In honor of this chapter title.. here's one of my favorite music vids!

https://youtu.be/uE-1RPDqJAY

"P.. Please stop staring.. y.. you're making me feel nervous.." Shielder Railgun stammered nervously as she put up her shield to hide her blushing face from Jeanne.

"Oh.. I'm sorry!" stammered Jeanne. "I was actually thinking about something, so I didn't realize I started staring.. so sorry!"

Shielder Railgun merely blushed a little more and hid once more behind her shield. 

"Shhhh.. careful.." Mordred muttered as she and Saber steadily put the unconscious Galahad onto his bed, still unconscious, his injuries healed with magic.  

"By the time he wakes up it'll all be a dream.." said said Saber. "I know a few spells from Merlin that'll make him think that his memories of the incident were foggy.. so he'll think he was asleep when it happened.."

"So.. a new form eh?" Accelerator spat, jabbing a thumb at Shielder Railgun. "Anybody wanna explain why she looks a little older..? And why her boobs are bigger..?"

"ACCELERATOR!!" scolded Jeanne. 

"M.. My boobs are..bigger?" Mikoto looked down at her chest, then shrieked with fright, her face bright red now. "Wh.. what is this!?"

"I'd say that form is comprised entirely with the desire to protect loved ones." said Mordred. "And that is something Mikoto's always been the most afraid about.. so all her insecurities got pushed to the surface.. along with the insecurities about her body.. so be gentle around her when she's in that form.."

"Gentle.. and Accelerator.. in the same sentence?" muttered Jeanne.

"Hey! I can be gentle!" Accelerator stammered.

"Well.. you can try.." said Jeanne with a small smile. 

"What's that supposed to mean!?" roared Accelerator.

"Helllloooo!!!? GALAHAAAAD?" Suddenly the door slammed open as Merlin stepped in cheerily. "I just wanted to see if you've already gone to relieve the night watch, they're still waiting for you-.. eh?"

Merlin stared at the scene before him.. As everybody stood frozen staring at him.. Saber and Mordred in mid process of putting Galahad in bed. 

"No... sudden.. movements.." whispered Mordred. "His eyesight is based on movement.."

"This isn't Jurassic Park.." whispered Saber.

"Then why aren't we moving?" Mordred whispered.

"I don't know.." Saber whispered back. 

"Hmmmm.. is this a bad time to let you all know that I know you're from the future..?" said Merlin with a chuckle. "Dear me my King, you know you've never been good at hiding things from me.."

"Can we kill him now?" Accelerator spat, whipping out a gun.

"WHERE'D YOU GET A GUN!?" stammered Jeanne.

"I always have a gun." said Accelerator. "What.. do ya think I rely on this faulty battery 24/7? Swords meet modern weapon."

"Now now now.. I'm not a foe here." said Merlin raising his hands up hastily. "Really Arthur, you know I'm an ally of the crown and all that.. the question is.. why you came all the way here from the Future.. and.. if my magic is correct.. a very distant future at that..?"

Saber heaved a sigh. "Merlin.. it would be wise for you not to tell anybody else.."

"Done deal.. I know how time travel works.. best not to meddle too much with it, lest we end up in a future where hyper intelligent monkeys dominate the planet.." said Merlin. "My Twilight Prankster really got onto me about causing that one.."

"So.. you'll help us?" asked Saber.

"Help? Well I can't interfere can I? Can't risk making monkey ruling human futures can I? hahahaha!" said Merlin. "I'll see you in the morning for Sir Mordred's wedding!"

Merlin walked out the door and shut it behind him.

"Complicated guy huh?" said Mordred. "Did he just tell us he would help us without telling us? Or.. what?"

"I.. don't know." said Saber. 

"W.. well.. his aura didn't feel like he intended us harm.."  said Shielder Railgun, raising a slightly shaky hand. 

"You can feel mana that thoroughly?" said Jeanne with astonishment. "How!?"

