67. Deepening Bond

===Godrick Alter===

He and his lover had left Tyddewi, and had made their way to the capital of Camelot where the rest of his family were staying.

Walking through the massive steel doors he walked in with Jeanne D'Arc Alter who followed after him.

He was clad in his black armor, and as he passed the servants and other people in the castle, they all shrunk away in fear, knowing the massive Knights temper.

Bursting through the doors that led into the Throne room of Camelot, he continued to walk until he stood in front of the dais leading to the Throne where his mother sat.

She regarded him with uninterested eyes, though he couldn't see them at all thanks to her visor.

"What do you want?" She asked coldly.

He just smiled before looking around at the lack of servants or Knights. Those that he had seen in the halls leading to the Throne room were sparse, and looked like they would collapse at any moment.

"How the mighty have fallen." He said to his mother before looking behind the Throne, seeing a figure there.

"Mordred." He greeted before she walked from the shadows.

She was dressed in her war gear, black as his own. His eyes narrowed however as he looked at her sword, the only one that could truly kill him.

"What do you want, Godrick?" His mother asked in a disdainful tone.

He just gave her a light smile before holding his right arm up for an answer.

"My Alter has appeared. It's time we act." He said.

Both Artoria and Mordred perked up at his words, unable to keep their interest from their faces.

"If we act now, I will be able to get the other half, and with it, we will be free." He said before lowering his arm.

Artoria just looked down, not answering until she looked over towards her daughter.

"Very well brother. We will set our plan into motion. As long as you hold up your end of the bargain, so will we…" She replied in a tone that told of her distrust.

Godrick just snorted before turning around and walking from the room, Jeanne hot on his heels.

"Can we trust Him?" Mordred asked her mother.

"Of course not. But we can't leave without him to open the way for us. Go prepare. We will have a massive fight on our hands come the next few days." Artoria answered, walking towards the door behind her Throne."

===

"What are we going to do? Do you think we can trust them?" Jeanne Alter asked the man walking in front of her.

"Silence." He commanded, making her flinch.

"We only need Mordred. She holds the key to our success. If we don't have Clarent, then this is all for nothing." Godrick Alter said as they continued to walk.

"And what if we can't handle your-" Jeanne Alter wasn't able to finish her sentence as Godrick Alter turned and snarled at her.

"Don't you dare imply that my Alter is better than I am!" He snarled at her, making her flinch.

"M- My love, I- I would never imply such a thing!" She said, reaching up and trying to pull him into a kiss.

He just grabbed her arms and pushed her away from him before continuing to walk.

"You had better make yourself useful against your Alter, or I'll leave you here to rot in this timeline." He said ruthlessly as he walked away.

Jeanne Alter just stood there for a moment, gathering herself before running after her "Lover".

===Godrick===

Suddenly waking up from what felt like a nightmare, Godrick looked around him before he realized where he was.

Feeling Jeanne's bare back pressed against his chest he breathed a long sigh before pulling his arm from under her head and standing up, making her stur slightly.

He looked around their tent before materializing his pants and boots on him before he walked out of the tent, breathing the cold morning air into his lungs before looking towards the east. It was still a few hours till sunrise, but he didn't mind as he walked over to a small pit where he could light a fire

It took him a few tries, which baffled him before he heard a small laugh behind him.

He turned to see Jeanne standing at the entrance of their tent, furs wrapped around her body.

"My dear Juggernaut. Are you having some trouble lighting a fire?" She asked playfully.

"Yes." He answered simply.

She gave another light laugh which made him have butterflies in his stomach before coming to sit next to him. A small flame danced around her fingers before she flicked it towards the pit, starting a small fire.

"Since when have you been able to do that, Lady?" He asked with a hint of curiosity.

She just looked at him before rolling her eyes.

"I've changed. I've unlocked my potential, and as such have become something more than a Ruler. Just like you are more than just a Juggernaut. And stop, calling me Lady. I thought it was romantic, but now we are much more than just companions." She said.

She then stood and walked over to him, mounting his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Listen to me. Something happened between us. It's like a new bond." She said.

"We're now connected by something deeper than any oath or magic." She said before leaning in to whisper in his ear.

"Love." She whispered before leaning back and looking back into his.

He blinked rapidly at her words, wrapping his mind around what she had just said.

"You love me?" He asked.

"You silly man." She said before bringing him into a kiss.

She broke it after a few moments and looked him in the eyes.

"I love you, Godrick."

Her words sent a slight shiver down his spine before he replied.

"I love you, Jeanne."

The two broke into smiles as they kissed once more.

After a while they began to speak once more, having indulged in each other again.

"I'm no longer just a Ruler. I'm something else. I am Jeanne D'Arc, The Saintess of Fire." She said getting off of Godrick before a pillar of fire engulfed her.

As the flames died, he saw she was dressed in her white armor she used when using her La Pucelle Noble Phantasm.

Her clothes were now all white save for some parts of her armor that were silver.

She also held her long lance in her left hand while holding her sword in her right. Her long golden hair fell freely to below her waist.

Godrick's jaw practically hit the ground seeing her, which made her smile before the flames disappeared and left her in her furs once more.

"I can use my La Pucelle Noble Phantasm just like any other Saber. I won't die afterwards, and I get a pretty significant boost in stats." She said, rubbing shoulders with him.

Her old stats were as follows.

Strength: B

Endurance: B

Agility: A

Mana: A

Luck: C

NP: A++

Now her stats were as follows.

