Chapter 30. War is Hell

===Jeanne===

As Jeanna ran across the landscape, leaving Godrick and Siegfried behind to finish off Achilles and Karna, she suddenly felt an enormous wave of magical energy come from her back.

Immediately recognizing what it was, she turned back and began running towards her companion. She knew after using this ability he would be incredibly weakened, wanting to get there to make sure he was alright after the detonation.

She ran with all her might, before she was blown to the ground as a golden sun enveloped the landscape. Seeing the release of the energy she struggled to her feet, knowing this was only the beginning.

Her banner unfurled from her spear as she planted the butt end into the ground as a golden glow surrounded her from the energy.

Suddenly, the golden sun popped, releasing everything it had, destroying everything as far as the eye could see. Jeanne could see nothing but a golden sea of energy around her. In a way it was almost beautiful, but the cause of said energy made her feel anxiety at the situation.

She could feel Siegfried's death first, followed by Karnas.

Soon the golden sea dissipated, and she saw the destruction around her. What was once a green and luscious valley was now a desolate landscape. Large rocks were white hot, cooling from the heat they had absorbed. Ash fell from the sky as everything had been burned around her. There was no more green, having been burned away. The rivers and small streams in the area had all evaporated, letting new water carve its way through the ruin of its previous path.

Jeanne continued to run as she felt two servants still fighting in front of her.

"Hang on Godrick, I'm almost there!" She shouted, hoping he might hear her.

She pushed all she could as she ran, almost turning into a streak of light as she did.

Soon she felt another servant meet their end, and relief washed over her as she felt it was Achilles.

She didn't let herself relax just yet however, as she still needed to make it to her companion.

She soon arrived at the epicenter of Godricks detonation where the damage was the worst.

The giant of a man stood in the center of it, looking at a nearby rock that had dissipating blue particles. Soon he started to sway, as if unsteady on his feet. He suddenly swayed backwards, trying to stay on his feet before his back hit one of the jagged walls of rock, letting him slide down it to sit.

Jeanne leapt into the crater, finally making it to her companion.

He was breathing deeply, his right hand clutching a wound in his chest that looked to be made with a blade.

She knelt next to his giant frame, feeling how weak he was through their bond.

"Why is it, that every time I leave you alone, you end up doing more damage to yourself then our actual enemies?" She scolded him, transferring some of her own energy to him so he could heal faster.

He just looked down at her with his icy blue eyes as she looked him over.

As she looked over his body, mainly the wound in his chest, she surmised that it was made by Siegfrieds blade. Karnas and Achilles spears weren't large enough to make such a wound, leaving only one suspect left.

"Did Siegfried do this?" She asked him, to which he nodded solemnly.

Godrick and Jeanne both knew that Siegfried would have never done this of his own free will, meaning his master had ordered him to do it.

Jeanne suppressed her anger at Gordes for not only hurting Godrick, but also for tarnishing Siegfried honor.

After a while, Godrick got to his feet. He was strong enough to walk on his own, but he would need a day at least to recover from the use of his abilities. He didn't even have the energy to materialize his armor, leaving his upper chest bare. Though Jeanne wasn't complaining.

His magical bank where he kept the energies of the Noble Phantasms he absorbed was empty, leaving him with nothing to empower himself with, so he would need to be careful in the coming hours.

Little did they know that they had nothing to fear. The red faction had decided to play complete defense the moment they lost Achilles, and Karna. They stood in protection of their master while he used the Grail for some unknown purpose.

The sound of wings against the wind drew their attention as Astolfo descended from the sky on his Hippogriff.

"Hey! Is everything alright? We saw this huge sun appear over here, and Fiore told my master to send me over to make sure you guys were alright!" He said as his hippogriff landed.

"We're alright Astolfo, thank you for coming to get us." Jeanne said as she steadied Godrick as they walked over to the Hippogriff.

"Um… I think he's a little too big to ride on the Hippogriff. I'm not sure it can carry all three of us…"

"It's alright, I'll follow from the ground. If it can just carry him back to the castle, that would be enough." Jeanne responded to Astolfo, who was measuring Godrick with his fingers outstretched like he was looking at the knight through a picture.

