FATE\Deus Decipit

Chapter 82: The Civility of Savagery

...

Heping looked back and forth between her brother and the statue. Thoughts stumbled over thoughts as she tried desperately to make sense of the senseless situation.

'Was that part of the plan?'

No, it couldn't have been. Heping knew little of magecraft, and less of Saber, and nothing of his Master, but she knew what she saw, and what she saw was fear; as much from him as from her. Fear as real as her hand in front of her face.

But, at the same time, there was a calmness, a resolve, at least from the Master. It wasn't something that she wanted to do, and it was clear that things had not gone to plan, but that didn't mean that it was over.

There was a hole in the ceiling- Heping could escape if she wanted to, but that hardly occurred to her. These people, these strangers, had risked their lives on her behalf. Did they have ulterior motives? They almost certainly did; she wasn't so naïve as to think otherwise, but she knew all too well how rare kindness could be, and she wasn't going to allow this rescue to become nothing but an exchange of prisoners. Not while she still drew breath.

Even if she died in the process.

A grim laugh broke from the other side of the room, a laugh she'd never heard before.

Her brother never laughed.

"There we are! Your rescuers preferred to kill themselves than to continue this failed endeavor! Your Servant has been defeated, your rescuers have failed, and there is nothing left for you to do- you've lost!

"Now... I think it's about time you go back to mother- tail between your legs like the dog you are."

Such passion was alien to the man she'd lived with for so many years now. She couldn't even imagine the face that lay behind the helmet: she couldn't imagine her brother having such contorted features.

She breathed the cooling air, gathering herself, "Do... Do Mother's whims really mean that much to you?"

Each of his four blades flexed outwards, "Yes! Not that I'd expect you to understand. All women have to do is exist, but a man- a man is measured by his word! By his strength! By his ability to get things done! You- you didn't have to do a damned thing!

"And yet- and yet-! You bite the hand that feeds you! You scratch the arms that raised to welcome you!"

He slashed a blade of solid plasma across a locker adjacent to him, sparks flying as the metal melted in its wake.

"This is a battle, is it not!? Did you think I would just lie down and let you walk over me!?"

"Of course not! I expected you to admit defeat when you were defeated; not to throw yourself onto every sword that was offered to you! You say I'm taking this too far, too seriously, but what about you!? You fight tooth and nail and for what!? For what, sister!?"

It was a fair question. She had to admit that, between them, she was the one who escalated matters so severely. He had fought fair, and she had effectively lost, but she insisted on fighting regardless. When was it? When had she decided that her brother, the one who had been her sole ally for so long, was her enemy?

She didn't care about being the heir. At first, yes, it was a matter of pride. It was a matter of losing with dignity; putting up a fight before you went down. But she didn't care. She didn't want to be a mage. She didn't want to be the kind of person her brother and parents were. She would much rather be married to a stranger for the sake of politics- at least then there was a chance at finding humanity; finding someone who treated her like she was human.