Fate / Stained Inheritance

-You save her

"Fuck it-" The words slip from your lips as you duck away from your group, sprinting back towards Hana as the stars begin to fall, drawing a shout of concern from Flat.

It's a dumb decision really, a thought that is vindicated as green fire explodes out of the earth as the first falling star lands, a blast that'd certainly be lethal if you got hit. But Hana did help you with this fight. You might not be in as good shape without her and Gawain…

And well… you just can't leave someone who's just been fucked over by a mage. Especially not when it looks like they've given up.


Not when that could have been you, if you'd never met Ruler.


"Come on!" You yell as you reach Hana, grabbing her by the shoulders and starting to drag her away. She barely notices you're there, nearly catatonic from the betrayal and the geas pinning her tongue in place. "Have you got a death wish or what?"

You find yourself shouting as you drag her, having to force her along each step towards safety, as the flash and bang of the falling stars continues to level the forest around you. Even so, you're not making much progress- on a hunch, you look up, to see one of the falling stars curve in its descent, aiming straight for you- only to explode harmlessly in midair as a streak of silver intersects it- Archer, keeping you covered.

Hana's barely reacting to your shouts, something that almost makes you angrier, your blood boiling in your chest- how can she just have given up? It's pathetic- doesn't she want to live? "Come ON! What happened to that arrogance?"


No, you're not angry. Not really. It's more of a rejection. A denial. You just don't want to think about how much worse things could have been.

You might be free, but the wounds are still raw.


You glance up as you force on, seeing another star falling towards you as the forest around you is levelled- a shot from Archer splits it apart, but even as the pieces keep falling towards you, you don't feel any fear. How could you, when you can still feel her warmth burning in your chest?

"Here I am, my Master." Light flashes, and the sky becomes flame as Ruler comes to your side, scooping both you and Hana up in her arms as those star-shards are burned to nothing. "Safe?- Then let us be away"

With that, the world blurs around you as Ruler kicks off, the air rushing around you, fresh and cool as you soar above what remains of the forest, Ruler effortlessly weaving between falling stars.

It's a ruin: smoke rises thick and heavy from burning wood and glassed stone, century-old plants having been uprooted like weeds. But it is a ruin you survived. The breeze stirs Hana from her fugue somewhat, some life starting to creep back into her eyes as she clings to Ruler.

Following the silver arrows from Chang'e, Ruler bears the two of you back towards the ground, ducking some of the few remaining falling stars; it looks like they're starting to fade away, whoever had called them down having called off the spell after it became clear that it had failed. The others seem fine as you rejoin them at the forest's edge- it looks like Chang'e was able to keep them safe, given that Scathach still doesn't look like she's in any condition to do much fighting, Flat still tending to her wounds as they walk.

Ruler sets you and Hana down on the ground before quickly rising up into the sky once more, sweeping the area far better than you could from the ground. Returning to your side, she points you in the direction of where El-Melloi's waiting. There's a strangled gasp from Hana as you begin to set off- you quickly turn to her, seeing the lines of magic getting tighter around her throat, resisting her attempts to counteract it.

"Can you hold on? I think- I can do something about that, but I don't think I can do it and move- we'd be a sitting duck for that again." You ask, bringing up a hand to touch a spot near the edge of the working- you think you feel a bit of it break off, and Hana is able to gasp in a proper lungful of air- enough to nod with at least.


With that, you all make a hurried retreat, leaving the destroyed forest behind you, keeping a watchful eye out for any further attacks- thankfully, none come, and you're able to make it safely to where El-Melloi is waiting. You see him visibly relax at the sight of you arriving unharmed, a weight lifting from his shoulders. Flat bundles himself into the car quickly, Scathach returning to spirit form as he does so.

"You brought her?" El-Melloi asks, the relief in his voice audible.

"Something happened- took Saber. Something around her neck" You reply quickly, Hanas laboured breaths the evidence you need as you bundle her into the back seat. "Ruler, keep us safe."

"Of course, my Master." Ruler gives a brief nod in response to you, before leaning in closer to you. "You know, you could have asked me. It was risky, going back into the fire like that."

Ruler reaches out, gently ruffling your hair. She smiles, the contact lasting a bit longer than usual. "But I am proud to be the Servant of someone who would do that."