"Alright!" Astolfo said as he jumped onto his Hippogriff.

"Come on!" He shouted as it began to flap its wings.

Godrick looked at Jeanne in concern, to which she just smiled and waved her hand at him.

The Hippogriff grabbed Godrick by his shoulders and lifted him into the air with a great struggle, but after a moment, was able to take to the air.

===Godrick===

Dangling from the Hippogriffs claws as it flew to the castle of Yggdmillennia, Godrick watched as Jeanne ran below him. She was quite quick, able to jump over and slide under any objects obstructing her.

Thinking back to his fight, he remembered the look in Siegfrieds eyes as he pinned him to the ground with his foot.

Shame, guilt, and sadness. He had been commanded to betray Godrick and Jeanne, and he knew Siegfried fought with every ounce of strength against the order.

He was furious at Gordes for tarnishing the name of one so praised for his honesty and honor.

Godrick clenched and unclenched his fists, anxious to get back to the castle.

Soon they arrived, and Godrick was put on the ground. He stood as Jeanne joined him, and together they walked into the castle.

They found the remaining members of the Black Faction in one of the studies, gathered and talking about plans for the future.

Godrick, Jeanne, and Astolfo walked into the study covered in walls full of artifacts and bookshelves. Fiore was seated at the main mahogany desk in the center of the room with Chiron standing behind her. Caules was standing with Berserker to the right of the desk with Kairi and Mordred, who looked at her brother with concern.

Gordes was standing to the left of the desk with Celenike Icecolle Yggdmillennia, the master of Astolfo, who angrily motioned him over to her.

Astolfo reluctantly obliged her, sullenly walking over to shand next to her. Everyone turned their attention to the three of them as they walked in.

"Is it true?" Fiore asked with a pensive look on her face.

"Gordes claimed you killed Siegfried in your fight with Lancer and Rider of red. He claims you were thoughtless and killed him out of carelessness. But I would like to know your side of the story first before we take any action." She finished.

"Are you serious!?" Gordes sputtered.

"They'll lie! They care not what happens to us! You can't trust a word they say!" He shouted.

Mordred stepped towards Gordes threateningly.

"How dare you call my brother a liar!" She shouted, her armor appearing over her body.

Fiore didn't look at Gordes or Mordred as she let them finish, then ignored them.

"Like I said, I'd like to hear your side of the story." She said.

Godrick couldn't help but admire the young woman, reminding her of his mother in many ways. She was fair, and didn't jump to conclusions. She let both sides explain themselves before analyzing the information, then making an informed decision.

"I do not deny killing Siegfried." Godrick signed to Fiore. She narrowed her eyes at him while she listened to him.

"In my battle, Siegfried appeared to help me, only to stab me in the back." He signed, gesturing to the wound in his chest that still hadn't healed yet.

"After, he joined Lancer and Rider of Red in their attempt to kill me." He signed.

Fiore just lowered her head, contemplating this new information.

She looked up to Gordes, to which he began to ramble.

"H-he acted on his own! I had nothing to do with it!" He shouted.

"It was out of defiance! I know it, the Reds must have tempted him with something like they did with Cast-" His shouts were abruptly cut off as Godrick lunged forward and grabbed the man by his fat neck before lifting him into the air.

Gordes choked and clawed at Godrick's arm and wrist, trying to free himself.

Celenike was shocked at seeing Godrick attack Gordes "unprovoked" in her eyes, and quickly ordered Astolfo to attack the Knight.

"Astolfo, stop that damn freak!" She screamed.

Seeing Astolfo not doing anything, Celenike knew she was out of options. She couldn't use a command spell because it would take too long.

Seeing Gordes go blue in the face she reacted, pulling an ornamental dagger from the wall and running at Godrick.

She knew she should have sent Astolfo with Siegfried to take care of the knight, but Gordes had assured her that Siegfried was enough. With nothing left to do, she plunged the knife into the left side of Godricks unprotected stomach.

Mordred drew her sword as red lightning crackled around her, but she didn't move as she saw Godrick take action.

He simply looked down at the dagger sticking out of him, then backhanded the woman with his left hand.