"I.. don't know.. I just can.. " said Mikoto as she scooted over to Saber shyly. "S.. Senpai? What do we do now?"

"Senpai!?" said Saber, staring at Mikoto.  

"S.. sorry.. did I say somthing wrong? I'M SORRY SENPAI! FORGIVE ME!!" squealed Mikoto grabbing Saber's arm, her shield clattering to the ground. 

Saber blushed as she felt a sudden desire to spoil Mikoto and buy her sweets. 

"Well.. for starters I think we should ALL get on up to bed!" said Mordred hastily, grabbing Shielder Railgun by the arm. "I'll head on up to our room now shall we!? Hahahahahaha!"

"Mordred-senpai.. you're holding me rather tightly." stammered Mikoto right before Mordred flung Mikoto into her arms, holding her Princess Style. 

"MEH!?" Mikoto stammered, going red again, steam whistling from her ears. 

"Don't talk.." said Mordred with a wink. "Just let me be the one to pamper you tonight!"

"P.. pamper me!?"

Mordred giggled like an eager school girl as she burst out the door and ran up the steps, holding Shielder Railgun in her arms as Holy Camelot shimmered away until it was ready to be summoned again. 

Saber's eye twitched and she drew her sword, walking towards the door hastily. 

"Where are you going?" Jeanne asked. 

"To make sure Mordred doesn't pull a Kuroko Shirai." said Saber furiously as she huffed into the hall.. Excalibur glowing slightly. 

"Don't want to be in the way of that.." said Accelerator as he glanced at the sleeping Galahad and then looked at Jeanne. "So.. we gonna talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" asked Jeanne.

"Sieg." said Accelerator.

Jeanne went silent, her shoulders began to tremble a little.

Accelerator put his hands on Jeanne's shoulders, steadying them. "Come on Jeanne. I know it's on your mind.. how can it not be?"

"I loved him Accelerator.." Jeanne whispered. "He was.. he was everything to me..  and then he disappears.. and comes back from the future.. with Mikoto as a servant no less? it's.. I don't know what to feel right now.."

"He said he wasn't your Sieg.." said Accelerator. "Did ya have a kid with the guy at some point? In Avalon?"

Jeanne shook her head. "We did get engaged.. but.. he disappeared before we truly married, and .."

"Yeah, no sex before marriage.. that's how it works for you saints." said Accelerator. "So.. maybe he married somebody else? Or.. "

"No.." said Jeanne. "Something else happened.. I can feel it.. I just.. hope that isn't the Sieg I knew.."

"Wait.. why would ya hope that?" Accelerator asked. 

"Because I'd have to feel guilty about this.." Jeanne whispered, kissing Accelerator on the lips. 

Accelerator's eyes went wide with shock.. it was the first time he had ever kissed a girl. Jeanne's lips felt warm and soft.. as her arms wrapped around his back. 

When Jeanne broke away, Accelerator could barely register his surroundings.. was he in the sky? On a mountain top? High on some drug he never heard of?

"Goodnight.. "Jeanne said, smiling at Accelerator. "We.. can talk more about this after that wedding tomorrow.. okay?"

"Guh.. geh... uh-huh.." Accelerator stammered like a dumbstruck troll. 

Jeanne left the room, leaving Accelerator to sit on the bed, staring for what felt like the longest time.. until..

Galahad moaned, sitting up, before staring at Accelerator with a bemused expression on his face. "Hey... kid.. what on God's Green Earth are you doing in here?"

"I.. have no idea.." Accelerator murmured. 

****************

"This is just for show.. just for show.. just for show.." Mikoto muttered to herself, her eye twitching as she stared at the white wedding dress she was wearing, sitting in a carriage next to a fully armored Mordred, amid the cheers and yells of crowds of Camelot citizens. 

"You don't like the dress?" Mordred asked. 

"No.. it's not the dress.. it's the attention.." Mikoto muttered, staring at the people everywhere.  "When I have my actual wedding I want just my friends and family.. not this freak show.."