Strength: A+

Endurance: A+

Agility: EX

Mana: A

Luck: B

NP: EX+

Godrick was shocked, as she had increased in every single state save her mana stat by one.

He was even more shocked when she told him about what all her +'s meant.

"Well…" She said with a bit of hesitation.

"Since we are "together"," She said, using air quotes.

"Our bond has increased even more, and I can tap into your strengths, and you can tap into a little bit of mine." She said.

If she were ever in a situation where she needed more of one stat, she could draw on his, though this would drain him of his own strength until she stopped.

For him, he could willingly give her a boost in stats, though his benefits were a little different, as the only stat that went up was his NP, which had raised from EX to EX+.

Through their time together, he had grown protective of her, as is every man's instincts towards their significant other. This instinct had literally materialized as a part of his Noble Phantasm, giving him the ability to shield her completely from one attack in every single fight she participated in, though he would receive the damage in her stead.

But with his practically unlimited Endurance, he didn't see a problem with this.

And if she had the ability to draw from his power, she was practically as tanky as he was.

He lowered his head and began to laugh, making her look at him with narrowed eyes.

"You know this practically means we are unkillable right? I can withstand anything, while you can destroy anything." He said before looking down at his left arm.

There were many ways to wield his power of Ruin, but he wielded it in protection of those he loved.

Self sacrifice. Destroy yourself, so those around you can be safe.

"I wonder what kind of abilities I'll get when I get the other half." He said while looking at his right arm.

"Let's not get cocky now. We still have to win our battle with our altars, you know?" Jeanne said, gently pressing her body against his.

"You're right, as usual." He said.

She gave a small hum of contentment as she rested her head against his massive right shoulder, enjoying the moment.

She suddenly opened her eyes as she heard horses approaching, standing up before being engulfed in a pillar of fire.

The flames dispersed, and she was standing in her white armor with her weapons in hand.

Godrick too stood up, and following her example, materialized his armor and weapon.

From the mist, a group of men emerged, led by a big man on a horse. He suddenly held his hand up and halted his company of warriors before dismounting from his horse, and walking their way.

He wore golden and black armor, and held a massive warhammer in the shape of a goat's head in one hand. But he stopped a few dozen feet from Godrick and Jeanne.

"And you are you?" He asked, his tone filled with curiosity.

Jeanne and Godrick looked at one another before she stepped forward, and introduced them.

"I am Jeanne D'Arc, and this is Godrick Pendragon. We were just staying for the night. We will leave in a few hours." She said to the man.

He looked down as if he were thinking of something, but then seeming to decide upon his thoughts as he put his warhammer onto his back.

He then walked forward, making sure to be as casual as possible to disarm their wariness.

"I am Anthrax, Knight of the Round Table of King Artoria." He said, holding out a hand.

Godrick looked at the man in disbelief. Anthrax… the same Anthrax? The General of the Warlord whom he had fought and almost killed?

"You? A Knight of the Round Table?" He asked in disbelief.

Anthrax closed his outstretched hand before retracting it, and looked a bit uncomfortable.

"I assume you are not the Godrick and Jeanne who hold these lands in their grip. May I?" He asked, gesturing towards the log.

Jeanne looked to Godrick, who gave a slight nod before letting Anthrax go first, not fully trusting him.

Anthrax walked to the other side of the fire where a second smaller log was, and tipped it on its side before sitting down.

He waited for the two to be seated before he began speaking.

"After our last fight, where Sir Lancelot took us back to the Capital, Artoria gave us shelter. Though after you had died she was extremely sorrowful, which quickly turned to bitterness." He began, looking into the fire at his feet.

"She wanted to put us on trial, and threw me in prison while Noel was confined to a nicer room given that she was… you know?" He then gestured to his stomach area, unable to say the words.

"Pregnant?" Jeanne asked, making him snap his fingers and point to her.

"Exactly, I just haven't been able to speak of it since the birth. Makes me queasy." He said, which Godrick had to scoff at.

"You, queasy? After the things I've seen you do? You saw me rip Grasso's son limb from limb, and I remember you smiling at me all the while." Godrick said, his tone indignant.

Anthrax just nodded.

"That was a good day. Well, mostly. But anyway, after she had retrieved Mordred from Din Eidyn (the city now known as Edinburgh) she was much more forgiving. Mordred even talked about giving us a chance to prove we had changed, and we took it. I had to work my ass off to join the Round Table, and Noel then focused on our children. It was a good life. All until everything went to shit." He said, still gazing into the fire.

"You see, it all started when you suddenly came back. I'm not sure when or how you did, but suddenly, poof, you were there. But it wasn't you. You suddenly started talking about timelines, and different versions of us all. It was terribly confusing. Then other things started happening, like Artoria and Mordred changing. First they were normal, then they weren't. It was almost like they had been replaced with evil versions of themselves. And then nothing was the same." He finished.

"What caused all the changes?" Jeanne asked.

Anthrax just shook his head.

"That's a little above my pay grade, little lady. I think the lady of the lake would be better suited to answer your questions. You know, I was ordered to come here and stop you if I found you. But I served one Warlord. I won't serve another." Anthrax said, standing up.

"I just want you to know that your mother loved you dearly. She was never the same once you passed away. "He said.

He then suddenly left, having done his duty. He would report to Godrick Alter and tell him everything was OK, and that he had seen nothing. But little did he know, it would cost him his life in the end.

"Well. I think my mother Vivian would like to speak with you since you're up. I'm curious what she has to say about all of this." He said.

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