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When correcting minute singularities one must always stay on guard, the most insignificant mistake can be fatal.
Everyone is aware of that, and still they couldn’t help but to be overconfident about that mission. They only realized their mistake when they encountered a bunch of enemies that turned out to be stronger than they seemed. And when things go bad they can become much worse.
In the middle of a fight, while Mash was desperately trying to block the enemies’ attacks the best she could, a simple miscalculation left her exposed to one of the creatures. She couldn’t react on time, but Lancelot rushed to her aid, being hurt in the process.
His master, aware of the gravity of the wound, ordered him to fall back, a decision which the knight wasn’t too pleased with. He kept insisting he should be the one battling the enemies, that Mash needed to retreat and protect their master. Both, master and shielder, refused his request, Mash had enough stamina to keep fighting a while longer, that way Lancelot could take their master to a safe place. If the saber kept fighting, his death was certain, that wound would be his downfall.
Swallowing his pride, the saber obeyed. He picked his master into his arms and fled to a secured zone, a cave well-hidden deep into the forest. Just as they entered, Lancelot collapsed in the ground, his master hurried to his aid, trying her best to sit him, back against the rocky walls of the cave. Part of his armor was shattered to pieces, it would not regenerate before returning to Chaldea.
The servant tried to stay awake, being guided by his master’s voice. His sight was becoming clouded little by little; noises began to distort. Last he remembered before losing consciousness was the blurred image of Mash rushing into the cave.
He didn’t know how much time had passed since he collapsed, he opened his eyes slowly so they could gradually readjust. He could feel something pressing gently on his side, just where the injury was. Lancelot quickly recognized the feeling of his master’s delicate hands, she was probably doing her best to stop the hemorrhage. It was weak, but he could perceive a faint wave of healing magic. His master probably had to use a lot of mana to close the wound. It was hard to believe that he was still alive (or as alive as a servant can be), he was very lucky.
“Finally awake, huh?”
They glanced at each other, Lancelot noticed the bags under her eyes, her tired face seemed a bit pale. No wonder why her magic seemed so weak, who knows how long she had been casting that spell.
“You really scared us when you fainted, your wound was so deep I thought you wouldn’t make it… But I finally managed to heal it completely.” She talked fast, almost stumbling with her words, clearly she was still nervous from the shock. “Mash went to search for food, there were some fruit trees nearby so she shouldn’t take too long.”
“As I knight it is my duty to rescue damsels in distress, I wasn’t expecting it to be the other way round. I guess that as long as it’s you I could get used to it.”
Lancelot chuckled at the sight of his master smiling faintly, yet he soon felt a sharp pain on his side. Noticing the worried look on his master's face he reassured her.
“It’s ok, I’m fine… I’ve been through worse so don’t panic.”
Lancelot took one of her hands to give her a gentle kiss. Seeing how it was covered in his dried blood he couldn’t help but think that a lady such as her shouldn’t be forced to stain her hands like that.
“You shouldn’t waste your magical power to save just one servant, you know that right?”
“Why would you say that so suddenly?” She frowned.
“I just want to remind you that you can always summon another heroic spirit to help you. This time everything came out good in the end, but you could have compromised the mission.”
“I know but…” She stopped, carefully thinking what to say “I know if something happened to you Mash wouldn’t forgive herself, not after you almost sacrificed yourself to save her.”
In the end, Lancelot was Galahad’s father, and that meant he was also a father figure for Mash, just as doctor Romani was.
“I know you worry about her, you are her best friend and you care about her deeply. However, I also know you didn’t do this just for her.”
The two of them stayed silent. Just for a moment, the only audible sound was the wind echoing in the cave’s walls. As much as she tried to hid it, Lancelot was certain that his master was taking decisions based on her own feelings instead of thinking rationally. A part of him was happy about that, after all that was one of the things he loved about her. However, he was also worried that it may cause problems in the long run for her.
“If you risk your life for a servant-”
“I know!” She screamed, fighting back the tears “I know my life is more important as a master… But you can’t ask me to stand still and do nothing when I can help. If anything happened to you I…”
She stopped mid-sentence to take a deep breath, trying to calm down.
“As long as it's possible I will do anything to protect you, you have my word.”
He would be lying if he said it didn’t make him happy to hear that, shocking as that statement may be. Lancelot wiped her tears with a sad smile.
“You should stop stealing my lines, it’s a bit embarrassing. Please, don’t cry anymore, I can't bear to see your beautiful face like this.”
He leaned a bit to kiss her, stopping himself midway as he heard Mash’s rushed steps as she entered the cave. The shielder was happy to see him recovered, and encouraged him and the master of Chaldea to take some rest, insisting that she will keep watch for the night. The master refused at first, yet she soon felt all the exhaustion hit her like a train. She curled up next to the saber, letting her head rest on his shoulder, but she had a hard time falling asleep, opening her eyes from time to time to check on Lancelot. It wasn’t until she could hear him breathe deeply in his sleep that she could relax as well.