DESTINY IN HIS STEAD. THE FATE OF A KING IS A LONELY AND TUMULTUOUS ONE, AND DEATH IS A RELEASE WHICH YOU SHALL GRANT HIM IN THIS TIMELINE.

KILL ARTORIA PENDRAGON, AND CALIBURN SHALL SPAWN WHERE HE FELL FOR YOU TO LIFT AND INHERIT, SHOULD YOU PROVE YOURSELF WORTHY.

"Tha-That's not what I wanted at all!"

IRRELEVANT.

Mordred's mind was spinning as she felt her father's fighting aura flare up again, filling her heart with relief. This, while her dreadful past was starting to repeat itself as she seethed at the higher power pushing her to conflict with her Father.

"What?! You mean I can't lift Caliburn while Father wields Excalibur, and the right to rule by extension?

Why can't I lift it without killing him?"

And the Grail's response was positively chilling in its choice of words.

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE.