A strong warning that through all my flashbacks for Artoria, I am purposely changing facts and taking liberties. Please don't hate me too much.

XxChapter StartxX

"Why do you reject me?!" Mordred yelled loudly. She stood below King Arthur's throne, the very same person sitting atop it.

"It is not a matter of rejecting or denying you. I simply tell you as I see it; you do not have the capacity to be king. I will not name you my heir." Artoria responded.

"But Mother... she raised me for this... I looked up to you so much! I worshiped you! Your strength! Your chivalry! EVERYTHING! I wanted to be that! I wanted... to be like you..."

Artoria's stone facade broke for but a second, short enough that Mordred did not notice. Quickly though, her kingly expression retook her features. "That is irrelevant." She had to be strong. This was the right choice. Camelot would not be safe in Mordred's hands. "By your own admission, your very conception is the result of a grave offense towards myself and the Queen. While the sins of birthright needn't be thrust upon you, who had no choice in the matter, I cannot in good conscience allow the machinations of my half-sister to proceed like this."

Mordred threw her armored fist to the side. "This isn't even about Mother anymore! I have served you for years! Who would you have succeed you? Sir Lancelot, who may have dedicated his life to the blade but would rather make eyes at the Queen than be productive!?" She ignored Artoria's glare at the statement. "Agravain, so far beneath your boot that he'd sooner burn a nursery than displease you? Perhaps Bedivere, calm and to the point, but with no skill or charisma behind him? I daresay only Gawain challenges me as a candidate and you know it!"

"I drew Caliburn because I was worthy!" Artoria finally yelled back. "I was the one who needed to do what needed to be done! Do you believe that you could have brought Camelot this far? Fought off the Saxons? Put together the greatest gathering of Knights the world has seen? I have sacrificed everything for this Kingdom and will continue to do so till the day I die! To trust you with such a legacy would be utterly foolish."

Mordred looked almost apoplectic. "Is that really how a King should be?" She muttered to herself, unsure of her own capacity finally. "Could I... of course I could! I can do those things even now! You cannot remain King forever! Do you wish to see Camelot fall with you? Is that what you desire? To see everything you just spoke of crumble when you are gone? That is what awaits an heirless Kingdom!"

"I will name an heir someday. It will simply not be you." Artoria concluded.

Mordred grit her teeth so hard they almost chipped. "You will regret this, 'Father'. You will rue the day you denied me my birthright, and as I raze Camelot to the ground you will know my rebellion!"

Artoria looked shocked for a moment, but quickly narrowed her gaze. "You would dare threaten-"

"Of course I would! You would claim your rule so flawless! Your kingdom so great? Then you will see what happens when it all crumbles down! And you will know that in the end I was RIGHT!"

XxBreakxXMore dreams of Saber's life. Of King Arthur's life. Seeing Mordred for the first time was a shock to Rin. She couldn't really understand how it had all happened, but there was a part of her that understood what Mordred was getting at. How Saber took too much upon herself. The woman in question was out patrolling with the local milita. The thoughts of that night before crept up on Rin, causing her to blush fiercely, but she quickly gained control. It was a Tantric Ritual, yes, but there was no passion in it, much like with Shirou. It was necessity. Saber was almost unresponsive during the process, and it made Rin sick to think she had to do what she did to somebody in such a state. It was necessary though, and Saber was solidly linked to this world... wherever or whatever it was.

Rin internally scolded herself for being the last to wake up, but she was never much of a morning person. She hated them, in fact, if she were to be honest. While that Nicholas fellow dressed with armor, and the militiamen had uniforms, the local populace dressed much like the people on Earth, if a little more... trendy? Regardless, a sweater and a skirt were not impossible things to find in the town of Ansel, and her usual look was in place without much effort. She had taken to tying her hair into a single ponytail lately, as opposed to her usual pigtails. It was more practical for what she had been doing. The moment Nicholas found out she could fight too, and that her "Semblance" was useful, she was put on patrols just like Saber and Shirou.

Fully utilizing her Magecraft was impossible in front of these folk, which Shirou had to deal with as well, but knowing that supernatural types of abilities were possible among warriors on "Remnant" had allowed her to choose what she wanted to display. She closely chose this after properly gaining information on where she was, as opposed to Shirou being forced into trying to play of his Tracing as his Semblance. Rin learned everything she could, and upon discovering the material "Dust", she knew she had hit a goldmine.

Rin would be under the guise of a "Dust Mage". Her "Semblance" was the ability to infuse her "Aura" into object to strengthen it with a chant. The chant part was important, as it allowed her to essentially use jewel magecraft in the open. She explained to Nicholas the chanting process as a necessity without even having to lie. It was self-hypnosis, plain and simple, and while the grizzled Hunstman may have thought it was a purely mental thing for her, in reality it was absolutely essential to getting any of her spells to work.

