54. Love, and Honor

(A/N: Hello everyone. I'm sorry for posting only 1 chapter every week. I was actually planning on posting this chapter on Wednesday and trying to get back to my normal 2 chaps a week, but my wife suddenly needed to go to the emergency room. She was admitted to the hospital Wednesday afternoon, and has been there ever since. She was transferred to another hospital last night, which was pretty scary. She has something called a bowel obstruction (which is common with people who have their large intestines removed) and they thought they would have to take her into surgery. Luckily, she is doing really good today, and won't have to have surgery.

Thank you all for your patience and understanding.

**IMPORTANT** Now, on to the novel itself. I have finally come to completely understand what I want The Root, Alaya, and Gaia to be in this novel. I've always known what I want them to be, but I haven't actually understood 100%. Now I do, and going forward they will be as such. The Root will be the dormant power of the universe. It's consciousness will have been dormant for some unknown reason we will find out in the future. Think of it as the presence from DC or TOAA from marvel. Alaya will be the collective consciousness of humanity, as well as the "leader" of the universe while Root is dormant. Because she is the collective consciousness of humanity, she is subject to corruption through greed and other human emotions and such resulting in her having more of a personality. Gaia will be the will of the planet, wanting to survive at all costs.

As a new author, I didn't fully understand that this being an A.U. gave me the ability to change certain aspects. I'm still committed to the cannon (as close as i can be) but also i know what direction i want this story to take, and for my purpose, i'll be changing Root, Alaya, and Gaia. I understand that this might upset some people, but I'm asking you to trust me, and see where the story goes…

If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment on this paragraph, and I will do my best to answer them all. If i feel like answering your question would result in any spoilers for what's to come, i will simply tell you that i can't answer them at this time.

Thank you all so much. I appreciate each and every single one of you!)

__Jeanne, after returning to the Throne of Heroes__

"You fear him, don't you." Jeanne asked the blue orb floating next to her.

"No, we do not fear him!" Alaya snapped at her, irritation and frustration clear in her otherwise emotionless voice.

"But he has changed the course of what's to come in the future, and has thrown our plans off. He has… certain aspects that we cannot control, which makes him a liability. One we seek to correct. However, I do not expect you to understand our needs, as well as our plans." Alaya said as the pair walked the halls of the massive Throne of Heroes.

Jeanne suddenly felt something latch on to her soul, connecting it to somewhere far away… Someone far away.

"You feel it, don't you. The connection." Alaya said.

"What is it?" Jeanne asked.

"A wish was just made. One that will affect the fate of everything. The wish that was made was simple. You old vessel, Laeticia, wished for Godrick to be able to fulfill his oath to you." Alaya answered.

"His oath…" Jeanne said, remembering just before they had gotten on the planes to go to the Hanging Gardens.

The Juggernaut had knelt to her, and had given his oath.

"You have my oath lady, I shall stand with you always, and protect you in all things. Even if the world is our enemy." He had told her. She had never had an oath sworn to her ever. They had always been to the Lord, but never herself.

"Now you are tethered together. You will never be apart unless some form of greater magic interferes with the power of the Grail." Alaya said.

"You must leave now." Alaya said.

"What, why?" Jeanne responded.

"BECAUSE, I SAID SO!" Alaya screeched, turning a vivid red as she seemed to… Glitch.

Jeanne took a step back in fear, not wanting to anger this figure farther.

Chains shot from the ground as they wrapped around her and bound her before dragging her to the ground as Alaya got close to her.

"I don't know what you think is going on here, but let me make one thing absolutely clear." She seethed, tightening the chains around Jeanne, who let out a groan of pain.

"You are nothing!" Alaya snapped at her.

"You are inconsequential, and just another one of the subjects that has failed to live up to our expectations. You and that brute will never, NEVER amount to anything, and once the Root regains consciousness and sees what a failure you are, I'll be able to dispose of both of you!"

Jeanne looked up in shock, letting the pieces fall into place.

"You fear Godrick. You can't control him, but you can't do anything about it. You don't hold any real power do you?" Jeanne said, finally realizing what this being before her was.

"You hold no power. You're just a child frightened of her mother's reaction when she wakes up."

Jeanne became bolder as she strained against the chains, cracks forming in the links as she pulled against them.

"You won't do anything to us, because you can't!" She said, finally shattering the chains around her.

She stood defiantly in Alaya's heated rage as the orb turned blood red.