A sickening crunch was heard as her head twisted one hundred and eighty degrees, as her lifeless body fell to the floor. Godrick simply pulled the dagger out and let it fall to the floor before looking back at Gordes.

Multiple things happened at once, as Chiron came to Godricks side at Fiore's order. Astolfo started to fade from existence as blue particles, leaving him in a panic.

Fiore pulled a magical crystal from one of her drawers before handing it to the servant, letting him sustain himself through its mana. She also ordered Caules to find a suitable substitute master for Astolfo before he faded. This all happened at once, showing off another of her impeccable qualities.

"Godrick, I understand how you're feeling." Chiron said in a calming voice.

"I also viewed Siegfried as an honorable warrior, and I can tell you that I wish to kill him just as much as you do. But just wait for Fiore to pass judgment." He finished.

Godrick looked to the Archer who nodded at him, then released his grip on the man. Gordes fell to the ground in a heap, gasping for breath as he looked up at his hated enemy. He then looked to Celenikes cooling body before screaming like a child, crawling over to her.

He touched her broken face before standing and screaming at the top of his lungs.

"I DEMAND ACTION! HE HAS KILLED AN INNOCENT WOMAN IN THE SACRED AND HOLY HALLS OF CASTLE YGGDMILLENNIA!"

Fiore stared at the man as she thought of what to do. After hearing both sides of the story, she clearly knew who was right, and who was wrong.

"YOU WILL CAST HIM FROM THE GROUNDS OF YGGDMILLENNIA CASTLE, OR SO HELP ME ILL-" His screaming was abruptly cut off as a gunshot rang through the study.

Gordes looked down at his chest, seeing a red rose bloom on the left side of his chest. He looked up to see Fiore holding a handgun, aimed at him.

"You have betrayed us Gordes Musik Yggdmillennia. And for that, I sentence you to death." She said before shooting him a second time.

He took a step back clutching his chest breathing hard, before he fell to the ground. He reached out with one hand and grabbed Jeannes foot, one last desperate attempt for pity and mercy. One Jeanne did not grant.

"Damn Archer," Mordred spoke, sheathing her sword as she spoke.

"You've got one hell of a master." She then turned to Godrick. "Remind you of anyone?"

After a while, Caules came back with the homunculus boy Jeanne and Godrick had saved their first night after being summoned. He was nervous, which Fiore noticed.

"It's alright, nothing bad is going to happen to you, I promise. There's nothing to fear."

The boy nodded at her while holding a hand to his heart seeing the stains of blood left on the carpet after the two bodies were removed.

"What's your name?" Fiore asked the boy.

"Sieg." The young man replied.

"Sieg? Why did you choose Sieg?" She asked.

"The man that attacked me… He had a servant whose name was Siegfried. He sought me out and talked with me. I liked him so much I wanted to be like him, so I took a part of his name." He answered.

"It's a good name." Fiore responded.

After chatting for a minute, the ritual to transfer Astolfo to Sieg was completed with Jeannes help, then the pair left the room. After the rest filtered out as well, leaving only Chiron and Fiore.

Godrick and Jeanne went to their separate bedroom to rest, Godrick so he could focus on recovering, and Jeanne so she could sleep.

Godrick sat on the ground at the foot of his bed, leaning his back against it as he closed his eyes. Focusing on a mana crystal Fiore had given him, he extracted its energy, and focused it on his wounds. They slowly began to heal as he focused on the larger cuts and broken bones in his body, then switched to other less threatening wounds. It took a couple hours to get back into peak condition, but it was a small price to pay.

Soon multiple mana stones lay across the floor where Godrick had tossed them. He got to his feet and stretched, making sure everything felt good before he walked from his room now fully clothed.

As he passed Jeannes room he heard something that made him stop in his tracks and listen. It was the sound of someone crying. He gently knocked on her door, and waited for her to answer. The crying had stopped, and after a moment he heard her soft voice answer.

"Come in."

He slowly opened the door and walked into her room. Her armor lay scattered across the floor where she had left it when she walked to her bed, where she sat upright, clinging to the sheets.

"What happened?" Godrick signed to her, sitting at the foot of her bed.