With that, Ruler takes to the sky, leaving a faint blush colouring your cheeks at the praise as you bundle yourself into the back.

"Sir-" Gray says, getting into the front seat by El-Melloi

"I saw it." He replies, still tense as he drives off, now you're all onboard, Chang'e joining Ruler in providing cover for you.


Now you're on the move, you can properly attend to Hana, her breathing growing increasingly laboured as she fights the hex upon her, Flat trying to help as well. You shuffle around in your seat so you can face her, taking her face in your hands as you feel out the magic that's slowly killing her.

It's definitely a curse. The backlash of a geas but- triggered by deceit, loopholes, not the intended triggering. Probably why Hana's still alive. You'd suspect that the person who made it knew it could be set off that way- why else would it be specifically stopping her from speaking as well?

All that flows into you as the workings of the geas begin to unravel at your touch, scraps of power being drunken up by your body as you run a thumb up and down Hana's throat, stripping away the outer layers of the magecraft with your touch, your body greedily drinking it up, even if it's barely a drop compared to the leyline's river.

It's helping, you think, but it's not enough. You're just hitting the edges of the working; if you're going to break this, you need to hit something deeper in the curse- something like that. On reflex, your fingers move, slipping inside Hana's open mouth to grab her paralysed tongue, where you can feel the deeper layers of the curse chaining it in place.

Her eyes go wide and a strangled yell slips from her throat as your fingers dance around the inside of her mouth, instinctively chasing after knots of power where they flicker around as the spell begins to decay at your touch.

Bit by bit, you break it down, Hana's breathing becoming steadily easier as you drink the curse from her body, and she gasps in relief as you withdraw her fingers from her mouth once it's
done, filling her lungs with precious air.

"Well, I have to thank you for that assistance." Hana gasps, rubbing her throat with a hand as El-Melloi keeps driving, the city lights appearing in the distance ahead of you.

"So, are you willing to explain what that was about?" El-Melloi asks firmly.

There's a pause as Hana glances around the car, seeing the position she's in- you tense up as she does, a hand moving to the hilt of one of your blades. The moment passes, and she gives a defeated sigh, slumping back into her seat.


"Well, I hardly have much incentive to stay loyal do I? Not after an attempt on my life." Hana says. "What is there to say? I was a proxy Master, trading this for access to knowledge that would send my family's work generations ahead. Clearly, I've been deemed superfluous, which I must admit has occurred sooner than I was expecting it to."

It is quite impressive how haughty Hana can sound when talking about being thrown away like a used wrapper, you have to give her that.

"But that being what it is, and thanks to your aid, I no longer need to fear the contract's retribution. So please, do me a favour and feed Lord Amiusphere to policies feet first. He was my sponsor, and I am given to understand that he was a key figure in arranging this entire ritual." Hana gestures to you as she talks, calmly ratting out a Lord of the Clocktower.

Something that doesn't seem to have fazed El-Melloi or Gray in the slightest, or Flat, for that matter. In fact, going by their reactions, that's exactly what they were expecting to hear- then again, Gray was the first to react to those falling stars. Do they have history with this man?

"We can go over that later, if you wish." El-Melloi says, catching sight of your pondering look. "I had suspicions, to say the least."


With that, there's nothing left but the rest of your drive back to London, one that's still a bit tense given Hana's presence in the car. You're all a bit more able to relax once she's been kicked out at the airport, with her finding it hard to argue with El-Melloi's advice that she be 'anywhere but here'. After a bit more careful travel through midnight streets, you arrive back at Izabetha's place once again, mercifully un-assaulted on this trip back.

You disembark from the car, and head inside again, all of you making your separate ways: Gray follows El-Melloi himself as he goes towards where you recall a study being, while Izabetha trudges upwards to a bedroom. Flat follows the limping form of Scathach down to the basement, the heavily wounded servant having rematerialised once more, mentioning to Flat how this can't wait, her wounds are only going to get worse with time.

Which leaves you alone with Ruler, the two of you finding yourself on the balcony outside the room you've claimed as your own. It's a quiet walk there from the lobby, Ruler almost fidgety as you go, her wings rustling as she keeps unconsciously moving them, the motion leaving more embers than usual in the air behind her.

