Work Text:
王女
It was a dreary day within the halls of Chaldea. Major losses of resources and suffering caused by the endless amount of battles the team had to face had sent morale plummeting to the ground.
As a countermeasure to raise everybody's spirits again, Master had enlisted the Servants and Staff of Chaldea to take a well-deserved break from work. This meant that they finally had the luxury to choose their timetable freely for the day!
Such events had resulted in Master being on their lonesome at current, as the majority of Chaldea was asleep. Dark eyes fixated on the wall, they lazily slumped their body across their chair; legs perched on the wooden table before them.
The view was boring. There was nobody to talk to and nothing to do.
It was the perfect opportunity for them to drown themselves within the ever-growing pool of self-denial they had created for themselves!
Placing their head in their hands, Master sighed; as a wistful expression briefly flickered across their features. Currently positioned at the window, they were contemplating the many painful feelings ruminating within their heart.
As the snow drifted against the windows; a single, pressing worry drifted unconsciously from their mouth.
“Is it okay… To feel desire? To want someone? Is that okay?”
Recent events had lead to the development of some certainly unexpected feelings of attraction towards a certain somebody. These feelings were so strong, so overwhelmingly prominent, that all Master wished to do was to burrow themselves within a hole until such feelings could vanish. 'What cowardice.' They smugly thought to themselves, as similar words escaped from their lips once again:
"This desire...Is it a curse? Or should I embrace it?" Yet again, their query echoed across the halls. In an atmosphere of such immense melancholy, there would be none to answer her thoughts.
Realising that their hidden feelings had slipped out unconsciously, they released yet another sigh. 'It’s not like anybody would answer such a stupid question, anyway...'
The sudden ring of a derisive snort of laughter was all it took to prove such a thought wrong.
Somebody HAD overheard her. They had been listening in from the start, intrigued by the nature of such a question.
“Is that even worth asking? Desire’s natural, you know? ”
Snapping their vibrant locks of hair in the direction of such laughter, Master was surprised to see whom exactly had overheard her inner thoughts.
The powerful queen of Connacht, Queen Medb was facing them; a proud smile gracing her lips as her sparkling amber eyes narrowed in interest. It seemed as if Master had kindled a slight sense of amusement within the Queen. Hands placed proudly on her hips, she continued. "It seems you're in dire need of some advice!" As she stated this, her pink hair swayed to the side as she bobbed with excitement.
'Wait...Wait...ADVICE?' This was absolute last thing that Master expected to receive from Medb. "Well, if you insist..." This would provide as an ample opportunity to be able to develop a greater understanding of the Queen, but at the same time; Master became suddenly very self-conscious- considering the fact that now Medb had discovered the inner workings of her mind.
This could only go too well!
Sliding herself into the seat besides Master, Medb returns to her previous line of argument; gesturing broadly- as if to clarify her point.
“Desire is a normal thing, you know? It’s nothing worth such concern! ♡” Easing her face upon her chin, Medb’s flowing pink tresses of hair spill around the wooden table that Master is seated at. "I'm disappointed to hear you worry about such a thing, really. You and I have just as much of a right to embrace the aching yearns of passion as anybody else in this world!~"
“But is it really okay to honestly express those feelings to someone? Isn’t it inconsiderate towards them…? Isn’t it wrong? ” Master ruffles her own locks of hair fiercely enough to evoke a sense of dread. “I have no idea how to deal with these kinds of feelings.”
“Eh? Seriously? It seems like you’re not assertive enough, to be honest." A simple, but effective reply. She was right... It'd be a massive boon to become a stronger, more confident person.
"A-assertive? About these kinds of feelings? But what if I hurt-" A tut of disapproval disrupted Master's sentence. Medb wasn't going to deal with her behaving in such a way!
"What about your own feelings, huh? Ever thought about those? ” Frustrated by her Master’s self-depreciating nature, she shifted herself closer to her as she flipped back beautiful curls of hair. "Why must you suppress parts of your own personality to please others? Trust me, that sort of behaviour will only lead to self-destruction at the end of the day!"
Another piece of helpful advice had been given. Eager to receive more, Master raises another question. "How are you so strong-willed?"
Medb grins brightly. "Because I had to become strong-willed to survive, Master. If I was to place myself beneath others and deny myself of pleasure in the way that you do, I wouldn't have been able to become as powerful a Queen as I was! To become strong, you must accept yourself, and wield desire in whatever way you must~♡ "
"I see." To hear such words almost filled Master with a newfound feeling of joy. "Please tell me more!" It was an exciting experience to learn more about her. Despite the dangerous rumours and stories some of the other members of Chaldea had told her about Medb; as well as the frightening encounters Master had faced against her during the events of the America Singularity, she was enthralled by the words of this intriguing and incredibly fascinating being.
Sadly, Medb wasn't to comply with such a request. "If you want to learn more about me, read The Tain , okay? Te-hee.~"
Of course Medb would throw her off such a track with a well-placed tease.
Slightly irked by this, Master finally lifted themselves off their chair, ready to depart; until Medb dropped a chillingly accurate point of observation upon Master's shoulders.
"Seeing as you're so worried about desire, let me guess. Has a certain somebody caught your eye?~" Medb's amber eyes were gleaming with mischief, as she leaned forwards, expectant. "You like somebody, don't you?"
"!" She was much too perceptive to handle. "M-maybe, I guess... But what has that got to do with anything?!" A crimson blush enveloped Master's features. 'Last time I checked, she didn't have the Clairvoyance skill!'
Humoured by her reaction, Medb departs her final piece of useful advice. "What are you moping around for, then? If you want to get rid of such feelings, then at least attempt to show them! Pursue love a little!" Waving her arms fiercely, Medb's eyes continued to sparkle.
'She's not enjoying this, is she?' Medb seemed a little bit more invested in departing advice than Master originally expected her to be. 'That's...somewhat cute.' " I guess you’re right." Master replied, rather surprised.
"Exactly! That's the spirit, Master!~ Pursue with all of your heart!" It seemed she was getting a little too excited by this discussion. Master resolved to calm things down by arguing from a different perspective.
"I can see your point, but...There are times in which one can go a bit too far in pursuing those they lo-” At the sound of those words, a dangerous glint reflected off Medb’s- now irritated -expression.
“That remark wasn’t necessary, you know. You know full well that I’m the type that enjoys the pursuit of the ones that I love!!” Despite playing off her irritation with a slight joke, Medb’s expression furrows further once glimpsing that a fragment of Master had yet to accept her advice.
“Listen.” Lifting up Master’s chin so that they could no longer give into such negativity; into such worthless guilt over such minor issues- Medb cackles, her tone of voice spirited. "Once you learn to face your feelings honestly, and manage to assert them; you’ll be able to accept those desires of yours.”
“ Transform those feelings into power instead of pain, Master.~”
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