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Artoria walked with fast yet steady and unhurried pace with her were her two newest wards, the Gunnhildr siblings - Jean and Barbara, both nestled comfortably in her arms.
She had already covered a good few miles from where they left off, and from the look of the sun's position in the sky, it's probably around mid afternoon around that moment.
The children she carried were awfully quite throughout their journey, yet oddly enough, she can sense that the two little angels were at peace, as evidence by the two's occasional snuggles in her chest.
'Poor little dears, they must have missed their mother by now. To have been taken in front of their very eyes must have traumatized them.' Artoria pitifully thought, not knowing the true reason behind the children's intimate and childish gestures.
'Once we reached the city, I'll immediately try to find the whereabouts of their father. Hopefully he's still around. If not….well, that only means I get to stay with them for just a little bit longer.' Artoria smiled.
Though it must be done, the very thought of parting with these two adorable children who were now in her embrace felt….awful for her.
She knew, that the time will come for her to return them to were they belong, yet a small traitorous part of her was hoping….hoping that such a time will not come to pass, and that she could stay with these two angels for some time more.
'Pull yourself together girl. You're only thinking like that because you were once a mother! But…as hard as it is, you must face the cold hard reality Artoria. They are not yours…they belong to another!' she chastised herself, yet try as she might, she could not help her bleeding heart.
A Mother's heart that yearns for the love of her children.
Artoria was so self absorbed with her thought that she didn't noticed the sudden afternoon drizzle that started to pour out.
Sensing that the rain might cause some unwanted illnesses to her two adorable wards, Artoria decided to momentarily paused her journey and sought out a nice spot where they could weathered-out the impromptu rain.
She was able to find a nice quite log at the side of the road just right next to a small pond.
There, she sat on the log and casted a small bounded field around them preventing the rain from further wetting them.
"~ Awww…now look at you two. Both of you are now a bit wet from the rain. But don't worry, Auntie Ria is here to help! ~"
Artoria then conjured up a pair of impossibly soft white towels and began to dry up the two little Gunnhildr girls before her.
She started with the now giggling Barbara who was a bit ticklish.
The little baby girl's laughter everytime Artoria would wipe her little head and body, had nearly made the heart of the newly born goddess explode from the sheer cuteness displayed by the adorable infant!
"Awwww…so CUTE! Who's the cutest baby in the world? You are. Yes you are!"
Artoria started blowing raspberries on the little baby's tummy furthering causing the now happy infant to let out another series of giggles!
However, not everyone was happy, as Artoria felt a small tug on her side.
When she turned to see what's going on, she saw little Jean looking at her with probably theMOST ADORABLE POUT she had ever seen!
The little angel appeared to be almost ready to throw out a tantrum from being ignored!
Artoria gently smiled at her with a smile that only a mother could produce.
She then reached out with her right hand and softly ruffled the little pouting angel's soft head.
"Now, now Jean, don't ever think I had forgotten about you!" Artoria joyfully smiled.
"Let me just finished drying off your little sister and then it will be your turn, okay?"
The little girl just nodded her little head, though she was still clearly pouting.
It was gentle moments like these that reminded Artoria of what she had lost…
Of what she had ignored for so long…
After drying Barbara and gently placing her on a simple wooden cot that she had conjured into existence, Artoria focused her attention to the still pouting five your old girl.
"Alright my little princess, it's your turn now so…"
Before she could even finish, Jean immediately sat on her lap like it was her own personal throne!
The little girl then snuggled closer to Artoria earning a motherly and melodic laughter from the goddess.
"Oh my! Is the little princess so impatient that she could not wait for her turn?" Artoria joked, which only caused Jean to snuggled even further.
"Alright little one, time to dry you up before you catch a cold."
Artoria then proceeded to towel off the little girl who was now sitting on her lap, gently handling the procedure with the outmost care.
As Artoria proceeded to dry off Jean, her mind began to wonder about the future that was ahead of her.
She thought of how she will explain what had happened to Frederica to Seamus when she finds him or how she have to say goodbye to the two kids.
