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The winds that blew across the mountains that hid the western village smelled vaguely of ash, smoke, and burnt flesh. It wasn’t a pleasant scent, not at all, but it was becoming a familiar one as the final battle of the Singularity drew near. Hardly anyone was wandering about the village on this still night, likely resting in preparation of the oncoming battle, except for the Servants that were brought along by Chaldea’s one and only Master, Gudako.
Most of them were out doing their own things; they had no need for sleep, after all. Anne and Mary were by the cliffs, polishing their weapons and talking about the Lion King’s potential treasures and if they could manage to sneak some out of the Singularity. Heracles stood guard by the village’s main entrance, keeping a watch for any possible threats that could be hidden in the dark. Nightingale, one of the freshly summoned Servants to join their ranks, was aiding the injured, while Rama and Jeanne, another fresh face, helped gather supplies and repair buildings.
Martha would normally be helping, as the longest-standing Servant and a saint should, but on this night, she found herself on another one of the village’s cliffs, looking out to the eastern village that had been eradicated after they returned from talking to the first Hassan. It was a horrible thing to witness, and it must have been a horrible way to go. The only thing she could do was hope that they didn’t die in pain, and that they were welcomed by God. She glances up at the stars above, ignoring the halo-like ring of light that showed that this era was cut out of time itself. It’s almost peaceful, though the prickles as she hears footsteps behind her, and turns to see the Berserker-class Servant and vampire, Vlad III.
“My apologies for startling you, I was just coming here to inform you that the Master’s finally asleep.” He says, with a mildly annoyed tone. “What a troublesome girl. I’ve never known someone who needs that many pillows to sleep on.”
Martha can’t help but laugh. “It’s fine, I understand what you mean, though. She can be rather needy at times, but she means no harm.” She pats the ground beside her. “Would you like to sit and talk? It’s quite a nice night, considering everything.”
Vlad pauses, and she almost worries that she offended him, but he sits down anyways to the Saint’s delight. “It really is. Despite all of the hardships we’ve faced.” His expression softens a bit. “I wonder how she deals with this.”
Martha looks a little bit confused. “Are you talking about Master?”
Vlad nods. “Who else?” He scoffs a bit. “We’re all Servants, and the rest of the people here will return to their normal lives and forget all of this once the Singularity is cleared up. The only humans that will remember and be haunted by its memories are Gudako and Archaman, and our young Master is the one truly experiencing the horrors of this.”
Martha frowns, and looks back at the crater where a village once stood. “You’re right. I agree, she has been rather stressed… as much as she hides it, we all can tell. Especially Mash and I.”
Vlad looks over curiously. “You’ve been around the longest, no? I’m sure the past Singularities weren’t that bad compared to this one.” The saint nods.
“You only experienced the America Singularity in its entirety, and that one was rather intense. Orleans, Rome, Okeanos, and London weren’t too bad, though… they were stressful at times.”
“Oh yes, I remember Orleans.” The vampire says with a bit of a laugh. “We were both under a Madness Enhancement, not the most fun, was it?”
“No,” Martha looks flustered remembering it. “I’m actually rather embarrassed, thinking about that… I’m glad that Master was able to break me out of it, at least. I’m sorry that it took so long for her to fulfill your request.”
“It’s better than not being summoned at all, or purposely summoned as I am now, I suppose.” He laughs. “Though, I was a little offended that she had forgotten it.” They both laugh a bit with that memory. She had been so excited to pull a rare Servant like him, but the moment that he brought up the request he made when they defeated him in Orleans, her joy turned into utter confusion.
“You looked rather angry, but I’m glad that you two were able to get along after all.” She hums, a soft smile forming on her face.
“Of course.” He smiles for a moment, before a stern look crosses onto his face and he glances away. “I refuse to be treated as anything less than an equal, at least. ” He huffs indignantly. “She’s bold to refuse to treat me like the ruler I am, so I merely made a compromise.” Martha laughs. Even vampiric kings could be stubborn, it looks like.
“She means no offense by that, I hope you know.” She looks up at the stars. “Remember how she greeted Ozymandias?”
“Ah, how could I forget? Not only did she rudely ask if that was , in fact, Ozymandias, she brazenly pointed out the way his head slid off, among other things. She enjoys pushing people’s buttons, it looks like.” He scoffs. “She doesn’t have any respect for authority, it seems.”
“Oh, most definitely. It gets us into trouble, sometimes, but… she does mean well, you know.” Her tone becomes a little more serious, catching Vlad’s attention. “I know that sometimes she may seem pointlessly rude, or even indignant, but she does her best not to go too far.” Vlad’s expression softens, and he nods.
“Yes, I realized that. I’m not as familiar with her as you, Rama, and Mash are, but… I know that she does her best. There’s a reason why I haven’t drained her of her blood, after all.” Martha can’t help but tense at the idea, which he notices. “Don’t fret, I wouldn’t dare. She’s a capable Master, one that I’m admittedly proud to call my own.” He looks a little embarrassed to say it out loud, glancing away.