Dust... such a wonderful discovery for Rin. She had Shirou use Structural Analysis on it, and found out that they were basically pre-charged with magic and very, very old. So much magic that it could be exploited with technology. The people of Remnant may have simply believed that stuffing a crystal into a gun and shooting a giant fireball or a bullet that froze what it hit was normal, but Rin knew better. Magic existed at some point on this planet, and Dust were the remains of whatever civilization wielded it. Was it always a crystal though? Did the people charge them with magic the same way she had to back on Earth? Why was it called Dust? It was buried and excavated, but also existed on the surface in ways that created insane geological phenomena (she'd heard of islands that floated via gravity dust embedded in the underbelly of them). The scholar in Rin thrived on it all, but one thing that escaped her understanding completely were the creatures of Grimm.

Monsters that simply existed. They were attracted to negativity, and had no known source. They plagued humanity so much so that the combined population of Remnant was assumed to be just a few hundred million despite the land mass being nearly on par with Earth. There were areas so saturated with Grimm, and variations of Grimm within them so strong, that colonization was impossible. In fact, the entire northwest continent on Remnant's map was nearly devoid of human life. The Grimm there were too numerous, and far too strong. To think the world they had arrived on was in such dire straits... perhaps it was too soon to breathe easy simply because Saber was safe and Shirou's wounds were treated. Rin walked out of the inn and into the town of Ansel.

Perhaps... there was a purpose to being here?

XxBreakxX

Artoria cut down another Beowolf with ease. While she had to limit her strength and speed to what a high-level Hunstman could exert with the aid of aura, she didn't have to completely cripple herself. With a Semblance of "wind control", she was even prepared to unleash a Strike Air if the necessity arose. Nothing though, sans the "Goliath" creatures Sir Nicholas had told her to avoid would require it.

A patrol... being ordered by a superior... was this what it was like to be a knight in her kingdom? If so, the experience was... englightening.

"Miss Pendragon, our shift is just about over. Thank you again for your hard work!" Tobias, the second-in-command of the Ansel town militia commended. "Your swings are so swift and strong, it's like watching a dance, I swear! You don't even need a gun, do you?" He praised further.

Artoria chuckled at the form of address. To not only have her true name out in the open, but her gender as well? For there to be no recognition or judgment for it even after the fact? There was something invigorating about it all. To just be herself for once, with her trusted friends. The title of "Master" was something Rin still held, to be sure, but it meant little without a Grail War in progress. "Rin" would suffice, as would "Shirou". There was no hierarchy between them anymore. They had gone through too much together. Saber would admit to seeing a bit of a... how it was said... "whipped" personality to Shirou when Rin got upset. They were adorably awkward together, unable to truly come to terms with being in a relationship yet eager to explore it at the same time. The Arc children teased them about it constantly, and Artoria herself could not deny being amused at times.

"I don't believe I would be well suited to using one even should I desire, Sir Tobias. My current style of combat suits me just fine, and has for many years." She finally responded.

"Come now, Miss Pendragon, you sound so much older than you are. Enjoy your youth!"

Artoria couldn't help but flinch at the statement. Enjoy her youth? Such an opportunity had long passed. Artoria would never admit it, but she was approaching her fortieth year soon. While her body seemed to be a young woman between fifteen and sixteen years of age, as per the influence of Avalon, she was much older than she seemed.

On the topic of Avalon, it would appear Shirou possessed it. For Kiritsugu to use her relic in such a manner... she would say she was surprised, if she were to be honest. She had thought the man colder than that... but Irisviel had sworn differently, as had Shirou when speaking of him. Perhaps it was time she let her grudge with the man go. To disparage the dead would do no one good. Avalon though, with her presence strong and near it, allowed Shirou to heal at a remarkable rate. But Artoria noticed something at the dawn of her third week in Ansel. Her hair... it had grown.

Her body was set in stasis first by Avalon, and second by Alaya. To age once more... it scared her, to be fair. She hadn't known such a sensation since childhood. Her body seemed to be accelerating if anything. While the people of Ansel would see nothing different about her, as they had only seen her one way, Shirou and Rin could tell she was aging faster than a normal human. Her height and embarrassingly her bust had both grown by a few centimeters. Would this persist? Would it even out? She didn't know, and it was worrying to be certain. Having to explain to Sir Nicholas she needed a new uniform was quite the experience. Alaya didn't exist on Remnant, and the affects showed.

What though, did the future hold for her?

XxBreakxX

"Well, Emiya? How is it?" Nicholas asked the teen sitting in the clinic's patient chair.