She also began to thought of the scenario wherein Seamus, for some reason, would not be currently present in Mondstadt. Relatives…even distant relatives for that matter should be available somewhere, yet searching for them might take time which meant that…..
Which meant that she'll get to be with the children for a little while longer!
A simple smile formed around Artoria's face at the thought of spending more time with her two wards.
She could not explain the nature of what's she's currently feeling at that moment.
Sure, she might just chuck it off as some deep seated maternal longing she had buried deep within her heart, but there was something raw…something primal about her reaction to these two children.
She had been around countless children before, especially after her daughter had passed away, yet she felt no longing in her heart towards any of them…
Not until now.
Not until, these two wonderful miracles came into her life.
It's like a portion of her very soul was calling to her, to be with these children.
She couldn't explain it. Not yet.
She just woke up earlier that day knowing that she had become a full-fledge goddess and was now stranded in a supposedly fictional world!
There were still a lot of things about her very own being that she needed to know. But one thing was certain, a part of her calls out for these two angels.
The same calling…
The same longing…
The same feeling…
The same one she once had with her daughter.
'Maybe, there's a chance that Seamus is not around on Mondstadt, and I can…somehow legally become their guardian?'
That very thought was enticing for Artoria.
She could legally be their mother if the situation does arise, however, being a mother means more than just having power or the laws backing the claim up.
No, she needed more, something more physical to sustain her endeavor.
She needed Mora. Cold, Hard Mora!
She could easily conjure up some basic necessities with her new found abilities but on the long run it might cause some unwanted suspicions that she didn't want to deal with.
'May be I can recreate Mora myself…but…'
But Mora, as far as she's concern was made from the very essence of a god.
A certain penniless god from a neighboring nation!
Mora literally came from the blood of a dragon!
Could she even recreate it especially that she's still learning her capabilities?
The realization struck her with a thunderbolt!
She was sure that she had the power to level mountains and even part the seas, but she had no Mora, which means she might not be able to afford a house or even provide food for her two wards!
Her powers were immense, but they weren't practical for daily usage.
She couldn't exactly shoot a beam of light from her fingers in order to pay for a loaf of bread!
A bitter laugh almost escaped her.
She, a deity who now bares so may titles such as the Goddess Rhongomyniad, the Once and Future King, was worrying about rent and groceries!
How the mighty had fallen…
'Psstt...hey, other…..me!.....Hey!'
Artoria was suddenly startled after hearing a strange voice, almost letting go of the towel she's currently using to dry off Jean.
She looked around and saw no one.
Huh? Strange.
'That's weird. I'm pretty sure I heard a person's voice.' she worriedly wondered.
'Look…. closely within...and….your heart….. ..you will find….. remedy to your conundrum.'
"Yep, definitely hearing voices! And this one sounded more refined! But…why do they sound so similar to mine?" Artoria silently whispered to herself, making sure that her two wards wouldn't hear her.
'Prime..self…..look and see….'
'Okay….this situation is getting a little out of hand!' Artoria thought.
Look and see? Closely within? Where does these cryptic messages kept coming from?
'Hello? Is there anyone there? May I ask who you are?' Artoria curiously asked.
Yet she received no response. No reply.
'Hello? Anyone?'
Again, she was only met with silence.
'That's weird, they all seemed to stop. Yet why do I get this strange feeling that the source of those voices came from somewhere much closer?'
'I'll probably have to do some investigation about that weird phenomenon later, but for now I have to see whatever this 'help' they've been trying to point at.'
Though, the entire words spoken to her were cryptic and fragmented, Artoria still noted that entities were probably trying to point towards something.
Something that might be within her.
So she did the only thing she could think of when dealing with matters of this unexplained nature.
She began to meditate on the spot!
She closed her eyes and began to concentrate, allowing herself to sense the very nature of her being.
Trying to feel everything that was hers.
And after a while she felt it.
A powerful, yet foreign force….an object, more akin to an entity, subtly pulsing inside her very chest.
It was a small sensation, something that she had already felt.
She had already sensed it earlier that day, just a few moments after she had woken up from her slumber.