Martha pauses, then smiles. “I won’t tell her you said that. I’m sure she knows already.” Vlad stifles a groan, still a bit embarrassed. “If I can be honest as well… As much as I'm worried about her, I’m also incredibly proud of her. When she first summoned me, I was shocked to see someone like her. Unskilled, thrust into the duty of restoring the world’s history to avoid the destruction of everything. I was actually angry when I realized she was the only one who was able to to do this. She’s not an adult, and she’s not a Servant. This is… difficult, and scary to thrust upon a teenager.”
“However,” The saint continues, “She’s… she’s shown so much determination, so much bravery… facing all of these threats, even the Demon Pillars, with her cheesy little grin.” Martha smiles fondly as she remembers all of the hardships they’ve overcome. “I’m… truly proud of her. However, I feel as if she’s working herself too hard.” A pause. “I’m probably assuming things, forgive me...”
“No, don’t apologize, Martha.” Vlad says, a soft, sympathetic frown on his face. “I agree, she works herself too hard. We’re lucky that she summoned Nightingale, and that she has Archaman watching out for her, but she’s going to collapse from exhaustion one of these days. I’d scold her about her behavior, but she’d likely argue that she’s fine.” He sighs.
“She would,” The Rider-class Servant sighs as well, “remember when Da Vinci ‘sacrificed’ herself to stop Sir Lancelot’s troops, and we were forced to assume that she had died? Once we were able to stop in the village and rest, I saw Master on the edge of the village, sobbing.” Her expression falls, and Vlad finds his falling as well. “The moment she realized I had seen that, and wanted to comfort her, she stopped crying and started joking around. ‘You shouldn’t peek on a girl when she’s alone and vulnerable! I thought you were a saint,’ she said.”
“Ah… I didn’t know.” Vlad says solemnly.
“I didn’t tell anyone, other than Mash.” She folds her hands in her lap. “Our Master is a reserved person, underneath her scrappy exterior. She doesn’t like bothering others, I can tell.”
“We’re Servants, though. Is there really any problem with that?” He questions. “We’re dead , after all. We fight everything from bandits, to dragons, to other Servant, and even to magic hands , of all things, does she think that going to us for support is more bothersome than all of those things?”
“Yes.”
“... Hm.” Vlad seems annoyed by this.
The air between them is heavy for a minute or two, while they sit in silence. The night remains still, almost as if it didn’t know that a war would be taking place once the sun rises. It’s an odd kind of peace, but it accentuates the oddity of their situation.
“It’s amusing,” Vlad states, though he doesn’t smile, “we’re long dead, and we’re fretting over a time we don’t belong to.” Martha glances over at her fellow Servant, and then up at the stars and the ring of light.
“It may not be our time, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to experience the joys and sorrows of it.” She says, shutting her eyes. “It’s cruel to be stuck like this, simultaneously in the present and past, but I enjoy being here. I enjoy spending my time with you all. I enjoy taking care of everyone, and driving away bandits and monsters, and most of all, I enjoy these experiences I would never have dreamed of when I was alive.”
Vlad looks a little surprised by her response, before smiling softly. “I feel the same way.” He begins, looking up and then shutting his eyes as well. “I don’t like the legend that has been thrust upon me, but our Master doesn’t make me feel like the monster they made me. She treats me like an equal, a valued ally… and I truly appreciate it.” He smiles, opening his eyes. “Things have been rough, but… I do enjoy these adventures.”
He glances over and sees Martha beaming brightly with his words, and his pale face flushes red. “If you repeat what I said here to anyone else, I’ll skewer you.” He threatens, pointing a sharp nail at her.
“Of course, of course! I won’t say a word!” She hums in a sing-song voice, clearly amused by this. “It’s just nice hearing the big, tough Vlad III say something so heartfelt.”
Vlad visibly rolls his eyes. “I’m surprised that you’d say something as wise as you just did. About how it’s fine for us to enjoy ourselves while in this state.”
Martha shrugs. “I guess you can say that dying and coming back gives you considerable perspective.”
“Hm. As our young Master would say, ‘cheers, I’ll drink to that’.” Vlad says with a smirk, and they both laugh.
The conversation lasts well into the night, the two Servants sharing their memories of their lives, shared memories of Orleans and the memories of Singularities that followed, and more. It doesn’t ease the tensions of the upcoming battle, but it helps them pass the time. Throughout the night, more Servants come and join the conversation, providing their own tales and comments on others’, and as the group talks softly among themselves, Martha can’t help but smile.
They were an odd bunch, held together by their odd Master and odd circumstances. Pirates, nurses, musicians, kings, and holy saints-- all equal in the eyes of the plucky young mage, Gudako. Though their situation left much to be desired; the memories they formed, the bonds they forged… it was all precious, and she knew that all of them wouldn’t have it any other way.