Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"After the end of World War II,
the world was split into two - East and West.
This marked the beginning of the era called the Cold War."​

Robert: The Cold War? Quite an odd name for a supposed era . . . Maester Luwin, can you explain this 'Cold War'?

Luwin: Gladly mi'lord, The Cold War was a period wherein the United States of America and its allies fought against the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic for ideological and economical influence, this period was called as the Cold War due to either countries never having directly fought against one another but instead relied upon their influence and through proxy wars to gain victory.

Ned: Why did they not wage war amongst each other? It seems a bit . . . curious that two kingdoms who despise each other would not fight each other?

Luwin: It says here that both kingdom adhered under the Doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction, which states if each of them were to wage war then they would each be annihilated, so instead they waged proxy wars.

Ned: What could be so special amongst these kingdoms that waging war amongst each other could be so catasthrophic?

Luwin: It says here that- I am sorry mi'lords but the records regarding this have been . . . redacted.

Robert: Damned thing must be broken, but that is fine with me. Get on with the rest of it!

(shot of a large plane flying through the clouds)

5:30 AM August 24, 1964 Pakistani airspace

Pilot: Flying over Pakistan, altitude 30,000 feet. Approaching Soviet
airspace.

(shot of an unknown individual with white hair in a flight suit smoking a cigar in the cargo hold)

Pilot: Twenty minutes to dropoff... Commencing internal depressurization. Equipment check... arm main parachute.

Major: All right. You ready to go?

Pilot: Drop zone still showing a high pressure mass. CAVOK.

Major: Good, we've got high visibility.

Pilot: Put out that cigar. (The White-haired Man doesn't respond.) Connecting oxygen hose to interior connector. Put on your mask. (He still doesn't respond.) Does this pantywaist know what he's doing?

Barristan: Is the man deaf? Can't he obey their orders?

Pilot: Approaching release point... Ten minutes to dropoff. (He still does not respond)

Major: Hey! Are you deaf? He said put out the cigar and put on your mask. (He does so)

Pilot: Depressurization complete. Checking oxygen supply. Six minutes to dropoff. Opening rear hatch. (the hatch opens) Sunrise... External temperature minus 46 degrees Celsius. Two minutes to dropoff. Stand
up. (The white-haired man stands up and moves to the open hatch)

Major: You'll be falling at 130 miles per hour. Try not to get frostbite from the wind chill.

Robert: Are they mad for having that man jump from the air?

Barristan: I suppose that they might have some contraption to stop it . . . but I do not know what it could be.

Ned: With the height that tall, frostbite should be the least of his concerns.

Pilot: One minute to dropoff. Move to the rear. Activate bailout bottle.

Major: This is one for the history books; the world's first HALO jump.

Ned: The First? This barely gives me confidence as it is, but to be the first to make that sort of jump is making me uneasy.

(He steps on his cigar as he moves into position)

Pilot: Ten seconds to dropoff. Standby... Status OK, all green. Prepare for
dropoff... Countdown, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Major: Spread your wings and fly! God be with you!

(The Man Jumps)

Robert: Well, this could either go either poorly or not. I am leaning towards the former, what about you, Selmy?

Barristan: I'm confident that there must be some sort of contraption to save him, so I shall lean towards the latter, Your Grace.

Major: Listen up, Jack. Your mission is to infiltrate Tselinoyarsk in the Soviet mountains, ensure the safety of Sokolov, and bring him back to the West. If we don't get Sokolov back before that weapon is complete, we'll be facing a major crisis. The clock is ticking.

Barristan: So this man's name is Jack, and he'll have to rescue Sokolov?

Robert: Bringing up some memories of Duskendale, Barristan?

Barristan: I suppose so . . . but I would offer a wager that his task would be much more harder.

(Jack pulls a cord and the parachute opens up)

Ned: So that was how he would save himself?

Robert: Well, I would have to give it to him, it takes a lot of courage to jump from something that high, contraption or no contraption.

(Jack falls into the forest. His backpack snags on a branch as he falls to the ground. He releases his parachute just in time to avoid going over the edge of a cliff. Jack then begins to remove some of the equipment from his
flight suit and revealing his face and white hair.)

Robert: So that's what he looks like, eh? Looks like a dandy, truth be told.

Barristan: It would seem that landing is risky, and with his pack gone then he'll have to either retrieve it or carry on.

(Jack calls into his Radio)

Major: Do you copy? You're already in enemy territory, and somebody might be listening in. From here on out, we'll be using codenames to refer to each other. Your codename for this mission will be Naked Snake. I'll be referring
to you as Snake from now on. You are not to mention your real name.

Snake: "Snake"?

Major: You don't like snakes?

Snake: What do you mean?