With tears still in her eyes she simply shook her head, not wanting to say what happened.

"You can tell me, Jeanne." Godrick signed. Jeanne sighed as she wiped her tears and began to tell him of Assassin of Black. The children she had "killed". In reality, she had saved their souls. Sent them to peace and comfort.

But Atalanta's words about killing them stuck with her, buried deep within her mind.

Godrick just listened as he sat on the end of her bed, and once she was done, he began to sign to her once more.

"We are at war right now my dear. War… is a nightmare, war is awful. It's indifferent, devastating, and evil. War is hell.

But war is also an incredible teacher, a brutal teacher. It teaches us lessons that we will not forget." He signed to her.

"In war we're forced to see humanity at its absolute worst." He signed.

===Flashback to one of Godricks memories===

The land which he loved was covered in the burned bodies of its inhabitants. Husbands clung to their wives as they in turn held their children. All burned to a crisp for the Warlord's pleasure.

Signs of torture and other unspeakable acts were seen on some of the bodies. Messages of fear and horror, carved into the bodies of the people he had sworn to protect.

This was the first time in his life he had seen anything so horrific.

He looked over to his mother, her helmet hiding her face. But he knew better. He could see her clenching the reins of her horse, her hands slightly shaking.

She finally looked over at him, seeing his traumatized eyes.

"This is war, Godrick. This is what I'm teaching you to fight against, do you understand me?" She said to him sternly.

He nodded his head as he looked into her eyes.

"Yes mother."

===Flashback end===

As he reminisced on the horrors he had seen in his twelfth winter of life, he continued to sign.

"And we're also blessed to see humanity in its most glorious moments."

===Flashback to one of Jeannes memories===

Jeanne took deep breaths as she knelt down on the ground, bodies all around her. Things didn't look good for her and her group as they were outnumbered three to one.

They needed to pull back and regroup, but there were just too many of the enemy.

"My Lady," one of her soldiers said to her, standing on the rubble of a building not far from her.

"They are gathering their forces for one final push, we must do something, or we will be overrun!" He shouted as he scrambled down the rubble, slipping and catching himself at the end.

She didn't know what to do. Retreat? Push forward? She knew not. All she had now was her faith. And through that faith, she felt that she knew what to do.

She stood and unfurled her banner and waved it, gathering the attention of her soldiers.

"MY MEN! MY WARRIORS!" She shouted.

"GOD IS WITH US THIS DAY! LET US FIGHT IN HIS NAME, AND DEFEAT HIS ENEMIES! FIGHT WITH ME NOW! FIGHT, AND LIVE TO PRAISE HIS NAME ONCE MORE! FIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILIES, YOUR WIVES, HUSBANDS, AND CHILDREN!" She screamed, before she turned to her enemies.

"BY GOD'S WILL! FORWARD!"

She began to charge, her soldiers right behind her.

She used her sword to cut down any foe in front of her, her soldiers doing the same.

By the end of the battle, her and her soldiers remained, leaving the bodies of her enemies in pools of their own blood.

Her soldiers knelt and praised their God, as they clung to each other, grateful the slaughter was over. Others began to look for survivors amongst the dead. When they found them they didn't kill them. They were done with the killing. Instead they praised their God and helped their enemies back to their feet and let them go free, a testimony of their willingness to forgive like their Lord.

She looked across the battlefield and saw these things happen, and she couldn't help but kneel down and do the same.

===Flashback end===

"War teaches you about sorrow, loss and pain." Godrick continued.

"And it teaches you about the preciousness and fragility of life. And in that fragility, war teaches you about death."

Jeanne looked down at her hands that were slightly shaking, until one of Godricks massive fingers lifted her chin so she could look at him.

"Jeanne, I know what you did was incredibly hard. But only you had the strength to do it. If not you, who would have freed those tormented children? Atalanta could only offer them the illusion of freedom, while you truly gave it to them. And I would think that they would thank you for what you did." He finished.

"Do you really think that, Godrick?" She asked him, to which he nodded.

Tears pooled in her eyes once more as she got out of her bed and gave him a hug.

Silently crying in his embrace.