The night air is cool on your face as you rest against the balcony railing, the citylights giving the stars some dim illumination. Ruler's at the other side of it, still restless in her motions.


"So. Mimi-" She breaks the silence, her voice hesitant in a way that's all too familiar to you. "You're probably wondering why… why I was avoiding you."

"I think- I think I know?" You reply carefully. "I was watching you, Ruler. And I did ask some of the others what they thought."

You pause for a moment, before giving her the invitation she was looking for. "But if you want to say, I want to listen."


Ruler visibly relaxes at your words, her wings slipping out from the rigid pose they'd been held in.

"It's simple, Mimi." She says, her voice apologetic. "I just wanted to protect you."

You just give a nod in response. That pretty much fits what you'd pieced together. "Go on?"

"I'm… an odd Servant, as we go. I was never human- without Hiroko letting me use her body like this, I couldn't be a Servant at all." Ruler pats her chest gently, whispering thanks to its owner. "It's not just that either- I'm… closer to the world of gods."

Her face falls, wings drooping down by her sides. "That's when it gets complicated- I'm not just me- in some ways, I am immortality. It's something that you built up around me and my children over the ages."

You give a slight nod, still just letting her keep talking- even if you don't understand the exact details, you really don't need to for something like this.


"And- it's all of it." Rulers voice cracks, sobs breaking her words apart. "Heroes who died seeking immortality, Kings who bled their land dry to live forever… All of that is part of me, no matter how much I hate it. Even then, if I was just me… I'm the phoenix, I've seen too many people die when chasing me-"

"No matter which part of me it is, nothing but pain and death comes from getting close to me- I love you all so much but all I do is hurt you! And I- I couldn't!" Tears run down her face as Ruler cries, her voice bearing the pain of more heartbreaks than you could imagine. "I just- I can't bear the thought of that happening again- not to you, Mimi!"

There's a lump in your throat as Ruler buries her face in a wing, crying into her feathers. "It was easy, before- I could hide it, just be Ruler and nobody else. But then- I couldn't hide it anymore, so I thought- if I stayed away, you'd be safe but then I couldn't save you when you needed it the most and Lancer nearly died for us!"

"I'll hurt you if I stay and you'll be hurt-" Ruler's voice goes quiet, her last words barely audible. You're not sure if she even wanted you to hear them. "Even if I want to stay… Would you? After this?"

There's a familiar look on Ruler's face as she trails off, visible as she pulls a wig aside just a bit to peek at you. One you've worn all too many times, when you've felt that nagging anxiety gnawing at your guts. When you were afraid of rejection.

But if she wants to know the truth, then…

You take a deep breath, drawing her attention as you think back on your time together.


When you look inside yourself, how do you truly feel about Ruler?

[] You accept her- this won't change anything between you

[] You admire her- the way she's helped you. You want to be like her. This only makes you want it more.

[] You adore her- you'd gladly be ruined if it meant you could stay together

[No] You reject her. As if. There's no way you could ever do that.

-You accept her


Ruler has spilled her heart out to you. She has laid open her deepest fears, the tale of a life that has seen more heartbreak than you could ever know. You take a moment to gather your thoughts, as you realise exactly what she means to you, exactly what's in your heart at this moment.

"Did you really think I'd let that change how I feel about you?"

You flash Ruler a smile as she snaps her gaze to you in shock, a gasp coming from her throat.

"I'm your Mimi. You're my Ruler. That's all there is to it." It's odd- there's none of the hesitation you usually feel when the topic moves onto something personal. Maybe it's because right now, you know exactly what you want to say.

Because you're not letting Ruler push herself away from you anymore.


"You're okay with this? You have so much now, you would risk it all for- for me?" Rulers voice drips with hopeful disbelief as she stares at you, the flames around her wings flickering chaotically.

"Of course." You nod.

"Even now- even knowing what comes of those who get close to me?" Ruler catches herself reaching out to you, pulling herself back just the slightest even as more hope creeps into her voice, a brightness returning to her as she dares to imagine something more than the rejection she thought was inevitable.

"It hasn't happened yet." You shrug. "I'm willing to take that bet."

"But it's different now- I was hiding this side of me before, keeping you safe like that- I can't anymore- You're sure? But what if something happened-?" Ruler protests, though it's lacking the energy of her earlier words, flip flopping between positions.