"You can't touch us. Because the Root won't let you." Jeanne said, pointing at the massive swirl of energy in the distance.

"ENOUGH!" Alaya shouted, sending a shockwave of power strong enough to throw Jeanne off of her feet, making her land a couple meters away.

She groaned as she got to her hands and knees as the red orb approached her.

"You don't seem to understand the position you're in!" The orb screamed before the halos around her started spinning. Red tendrils grew from her before latching on to Jeanne, who screamed in pain as she tried to fight them, before she suddenly fell limp, falling back to the floor.

Alaya was seething in rage and resentment. Jeanne had been correct. She was nothing but a poor replacement until the Root reawakened.

She was the collection of humanity's consciousness, but when the Root began to slumber, she was given power to act in its name. Though the moment she had been given the power, something awakened inside her.

Greed. She needed more. More power, more energy, more control. Just like humans, she had been corrupted by the power she had gotten.

But there was a small part of her that knew it wouldn't last forever. Just as Jeanne said, she was a child trying to piece back together what she had broken before her parents came to scold her.

She could simply kill the servant in front of her, but she would gain the ire of the Root when it awoke for having killed one of its "pawns" and ruining one of its plans.

She felt the Juggernaut finally enter the Throne of Heroes, and knew she couldn't deal with everything all at once.

"Soon. Very soon. One more slip up from either of you like the last time, and I'll snuff you out like a candle." She said venomously, forcing Jeanne into her spirit form, and leaving the tether attaching the two together.

Alaya then went about her business with the Juggernaut, forcing him to his knees just like Jeanne, and like her also, he was able to break free.

After he had departed, Alaya was fuming as she thought about the Roots plans, and was angry she couldn't just scrap this one.

"Soon. They just have to fail once." She said to herself, looking at the Juggernauts target Ivar.

"Maybe if I just…" She said, pushing the scales in his direction a little more.

"Well. Let's see how you deal with this."

Jeanne slowly opened her eyes not recognizing where she was.

She was in her spirit form in some sort of mansion she didn't recognize. She tried to materialize, but couldn't as she didn't have enough energy.

"What is happening right now?" She thought to herself. She then turned to the two other figures in the room.

One was her Juggernaut, Godrick. While the other was a man with white hair, wearing red and black clothes.

The moment the white haired man saw Godrick, he lept at him, only for Godrick to kick him back into the wall behind him. A "young" girl came bolting up a set of stairs shouting incoherently about something.

Though Jeanne could only look at Godrick as he walked around, trying to figure out what to do.

She saw every action he took. Every fight he fought. She was extremely intrigued about Ivar and his Noble Phantasm.

She was still the class of Ruler, and as such, could see all stats and abilities. The Gate of Valhalla was an incredibly powerful Noble Phantasm. Having the ability to call forth other spirits to fight for the user.

Each spirit only had an EX in strength, and she was shocked to see Godrick be cut down so easily when he broke through the Shield wall for the first time.

She was even more surprised to know that each spirit would be given their own stats and abilities, practically becoming Heroic Spirits themselves when they were inside the Gate.

This was too powerful. Too… Unnerving.

She saw his reunion with his mother. And she couldn't help but have tears come to her eyes as she saw them embrace for the first time.

She saw his fight with the Berserker Heracles, and his assault on the ring of criminals.

She couldn't help but slap her head as he let Caster go, but she couldn't do anything about it.

She saw that he bought her favorite flower, the Celestial flame iris, and reached out with her hand to hold Godricks. To her surprise, he actually looked down at his own hand, seeming to have felt her own.

She left her hand there before pulling it away, and following the small group as they walked to a baseball batting cage.

She burst out laughing when Godrick was struck in the groin, before tearing up as Godrick proclaimed his love for her to his mother.

She couldn't help but rest her head in her hand and stare at him as he told his mother about her, and watch as he made the Celestial flame iris his own. A keepsake of her.

When Artoria was then stolen she could almost materialize herself when Godrick took Excalibur to the chest. But it still wasn't enough energy, and she didn't understand why.

After that, she watched as her companion planned on how to get his mother back and the ensuing battle, where he showed just how brutal he could be to people who had wronged him or his loved ones.

She then was whisked away with him as he leapt into the air to go save another child, which brought her to this moment now.

She was standing next to him, as the chains around him shattered, and he readied himself to take the blast of EA.