"Who says this isn't your actual wedding?" Mordred said, chuckling. 

"Not funny Mordred."

"Married in Camelot.." said Mordred. "Not fake.. just.. old! Heheheh!"

Mikoto stared at Mordred, Her helmet might have covered her face, but she sounded so happy, Mikoto couldn't bring herself to burst her bubble. 

Mikoto smiled and sighed. "Alright.. sure.. Married in Camelot. So.. Accelerator And Jeanne are gonna pretty much be looking for Touma while Jeanne tries to use her Noble Phantasm to establish some sort of contact point for Chaldea-."

"Mikoto! You're talking business too much!" said Mordred. "enjoy yourself!"

"But this IS business Mordred." said Mikoto. "Remember why we came back in time in the first place?"

"Right right.. Weird not Sieg who is also Sieg or something with Future You.. but I'm enjoying myself with Present You! So you should enjoy yourself with present me!! Speaking of present you... about your Shielder Form..."

"NEVER EVER turning into that again!" stammered Mikoto. "EVER!! I.. I felt so.. so... "

"Yes?" said Mordred. 

"KOUHAI!" Mikoto stammered. "Okay!? I felt like one of those Imouto-Chan Kouhais that are completely submissive.. and I could feel everything that I ever felt uneasy about, my body, my feelings for my friends and loved ones.. all of it just bubbling up on the surface!"

"Maybe this form is what you need to deal with those Insecurities..?" said Mordred. "Sort of like how you were what I needed to deal with my Father.. and.. my own gender identity.."

"Mordred.." Mikoto said, caught off guard by Mordred's admissions of her past insecurities. 

"But hey.. I've gotta admit, that form is interesting.. Shielders are super rare.." said Mordred. "At least that's what I've heard, along with Rulers,  Avengers and Foreigners they're not something you see often."

"You.. think Touma is okay by the way?" Mikoto asked. 

"He's alive.. I can assure you of that.." said Mordred. "We're linked remember.. I'd be able to tell if he was dead.. "

Mikoto still continued to look worried.. 

"Look, you and I both know how tough My Master is.. he may be an unlucky bastard, but that bad luck only extends so far." said Mordred. "He'll be fine.. you'll see.."

"I hope so.." said Mikoto as the carriage came to a halt.. 

Mikoto and Mordred dismounted the carriage as the Knights of the Round Table stood at attention, making a pathway for them.. that went into a large chapel.. where a priest stood waiting inside, Saber sitting on a throne near the side of the pulpit.

"Shall we?" said Mordred said, holding out a hand to Mikoto. 

"Alright then." said Mikoto with a resigned smile. "Guess this is happening then.. so how long do these vow things usually take?"

"Vows? First Father has to give the address to the people regarding the oath of marriage and the ability of the kingdom to prosper from the appointment of an heir. "

"How long does that take..?"

"3 hours.. give or take a few."

Mikoto felt her stomach drop a few feet. 

"I know.. I hate it too.." muttered Mordred. "You should've seen when Percival got married.. Uggh.. come on.. the sooner we get in that church, the sooner the speech is over.."

"I guess.." Mikoto stammered.

Mikoto and Mordred entered the church.. and as the doors of the chapel shut closed... Mikoto felt her hairs stand on end.. as if she were once more in her submissive Shielder form...

Images of Mikoto and Touma standing at an alter like this one day flitted through her mind.. making her blush..

Could that happen one day? In the present day? Not camelot? 

As Mikoto imagined this, she suddenly imagined Mordred in a tux holding her hands at the very same imaginary alter, and she felt herself begin to overheat.

"NO!! BAD BRAIN!! DON'T THINK THAT!! STOP!!" Mikoto's inner voice roared. "WHY DID I JUST THINK THAT!!? STOP!!"

It then occurred to Mikoto as she and Mordred approached the priest, and the crowned and robed Arturia watched them, with a solemn impartial expression on her face, Saber had an upcoming marriage in this era..

