Just a friendly reminder that I'm not dead yet. This is an experiment, actually; I tried making a fic without any dialogue. Did I succeed? Please comment.
Oh, and you can listen to this for extra feels: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCchXUlera4
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Scream of the False Life-form
“The Servant is capable of emitting an immense scream, temporarily robbing enemies and allies alike of their ability to think and respond; those who do not expect it or are incapable of the mental resilience to withstand it may temporarily lose their ability to breathe.”
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It was a particularly normal day for Siegfried. Well, it certainly started out that way.
He walked around the fortress of Millennia, as was his custom, though never too far from his Master’s quarters. He made it a point that he would stop and turn back once he had reached a particular copse of daisies that were being tended to perfection by the castle homunculi.
It was on those walks that he noticed something… off about Frankenstein, the Berserker of Black.
She regularly conversed with Astolfo, provided their Masters were both away (Siegfried noted Astolfo’s tendency to take talking to ridiculous new heights; their strange friendship being solid evidence). From what he had heard (not that he was an eavesdropper; Astolfo simply talked very loudly), they discussed nature, the outside world, and the beauty of life in general.
Siegfried noticed the grief hidden in Frankenstein’s eyes, which, in turn, were hidden by her hair.
Though her face lit up whenever Astolfo cracked a joke, the sadness never truly left her.
Siegfried decided that there was a need for investigation.
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Siegfried walked briskly towards the castle library, incessantly excusing himself for breaking his vow by reasoning that the daisies were on the castle’s west wing, while the library was at the east.
The library was vast, and the shelves chock full of books seemed, in his view, to be the massive pillars supporting this part of the castle.
He approached the homunculus librarian and asked for a writing pad and a quill (Siegfried might have asked for a fountain pen, the only other acceptable writing implement in the castle, but he could never quite figure how those damned things worked), a request the librarian granted, though not without a strange look.
On the paper he wrote Frankenstein’s name in his most legible script and showed it to the librarian. The homunculus nodded and motioned for him to follow.
When they reached a certain shelf, the homunculus reached for a book and handed it to him. He then bowed and left. Siegfried inspected the book. It was very old, and the pages were barely held together by the spine. The golden ink used on the title had mostly faded, but the impressions left on the cover were still there. The title read:
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus
by Mary Shelley
Siegfried sat down at a nearby chair. This was going to be an interesting read.
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Siegfried left the library with even greater determination than when he went in. He pushed aside all thoughts of regret in his mind, saving that for later when the deed was done.
When he arrived in his Master’s quarters, he turned to spirit form and phased through the wall. After all, his Master could see him, even while in spirit form, so why alarm him further by opening the door?
All of the rooms in the fortress of Millennia were larger than normal, and that of Gordes Musik was not an exception. Despite the vastness of the space that lay before him, Siegfried easily found his prize on top of his Master’s vanity (not that he needed one, Siegfried’s innermost being thought; the man’s hubris was absolutely massive).
An ornate hand mirror, wrought entirely of polished silver.
As Siegfried picked up the mirror, his reflection flashed into his eyes, and he saw himself for the first time that day. His hair was wilder than usual, and his eyebrows were furrowed into a seemingly unbreakable knot.
Why was he doing this, anyway? Why was he taking such great risks for someone he barely even knew?
Because he could, came the answer. The same reason he fought the dragon Fafnir. The same reason he aided King Gunther in his conquest of Queen Brünhild. Because he had power, and he chose to use that for the greater good.
He tucked the mirror away and went outside in search for the next component of his plan.
Siegfried looked around, in any case anyone was watching. Well, anyone present who might be watching. Sensing the coast was clear, he walked as normally and inconspicuously as possible towards the copse of daisies. He picked a few good ones, taking care not to damage the stems in order to make what he had in mind: a small wreath, intended to be placed on the head like a crown.
When Siegfried thought that he had picked enough, a problem struck him: this was going to be easier said than done.
Then again, who cared? This was for a worthy cause, and weaving a daisy chain should be no harder than slaying a dragon, right?
It turned out that Siegfried was wrong on so many levels.
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The wreath was, several lifetimes later, finally complete. Now all Siegfried needed to do was lure Frankenstein here. That, at least, was a piece of cake.
Seeing as he could not sing to the birds (as that would be breaking his vow), Siegfried opted to whistle to them instead.
He worked up a jolly tune, and, almost immediately, a small flock of birds perched before him and awaited his command.
He asked (animals are more inclined to do your bidding when asked nicely) them to fetch a red-haired woman in white and a jutting horn on her forehead and bring her here.
The birds flew away, and Siegfried stood up, hiding the wreath behind his back, as well as the mirror.
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Frankenstein was rather alarmed at the sight of a flock of birds swarming in front of her. Though they were of different colors and breeds, they seemed to be united in a common goal, and that was pointing her towards the castle gardens. Curious, all Frankenstein could do was follow.
Upon arriving, Frankenstein immediately noticed Siegfried, the Saber of Black, who wore a ghost of a smile on his face. He beckoned her to approach, and as she did the flock of birds that brought her here flew away.
She now stood face to face with him. He took something from behind his back, and Frankenstein saw a flash of white. Siegfried then placed this object on top of her head.
Then he brushed aside the hair that had obscured her mismatched eyes. The last thing Siegfried did was to place a mirror in her hands.
Frankenstein was rendered speechless when she saw herself.
Though there was nothing new to her appearance save the crudely made daisy chain resting on her head, that was all that mattered to Frankenstein.
For her, a cyborg created by arcane science, all that she wanted, and all that she needed, was to be accepted. She wanted someone who could look past her imperfections and accept her as she was. But today, not only was her being accepted, but glorified, as signified by the crown that rested on her head.
It made her realize that in the end, someone really did love her.
She found a stray droplet trickling down from her gray eye, followed by another, this time coming from her gold one. And another. And another. That was the time the cyborg found out that she could cry.
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Siegfried knelt before his Master, a gesture that signaled not only his deference towards his Master, but also a sign of his unrivaled pompousness.
He knelt there for a long time, as Gordes started hurling insults at him, citing him as worthless, incompetent, and every other synonym for “useless”.
Siegfried, meanwhile, was engrossed in his thoughts. He did not care how much his Master insulted his name, or how heavy his punishment might get. Seeing Frankenstein wear a smile of pure joy like the one he saw made everything worthwhile.
He believed that, in some small way, he had saved her from her self-hatred.
He believed that he was her hero.
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So. This is quickly escalating into a collection of oneshots (what do you call those, anyway?) and I have no idea what to call it. Also, if you want to see a particular Apocrypha Servant pair interact, tell me in the thread and I'll see what I can do.
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Originally Posted by Seika