He held his left arm out, and met the blast head on.

She could see him struggling, fighting with everything he was worth to stay conscious. His armor melted away in the first moments, and his skin soon began to follow.

"Come on Godrick, push through." She said, seeing him beginning to falter.

She stepped closer to him, yelling for him to keep his feet under him, only for him to finally collapse to the ground.

"GODRICK!" She screamed, as EA forced him into the ground, beginning to rip his flesh from his body.

She was so close, yet she could do nothing to help him.

Until she felt it. The energy she needed to materialize. It was right there for the taking. She and Godrick had always possessed the ability to give and take magical energy from each other, and this was her chance to do so. But she needed a catalyst to help her materialize in the physical world.

"The flower!" She said to herself gripping Godricks left hand, which seemed to respond to her.

She sucked the energy from Godricks body, forcing it into herself as she attempted to materialize in the physical world.

"Come on!" She shouted as she used all the energy she could to rip the veil that seemed to keep her from her partner.

She screamed in frustration before it finally happened, a rip in the veil that provided her with her chance of materializing in the physical world.

She took it, and suddenly, she was standing before Godricks broken body, lance in hand.

Reacting quickly, she raised her lance into the air before bringing it down on the ground beneath her.

"LUMINOSITÈ ETERNALLE!" She shouted, as golden light broke from the ground and provided a refuge of safety for everyone inside it.

The world lost all sound other than the deep bass from EA as it pressed against her protective shield.

Her head was bowed as she pushed against the Noble Phantasm. She stole a quick glance behind her as Godricks body, seeing his state before a great anger took her over.

With a great heave, she pushed back against the blast, forcing Gilgamesh to pull back from shock.

She stood over her Juggernauts body as she glared up at the man before her before her cold voice cut through the silence.

"How dare you hurt him." She said, sending a shiver down Gilgamesh's spine.

He was once more overcome with a great rage at being treated like this, and for feeling… not fear, but uncomfortability.

"Step aside girl!" He snarled at her.

"I have unfinished business with the mongrel at your feet. Move aside, and I won't kill you." He stated.

"I will not. For you see, I now have unfinished business with you." She said, pointing her lance up at him.

"You dare point a weapon at me?" He asked coldly as golden ripples formed around him, weapons of all makes and sizes poking through them.

"I dare to do more than point it at you." Jeanne retorted, getting in a battle ready stance as she readied herself.

In a sudden burst of speed, Jeanne was next to Gilgamesh in a moment, burying the shaft of her lance into Gilgamesh's stomach, causing him to spit out bile as he was forced backwards, unable to react to her speed.

The golden ripples turned their directions to face Jeanne before firing their payloads at her, which she deftly dodged and avoided as she weaved through the weapons. She spun and flipped through the air, while simultaneously running towards Gilgamesh, who was getting to his feet.

"You little bit-" his words were cut off and Jeanne lance clipped him in the jaw knocking him to the right.

He regained his balance before multiple weapons appeared right around Jeanne, which she backstepped and leapt into the air, almost dazzling Gilgamesh as she dodged each one.

As she leapt back, she lashed out with her lance, piercing the Archers shoulder, drawing blood as she did.

He was shocked as pain bloomed from his shoulder, before anger took him over once more, driving the mad rage from his mind, and reminding him of his original purpose of coming here today.

To teach the Juggernaut a lesson. One he was still intent on delivering.

A golden ripple appeared over Godricks body before a massive sword descended from it.

Jeanne saw where Gilgamesh was looking, and immediately blitzed over to her companion, but she got there too late.

The sword shot forward, but a loud clash of weapons smashed against each other revealing a bloody and bruised Heracles now standing over Godricks body, having smashed the sword out of the way with his own.

Gilgamesh had a dark look come to his face as he brought up his right hand up to his left shoulder where Jeanne had left her mark before cursing at the situation.

"I think it would be good to leave now, and live to fight another day. We have too much riding on this to get overly dareing." A new voice said as Ivar appeared next to Gilgamesh through a small Gate of Valhalla that grew next to the Archer.

"Are you telling me to retreat?" Gilgamesh asked in a dangerous tone.

"Of course not. Think of it as… showing mercy to these lesser beings." Ivar responded.

Gilgamesh just grunted, before turning to Jeanne.

"This isn't over girl." He said venomously before walking through the Gate.

Ivar gave a sly smile before walking in after him before the Gate disappeared.

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