At least she cared for Mordred enough to actually be okay with this marriage as a way of keeping their cover, for pete's sake she was her Servant.. .. but Arturia.. she had to marry Guinevere and spend the rest of her life with somebody for pure politics and nothing more... it was finally starting to really dawn on Mikoto exactly how tough Saber's life had been.. 

And that only made Mikoto admire Saber all the more that day..
***********

"SCCCCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECCCCCCCHHHHH!!" Another dark vicious voice echoed through the sky.. causing the trees to rustle as birds flew off in fright..

Touma helped Guinevere clamber over several more rocks as they heard the noise.. brushing aside bushes and bramble.. the two of them both sopping wet..

"Keep moving.. we can't stop.." Touma chattered, shivering from the wetness and the cold, only a little amount of sunlight able to make it through the dense treetops. 

"So.. These.. Nazgul.. " Guinevere panted. "They work.. for this Sauron character?"

"Yeah.. about the gist of it.. " said Touma as he and Guinevere hurried through the undergrowth. "But all in all.. I'm still not sure that Witch King got here.. and my knowledge is minimal.. it's been a long time since I've read Lord of the Rings.."

"To think.. Grail Wars even exist so far into the future.." said Guinevere with amazement. "And my King doesn't have to deal with the duties of today.."

"Oh don't get me wrong.. she still deals with a lot.. she just deals with it on her own terms now." said Touma.  "I.. honestly look up to her a lot.. she's really young and yet she's so mature and amazing.."

"I.. I can also be mature you know.." stammered Guinevere.

"Uh.. sure.. yeah, you're pretty mature." said Touma.

"I mean.. I'm not TOO mature in which I couldn't marry somebody of your age of course, but I am mature.." said Guinevere hastily.

"Uh, can we focus on running..?" Touma said. "The Nazgul are still looking for-.."

"I.. hah.. can't run anymore.." Guinevere said, falling to her knees, displaying her full exhaustion now. "Please.. We've been running all night.."

"Yeah we have.. I'm getting too tired too... that Witch King has his horse, all we've got are our legs.. " Touma muttered. "We need somewhere safe to hide..."

"Is.. that smoke in the distance?" asked Guinevere, pointing through the dense tree tops. "That could mean a town.. if we make it to one.. we can rest there for the night.. hide somewhere.. there's no way The Witch King can search an entire town in one night even when he numbers at 9.. "

Touma nodded. "Okay.. but let's hurry."

It took about 13 minutes of battling the underbrush.. but Guinevere and Touma finally made it through the trees onto a slope going down into a giant grassy field.. but down in the valley below... wasn't a town..

It was a tower.. a ginormous stone tower stood high upon the valley.. massive and wide.. and yet so tall it reached the level of the mountains it stood between.. smoke rose up around it.. massive fires and metal working forges razing the plants and greenery that once surrounded it.. 

https://youtu.be/h2ocBnraYhc

"What.. is that!?" stammered Guinevere. "I've.. never heard of such a tower in Britain before!"

But Touma could feel something coming from the tower.. a strange sort of pressure he had always felt whenever Mordred activated her Noble Phantasm...

"That's a Noble Phantasm." said Touma without an ounce of doubt in his mind. "A huge one... there's another servant here besides the Witch King.. and whoever it is.. he or she is controlling that giant tower.."

Touma watched as what appeared to be regiments and squads of military personal marched across the landscape, apparently training..  he couldn't make them out from so far away, but the color of them seemed to be a pale gray.. as if they were undead almost.. 

"I need a closer look." Touma muttered.

"What!?" stammered Guinevere.

"Listen.. something is down there that's a threat to my friends!" said Touma. "I have to warn them about all this.. and part of that is gathering as much information as I can on what the threat is...  plus.. honestly, where else do we have to go?"

Guinevere sighed, then she nodded. "V-very well.. "

"Sorry for dragging you into this.." said Touma.