Major: You've eaten one before, haven't you?

Snake: In survival training.

Ned: In survival training? Well, I can see how it would be useful for one to eat snakes to acclimate oneself on living off the land.

Robert: Naming somebody after an animal? If that were the case then Ned would be called by his moniker then, 'The Quiet Wolf'. Now what would mine be?

Ned: They would call you the 'Fat Stag', Your Grace.

(Both Robert and Ned Laugh, Barristan just sighs.)

Major: I'm glad to hear that.

Snake: I don't know if I'd ever order one in a restaurant, but...

Major: Be careful, you might not have a choice.

Snake: What about you, Major? What should I call you?

Major: Hmm, let's see... I'll be... I'll be Tom. Call me Major Tom.

Robert: A false name, I take it?

Ned: It seems so.

Tom: Oh, and Snake...

Snake: Yeah?

Tom: The crew isn't watching anymore. You can take off the disguise now.

Robert: Disguise? What disguise was he wearing?

Ned: It is possible that his hair was his disguise.

Snake: Good idea. This isn't right. Time for the snake to shed his skin.

(Snake removes a face mask and reveals his real face. He then calls Major Tom)

Robert: Well. Atleast he doesn't look like a dandy anymore, or a look like a Targaryen . . .

Ned: (sighs)

Barristan: If anyone can disguise themselves as such, then it'd be quite the tool for an assassin.

Snake: Can you hear me, Major Tom? This is Snake. Kept you waiting, huh?

Tom: This will be a sneaking mission. You must not be seen by the enemy. You must leave no trace of your presence. Is that clear? This kind of infiltration is the FOX unit's specialty. In other words, weapons and equipment are procure on-site... that goes for food as well. You're completely naked, just as your name implies.

Snake: Great. Now I see why you asked me if I like snakes. I suppose calling me "snake" was your idea of a joke, too?

Tom: No, there's a good reason for that. I'll tell you later, when the time is right.

Snake: Gotcha. Getting back to the subject, how exactly am I supposed to feed myself?

Tom: You've been issued a knife and a tranquilizer gun. Use them to hunt for food. You'll also find some medical supplies in your backpack.

Barristan: A knife, a gun, and medical supplies? That's more than what I had when Darklyn rebelled.

Ned: Not exactly Naked if you still have that much.

Snake: Yeah, about the backpack . . . I lost it in a tree on the way down.

Tom: I see. Well, you'd better go back and get it, then. Do you know where it is?

Snake: No problem, I can see it from here. It's stuck on a branch.

Tom: To climb a tree, stand in front of a tree that's covered in ivy and press the action button. I'll be monitoring your progress over the radio. We can't risk violating Soviet airspace, but I'll be in the gunship. My frequency is 140.85. I'll give you a call if I need to talk to you. If you need to talk to me, use the SEND function. OK, Snake, go get your backpack.

Robert: What in the nine hells is an Action Button?

Ned: I don't know . . . (A long pause occured, before everyone just ignored about it). Those Radios are quite convenient. If we had them then I am sure that messages would be delivered much more faster.

Barristan: Still, this mission would be certainly harder than when I rescued Aerys. The environment will be much more harsher.

Chapter Text

(after Snake gets his backpack, Tom calls him)

Tom: I see you've retrieved your backpack, Snake. To equip a weapon, it is necessary to take it out of your backpack. In the Survival Viewer, choose "WEAPON" from the "BACKPACK." Your available weapons will be displayed in a window in the upper-left. From that list, choose the weapon you want to equip and press the Enter button. For other equipped items, just do the same thing from "ITEM."

Snake: Got it! Use the Survival Viewer, "BACKPACK."

Robert: What in the bloody hell's are they still on about?

Ned: No idea.

Tom: Yep, that's right. Survival is fundamental to this mission. After you've been out in the field for a while, your stamina will start to drop. If your stamina gets too low, it'll affect your performance. You won't be able to
shoot accurately, for example, or your wounds won't heal as smoothly. Keep an eye on your stamina so you don't run out. To recover lost stamina, you can hunt for local flora and fauna. You can use either your tranquilizer gun or
your knife to hunt.

Snake: My only weapon is an Mk22 Hush Puppy tranquilizer gun?

Tom: That's right. It's been fitted with it's own suppressor. However, the suppressor will deteriorate every time you fire. Once its durability reaches zero, the noise suppression effect will be gone. So don't get too trigger happy with it. The suppressor's durability is shown in the icon. Any weapons and equipment beyond what you're carrying now, you'll have to find as you go.

Barristan: So, I take it that this 'Hush Puppy's' effects is like dosing a man with the milk of the poppy?