Yet the sensation was so miniscule that she chose to ignore it, thinking of it as but a by product of her divine transformation.
Now, however, it felt so distinct. But for some reason, whatever it was, it was somewhat draining her…
The thing was slowing 'feeding off' from her vast divine reserves, yet the amount it was siphoning was so miniscule that she could practically ignore it!
It was a kin to filling up a small hand-size jar with water using a pipette, with the said water being taken from a large Olympic size swimming pool!
Placing a hand over her chest, she closed her eyes in concentration and felt a pull from within her.
Her fingers brushed against an object she hadn't consciously registered.
It was smooth, cold, and radiated a power that was both familiar and alien.
She pulled it out, bright golden light emanating from her chest, creating a spectacle that mimicked that of the Raiden Shogun when she's pulling her booba sword!
However, it was not a sword that she had pulled out.
It was a chalice, a golden grail, intricately carved with celestial patterns.
It felt warm to the touch, humming with a latent, almost limitless potential.
'Wait a minute, could it be?!'
She began to recognize the object she was grasping, as knowledge and memories flooded her mind.
It was, as she had suspected, the iconic object that was supposed to grant wishes, yet brought so many calamities.
The Holy Grail.
THE FREAKING HOLY GRAIL!
However, she sensed something quite peculiar about the construct she now held at her hand.
She sensed no ill taint nor any shred of darkness within it.
The object before her was not the flawed, corrupted vessel from the Fuyuki Grail War, nor the trinkets found in FGO when a singularity is purged from existence.
No, this one was different.
It felt purer, more absolute. An artifact that had crossed dimensions with her!
And from what she can make off it, it was steady feeding off her near immeasurable reserve of mana, further adding to the vast pools of energy stored within it.
With that large pool of energy, this Grail, unlike the otherd, had manage to present itself in the manner and purpose in which it was originally created for…
An artifact that has the potential to grant wishes!
'How freaking convenient! Just what are the chances to had been able to rope up a Holy Grail?! A real working, wish granting Holy Grail?!' Artoria subtly freaked out in her mind
She stared at the Grail, then at Jean and Barbara, both children were now watching her with those innocent adorable eyes.
She thought of a home.
A warm and safe house with a soft bed for Jean and a comfortable cradle for Barbara.
She thought of food, fresh bread, warm milk, and sweet fruits.
She thought of Mora, enough to sustain them for the foreseeable future.
She didn't speak any words of command.
She simply held the desire in her heart, a mother's desperate plea for her children's welfare and safety.
And those thoughts were enough, for the construct before her began to answer the wishes of its master…
The Grail in her hand flared with a soft, gleaming light.
It pulsed once then twice, and finally a shower of golden motes of energy flowed out from it, swirling around Artoria.
The motes then coalesced into the form of a heavy pouch which appeared in her other hand.
The leather pouch, though simple was full.
And Artoria felt the familiar jingle of coins inside it, a beautiful melody to her ears!
She opened it, and the glint of pure divine gold coins confirmed it.
"Mora!" Little Jean surprisingly exclaimed
Not just a handful, but enough to start a life!
Tears pricked around the corners of Artoria's eyes.
She had been a king, a warrior, a space hero, a corporate slave, and so many more, but at that moment, while holding the means to provide a new life for her new wards, she felt even more powerful than any of her noble phantasms!
She was extremely ELATED!
Tears of joy began to poured out of her eyes!
She now has the means to raise these two precious little girls without having to worry about pesky jobs or mora ever again!
She felt like the King she once was!
She felt like she was in cloud nine, yet her jubilation was suddenly interrupted when she heared a few unexpected words…words that formed a question that she never thought she would ever hear again.
"Mama? Is everything alright Mama?"
For the first time, since their faithful encounter, the little girl finally mustered up the courage to speak the words that meant so much to her, towards the woman whom she believed was the same person she kept constantly seeing in her dreams.
"Mama, is something wrong?" Jean kept asking. This time, the little girl was tugging on the skirt of her so called mother.
Every word hung in the air…
Every single syllable carrying the weight of a universe of desperate longing…
Artoria froze, her very being grinding to a halt.