"No.. if anything, It was I who dragged you.. the Witch King came to Parley with me.. not you." said Guinevere. "Without you around to warn me.. I probably would've died.."

"Which begs the question why he was after you in the first place.." Touma muttered. "Just what is London Faction trying to change in this history? And why?"

Could the answers to that question be in this tower..?

Touma and Guinevere slid down the hill, trying to go to every boulder they could find to stay out of sight.. 

It was a vast distance to cover, so it took them another entire 30 minutes just to make it to the edge of one of the camps surrounding the tower... and as Touma got a closer look at the marching soldiers.. he could tell.. they DEFINITELY were undead.

Many of them were merely skeletons.. wearing various clothing. Some wore armor akin to the French Revolution.. others wore armor that resembled knights of the time period.. some wore Egyptian armor, Greek Armor, Spartan battle gear.. 

There were even a bunch that wore U.S.  World War 2 clothing, with some wearing tactical Navy Seal battle gear, carrying M8s, Snipers, and Miniguns. 

"The heck is this?" Touma muttered as Guinevere stared with shock. "This shouldn't be here.. none of this should.."

Then Touma noticed something similar among all the undead skeleton warriors.. they all seemed to have the same symbol.. while some bore it plastered on their helmets or guns.. other had it on their knight's armor.. or their spartan helms..  

It was a white hand symbol..

And if Touma's knowledge of Tolkien Books and Peter Jackson movies were correct.. that could only mean one thing.. with this tower.. and that hand..

"Saruman.." Touma stammered. "That evil wizard from Lord of the Rings that betrayed the Council of the Wise or something.. this is HIS Noble Phantasm!"

"But.. what does this Saruman intend to do with such a vast army of demons?" stammered Guinevere. 

"I don't know." said Touma. "I mean.. if they're trying to take over Britain.. they are definitely making progress.. but.. what's the point in that? They're Servants.. they want the Holy Grail... hold on.. "

Touma's eyes widened with fear. "Mordred told me.. before the Grail Wars moved on into the modern era.. it used to be that the Grail had a physical place where it resided..  I mean.. the Greater Grail.. or ..er.. I'm not sure how it works.. but apparently, the Greater Grail, which is the true Holy Grail.. dwells in a world outside time and space.. and that in order for it to be summoned, a physical vessel in this world had to be used as it's container..  but before in this time period."

"Yes.. the Holy Grail resides in a secret place.. near the land of Britain.. the very cup that received the blood of Christ." said Guinevere. "In this time period.. the Grail Wars are merely meant as a blood sacrifice to open the way to the island..  blood from six servants and masters grants the path to the pair that survived." 

"But theoretically.. you wouldn't need to kill the six other pairs to find island right?" said Touma. 

"Yes.. but nobody knows the way..." said Guinevere. "it's impossible to find the island without knowing.."

"Yeah.. unless you happen to live in an era where information gathering about anything takes around under a minute." said Touma. "They gathered information about the Holy Grail's previous locations.. and then came back in time to get it when it was still in the physical world.. instantly winning the Grail Wars without even bothering to play in them...holy Heck.. that's why they're here!"

"It.. still sounds a bit speculative to me.." said Guinevere. 

"Maybe.. but it's the only reason that makes sense! I mean seriously, why would Servants who killed their masters, and have no other purpose than to free spirits of their era, come back in time to Camelot and raise an army? Vacations?  said Touma.  "We need to get to Camelot.. warn the others.. I know Arturia will be there at the very least.. "

"How?" said Guinevere. "We have no transport.. and Camelot is still several days away by horseback!"

Touma scratched his chin.. then he noticed something in the military camp nearby...Vehicles from all different time periods.. some planes..  a set of WW2 tanks.. and... a couple of motorcycles..

The planes and tanks would be seen and probably shot down the minute they were used...

The motorcycles on the other hand..

"How do you feel about a nice bike ride through the woods?" said Touma with a grin.