The teen in question raised his right arm to the light on the ceiling. A mechanical arm, of pure silver and wondrous quality. He flexed his new fingers individually. Her turned his hand palm forward, than towards himself. He was quiet for a moment. He looked at Nicholas.

"Sorry, but... I kinda hate it." He admitted.

The Hunstman frowned, but persevered. "I can understand not feeling great about it, but if you want to be normal again, you have to-"

"There is no normal for me anymore, Mister Arc. I left that kind of thing behind a long time ago, to be honest. It's not that I don't appreciate the gesture. I can't imagine how much this cost, but... I can't feel it. My aura won't go through it. It's so... alien."

"It figures..." Nicholas sighed. "...that you'd refuse it on the basis of how it feels, as opposed to how it functions. It's supposed to be really high quality though. You should be able to feel the arm itself, if not what it touches."

Shirou weakly smiled in return. "It's amazing technology to be sure. I can't believe how well it responds to my thoughts, or how accurately it moves. It's unreal. I just... don't know if it's something I want."

"That's fine, all I'd suggest is that you wear it for at least a week and make your decision then. I called in a favor to get that arm, and it's only cuz of all the work Miss Pendragon has been doing that it was okay'd."

Shirou's smile became more genuine at that. "Artoria..." he said, testing the name as if it were unfamiliar. "She really is something else, isn't she?"

"Kicked my ass up and down the training grounds, she did." Nicholas admitted. "A fine swordsman if there ever was one. And if you want to continue learning from her, that arm would help a lot."

"I understand, sir. I'll definitely give it a try." The redhead finally acquiesced.

To think technology like this could exist and thrive in such a challenged and threatened society. A robotic arm? Shirou would have thought it naught but science fiction and fantasy had he not been using one at the very moment. He wasn't lying when he said he didn't like it, though. As a magus, to not feel circuits responding in a limb was like a sort of numbness. The gesture from Mister Arc was immensely kind though, and he couldn't deny that as a swordsman he'd need the arm. He'd suggested to Rin a few ideas, but she shot them all down. It looked like he was going to be using a... robot arm... for the immediate future. How weird was that?

And speaking on the future, it was really up in the air. They were technically free to do what they wanted, but they couldn't freeload on the people of Ansel forever. Well... Rin couldn't. He was a cook at the inn, while Artoria was the star member of the militia. Rin, on the other hand, demanded books and dust crystals. He'd have to talk to her about that, and honestly he dreaded the encounter. Regardless, they needed to figure out what was next for them. His relationship with Rin was honestly pretty awkward at the moment, and those damn girls of Nicholas' loved to mock it. Jaune, though, was very passive. The only boy in a family of eight must have been quite tiring, but there was something in his eye's Shirou couldn't help but sympathize with.

The Arc family was nice enough to pay for their first few nights at the inn until Artoria started earning their keep. Rin and himself were expected to patrol, but hunting missions had seemed reserved for the former Servant. He then started cooking at the inn, and things began to even out for them. Rin seemed intent on learning more about Remnant, and Nicholas had informed her that if she wished to be a student of higher learning, she'd have to go to one of the bigger cities. Vale, in particular, would serve her quite well.

Artoria though, was considered on the fast track to being a Huntress. Nicholas was convinced she could get her license immediately (he had no idea) and she herself was a bit unnerved at being so subservient in a military. Shirou could tell. Nicholas took his license exam at Beacon Academy, which was in Vale. Another point to heading there. Shirou himself though couldn't figure out where he was headed in life. Perhaps he too would find his calling in Vale.

Speaking on Beacon Academy, the world of Huntsman and Huntresses was enthralling to Shirou. The Hero of Justice he wanted to be was very much possible in this new world, and maybe that's what he needed as well. He couldn't get away with taking a license exam like Artoria could though. He'd have to go through a grueling four years of combat education. Could he really hamper Artoria and Rin like that? Rin could go to college, Artoria could join live as a Huntress in the city with her, while Shirou himself studied at Beacon to one day be a Huntsman. It was as good a plan as any, he supposed.

As he left the clinic with Nicholas, thinking on these things, Miss Arc came from around the corner looking quite frantic. She ran up to her husband.

"Nick!" She said, stopping to catch her breath.

"Juniper? What's wrong?!" Nicholas responded.

Miss Arc finally caught her breath. "It's Jaune! He's missing! The guards said the cameras saw him leaving down the path to Hylia while there was a break in the patrol."

"Okay, calm down, we can figure this out. Is there anything else we know?"

"He took your grandfather's sword!"

"Well, that narrows down what he's doing, but-"

"And your savings!"

"I'LL TAN HIS HIDE!"

Shirou had a feeling his purpose was about to come to him.

XxBreakxX

Forgive me for the wait. I worked hard on this, so please tell me your thoughts!

Xeno.