Jean looked up to her, not with the look of a child addressing a stranger but of a daughter who was curiously asking her mother.
Artoria, frozen in her place by the pure innocent act, then accidentally (and unexpectedly) activated a skill she didn't thought she had possessed.
Fairy Eyes
A skill taken from her purest Caster self, Artoria Avalon, the second prophecied savior of faekind.
A skill that allowed the user to see the true intentions of people and perceive the lies of the world.
But most importantly, it allowed Artoria to see the 'True Names' and desires of people, especially those that belong to the two children in front of her!
Through her eyes, she saw several glimpses of their memories…. and she did not expect the things she witnessed…
She saw a cold and lonely mansion in a state of disrepair…
She saw a group of what she assumed to be servants working round the clock and taking care of Jean and Barbara with uncaring apathy…
She saw their mother, the woman she had just laid to rest, Frederica, looking at these two poor souls with a cold freezing gaze.
She didn't expect her, the mother, to be like this…
The character lines from the game painted Frederica as a nurturing mother who was idolized by her daughters, yet the scene she saw clearly deviates from what was being originally portrayed!
She saw whispers from the maid about a particular tragedy…
She saw the exact moment Frederica learned the news about the passing her husband, Seamus, who had reportedly died after his carriage fell off a cliff…
'So…he's gone too…' Artoria somberly thought.
The flashes of memories continued.
She saw how Frederica grew colder and colder since her husband's passing, always drowning herself in her work as captain and instructor for the knights of Favonius…
She saw her piss-poor treatment of her two daughters, which was already subpar enough before the death of her husband, now it became a matter of chore for her….
Little Jean, and Barbara, two innocent souls who knew nothing but the rigid embrace of their nannies and the constant bickering of her parents, were further neglected from that day onward…
She then saw….a book? A peculiar blue colored book that Jean would constantly bring with herself…
And…to her utmost astonishment and surprise…..she saw…..the dreams of both children, the very exact same dream they've been having for months…
A meadow of near impossible beauty filled with sweet fragrant flowers, under a pristine blue sky…
She saw both of them, one child and one infant happily giggling in the arms of a woman who's very beauty seems to outshine the very field itself…
She froze, upon seeing the identity of the mysterious woman.
'M…me?!....what?! Wh…what's going on?!' Artoria exclaimed, pretty much shaken from the revelation she just witnessed.
In that vision she saw, herself, or rather a version of herself, gently playing with the two sisters as what a mother would do with her daughters.
'Jean…Barbara, they looked so….happy.'
This was by far the happiest she saw the two children in this myriad of memories. Yet one word, one name, repeatedly uttered by the girls, froze her to the core.
Mama.
The two sisters, these two most adorable souls, had been addressing the person that looked exactly like her as Mama!
"My dearest children. I promise, I will be with you soon." The doppelganger then gently kissed each girl in their forehead earning her their innocent giggles.
Then without warning, this other self, as if breaking the fourth wall, looked up straight to her and smiled.
"I knew…and I was hoping that this day would come. Please, take good care of them….."
".....my future self."
Then her vision cuts off.
Her skill, Fairy Eyes, was unexpectedly cancelled, preventing any further delving into the memories of the past.
Artoria was thrown back into the present reality, blinking as she had just awaken from a sudden narcolepsy attack.
Yet, she had seen enough.
She had witnessed enough…
"Mama…are you okay Mama?" Jean worriedly asked.
Her Mama was just sitting there, smiling before she suddenly went still for a second with a blank stare. Her eyes too, were somewhat glowing a misty colored hue.
Artoria shook her head, as she tried to come into terms with the reality that was now presented to her.
Her heart was warring with her mind. The implications of the things she had just saw were undoubtedly shocking!
The treatment of the children…
The death of their father, coupled with the fact of the recent demise of their mother…
But most shocking of all, was the role she might have played…or rather, one of her other selves had played towards the nurturing of the two adorable angels before her!
'They called her 'Mama'....'
'They called me 'Mama'....'