"But if you were hiding it, then it was still there, and nothing happened!" That's what you were hoping she'd say. Because while you don't know how to convince her it's okay to do what she wants here… you've got an idea that might help her convince herself.

"You remember a few days ago, right? When I'd just started to find out how they broke me? How whoever those fucking mages were just made me what they needed?" Your finger traces along the dormant paths your cracked circuits make in your chest. "You told me that if I'd been that for my whole life, it didn't actually change anything. I just knew more now."
"This isn't any different, Ruler." You smile as you see her eyes widen, recognition dawning in her eyes at you using her own words against her. "Nothing's changed about you. So I'm not going to let this change anything about us. I've- we've come this far like this."

"So let's finish it the same way- Together."


Ruler's silent for a moment, before she sighs in defeat, slumping down to rest on the railing with a wistful smile. "To think that such a thing could happen to me… Together then, my Mimi... Thank you."

With that, for the first time in a while, she takes a step towards you, so that the two of you stand side by side on the balcony, looking out over the city together. You shiver slightly as a cold gust of wind passes, before Ruler puts a wing over you, gently pressing her warm feathers against your skin. A smile crosses your face as you lean into Ruler, a stray thought crossing your mind. "Hang on Ruler- all those tales of woe and doom, they're all about the people who chased after you. But that's backwards isn't it? You came to me, there's none of that in your myths is there?"

Your ears are graced with a crystal-clear laugh from Ruler as she fluffs your hair. "If only those worries did not run so deep… But you are correct, Mimi. This is nothing like any tale of mine. Never before have I been part of your world."

You hear her voice catch, and turn to see tears running down her face as she bears a smile that artists would kill to paint. "These everyday days… walking the world of man, laughing alongside you, experiencing these simple mundane pleasures of life… It- even though it is but the slightest fraction of what your world has to offer, it is everything I have ever dreamed of. So- thank you- my Master. My Mimi- I have been- deeply, truly blessed, to have met you like this. To have lived beside you for these days which I would trade centuries for."

Ruler pauses for a moment, choking up as she breathes deeply. "No matter what, you will forever be my grail- for it is you, you and none other who granted me this wish of mine."

You feel a lump in your throat at that, your mouth hanging open for a moment as you think of something to say. In the end, you say nothing, simply content to spend these moments with Ruler in silence, basking in each other's company. There's nothing that needs to be said.


It's a bit later, when that lump in your throat has long subsided, that you speak up to break the silence.

"I think- You've given so much to me as well, Ruler. I'd… given up on anyone coming to save me. Years ago. A few more years, and… I'd probably have given up on trying to escape at all," you say, your voice heavy as you glance up at her. "You saved me from that. I've got a life I… couldn't have imagined. Wouldn't have. And I'm never going back."
"You did it. You and your warm, gentle flames. To me, there's nothing bad about them. So- please. This is… the last thing left of who I was." You offer a wrist to Ruler, revealing the barcode and ID tag inked into your skin to her. "Burn it."

She doesn't ask if you're sure. From the look in your eyes, she knows you are.

To your credit, you manage to hold in the scream as she takes your wrist in her hands, drawing blazing fingers across your tattoo as she scrubs it from your flesh.


It's a bit later that you feel you can speak properly without groaning in pain, your arm covered in ointments and resting in a bath of cool water as you sit in your bed, Ruler resting on it by your feet. Even with the aid, the burn still stings, blistered red flesh in stark contrast to your usual dark-veined paleness. But it's a different sort of sting, one far gentler than the pain of the last time you burned.

"Hey… Ruler." Your voice is weak, and your thoughts are still a little woozy. But you've got to pay her back for this. And you've got the right idea for this. "You said before… you didn't have a proper name right?"

She nods gently. "Names… are not for what I was. Too old, too much, too distant. I was called so many things, but none of them was a name."

"You aint any of that to me." You shake your head gently. "Want one?"

She gasps, and you don't need to wait for her to reply to know what her answer is. Not with that joy in her eyes.


Image commissioned from @Renu


How do you name her?
[] Ruler deserves something more than just that- you look to the stars, and give her a first name.
[] You're used to her being Ruler. Another first name just wouldn't fit. But you can still give her a surname.