Artoria didn't know how to feel about the situation.
Should she be angry, or joyful, or just sorrowful?
'What a mess.' she thought.
Yet looking at the two pairs of hopeful eyes before her, she couldn't deny the fact of what these two precious children now sees at her.
But still, at that very moment, the pains of her past which were locked deep within her mind tried to call out to her.
Tried to tempt her to deny the recognition the children had towards her.
'You are not worthy to be called a mother!'
'You let her rebel, because you're so keen in your image of kingly perfection?!'
'It's because of your negligence that she died at that school!'
She allowed herself to drown in their cries, but her heart cannot ignore the very sight of how HUNGRY AND DESPERATE these children were for love and affection!
She wanted them to know that she wanted be their new mother, and not because of the promises given by some mystical persona of herself!
'BUT WHY IS IT TOO HARD FOR ME TO TELL THEM?! WHY IS IT TOO HARD FOR ME TOO ACCEPT?! WHY?!'
Urged by the thoughts of her guilt and self loathing, Artoria tried to placate the little girl before her, trying gently to make her see that she's not the mother she believed her to be.
"Sweetie, I... I'm not your 'Mama'. My name is Artoria." She said, trembling as she gave a gentle smile to the little girl in front of her.
'The child's mother is dead!'
'You seriously believe what that illusion had told you?!'
'Wake up and face the hard fact, THAT YOU FAILED!'
Jean, however, simply shook her head, her blonde ponytail swaying.
She took a step closer and laid her small hands on Artoria's own hands.
"No!" she said, her voice filled with a conviction that was unshakable.
"You are 'Mama'! You came just as you promised!"
"You're a knight and mage just like in the stories!"
"You said that when you arrive, you will not let any of us get hurt!"
"You sing to us every night and make us happy!"
She looked up, her blue eyes pools of pure, unadulterated faith now trembling with unshed tears.
"Please... don't leave us Mama."
That's it, the final blow.
Those words shattered the last ounces of hesitation and doubt in her mind.
The ghost of the daughter she had lost five years ago….
The cried of rebellion and recognition by Mordred….
The pain of failure and loss, the cold ache that had lasted for so long was drowned by the overwhelming and fierce sense protectiveness she felt for these two little girls!
The narrative in her mind suddenly shifted.
No more circling around the failures of the past, failures that could never be undone.
Instead, a god given opportunity had now presented itself.
A second chance.
This was her second chance. A cosmic gift, delivered in the simplest yet most brutal way possible.
She cannot not and will not, repeat the mistakes of her past!
Slowly, Artoria knelt down, the metal of her armor groaning softly.
She was almost at eye level with Jean.
She reached out, her ungloved hand gently trembling from her emotions as she cupped the little girl's cheek.
The touch was impossibly soft, a stark contrast to the devastation she had wrought sometime ago.
A single, perfect tear traced a path down her divine cheek.
It was not a tear of sadness, but of acceptance, of a solemn vow being sworn in the quiet of a Mondstadt afternoon.
At that very moment, the promise made in those dreams was fulfilled.
"Yes," she whispered, the word catching in her throat.
"Yes, my dearest sweetheart. I am here. Mama's here for you."
For Jean, it was enough.
The fulfillment of the dream she had long hope for has arrived.
The damn broke as the little five year old girl threw her arms around her long lost mother's neck, clinging to her with all the strength her small body possessed.
Artoria held her close, one arm wrapping around Jean while the other slowly took and cradled the now cooing Barbara, who seemed to sense the shift in emotion and began babbling happily.
The weight of her acceptance settled upon her, not as a burden, but as a sacred duty.
She was no longer just a woman, a goddess, a hero with so many titles.
She was once more a mother, their mother.
With newfound resolve, Artoria tightened her embrace to her new found daughters.
She will not let them go, for they are now hers, and hers alone.
"My…my most precious daughters. The guiding stars of my second life. Mama promises you both that we'll find a new home," she declared to them, her voice filled warmth she had never knew she possessed yet partially regaining its regal strength.
"We will build a new life. Together."
(End of Part Three: To be continued)
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