Luwin: Indeed, Ser Knight, though this Hush Puppy instead doses a man with a mixture of Golden Crescent and 'Digitalis Purpurea', if i'm saying that correctly.

Barristan: I don't see why it is necessary, killing a man is often more easier than incapicating him, as a man asleep can be awoken by his comrades, but a dead man cannot.

Snake: I have to find my own weapons and equipment? Whose crazy idea was this anyway?

Tom: Solo covert actions are standard FOX operating procedure. You can't leave any traces of your presence. No weapons, equipment, footprints, sweat, or bodily fluids - the same goes for bullets and cartridges, too. Your presence in enemy territory is already a violation of international conventions of warfare. There aren't supposed to be any American soldiers in Russia. It could spark an international incident. You can't let the enemy see you. You can't let the enemy know you're there. This is a stealth mission. You're a ghost, Snake, in every sense of the word. There'll be no rescue if you're captured. The military and the US government will deny any involvement in the affair.

Robert: I suppose that covers your question, Barristan.

Barristan: I suppose so . . . a dead man would certainly raise more questions than a man asleep.

Ned: I don't suppose that not even you, Ser Barristan, can even attempt such a mission and not be seen, even at your youth.

Barristan: Aye, even back in Duskendale, I was seen by Ser Symon Hollard and the guards.

Snake: Then I'll just have to take care of myself, huh.

Tom: I'm afraid so. You've been given a "fake death" pill for that purpose. SIS guidelines stipulate that soldiers on covert ops like this one be issued a potassium cyanide capsule. Tape it to your body so you can take it when you
need to.

Snake: How generous of you.

Tom: Use it if you're taken prisoner by the enemy. It'll send you into a state of false death for a short time.

Ned: . . .

Barristan: It is not quite honourable, but for such a daunting task as his, even faking one's death can save your life.

Robert: How Ironic.

Snake: ...fooling them into thinking I'm really dead. So how do I come back to
life again?

Tom: Just take the revival pill.

Snake: You mean that thing they put in my tooth before the mission?

Tom: That's the one. But be careful. If you remain in a state of false death for too long, nothing will be able to bring you back. Remember that.

Snake: I'll keep it in mind. You said this was a solo mission, right?

Tom: Right.

Snake: I guess that means I can't count on any reinforcements.

Tom: Correct. The mission rests entirely in your hands.

Snake: A real one-man army.

Robert: Ahh, such a daunting task certainly gives me quite the excitement just by thinking of it. Think about it, Ned. Just yourself to depend on. Your success is truely yours, not aided by your bannermen.

Ned: But if you fail, then the failure truely is laid upon only you. Nobody else to lay the blame on.

Tom: Relax, there's a support team ready to back you up over the radio.

Snake: Who?

Tom: I'll introduce them to you. This time, survival is of the utmostimportance. The first member of the support team will be in charge of monitoring your physical condition - acting a medic, so to speak - as well as recording your mission data. She's a member of FOX as well and she's here on the gunship with me.

Snake: "She"?

Para-Medic: Hello, Snake. I'm Para-Medic. Nice to meet you.

Snake: Para...Medic?

Robert: Aye, 'Para-Medic'?

Ned: It is certainly unusual for those of the fairer sex to act as the healer, though, She isn't truly a healer, just the teacher to help Snake in healing himself.

Para-Medic: As in a medic who comes in by parachute.

Robert: Parachute, like the one Snake got deployed with? That'd be the sight, wouldn't it? Your savior coming in like an Angel sent by the Gods.

Barristan: Aye, It would.

Snake: Aren't you going to tell me your real name?

Para-Medic: Are you going to tell me yours, Mr. Snake?

Snake: My name, huh... It's John Doe.

Robert: John Doe?

Luwin: It is said here, mi'lords that John Doe is typically a name given to the unidentified dead.

Robert: So either his parent's are unimaginative or that's not his true name.

Para-Medic: And they call you Jack for short? You're a regular Captain Nemo.

Snake: A name means nothing on the battlefield. After a week, no one has a
name. What's your name?

Robert: Quite the world, isn't it? Nobility and Royalty are unrecognized on the battlefield, only your martial abilities are of use.

Ned: It is quite the world.

Para-Medic: Jane Doe.

Snake: Very funny.

Para-Medic: I wasn't joking but I'll tell you my name only if you manage to
make it back alive. My frequency is 145.73.

Tom: She's also in charge of recording your mission data. Whenever you want to
SAVE, SEND a message over the reserved SAVE frequency, 140.96.

Snake: So saving lets me record my mission data?

Para-Medic: That's right. It also records your state of health.

Snake: Good to know.

Tom: There's one more person I want to introduce you to, Snake.

Snake: ?

Tom: Speaking of snakes, you remember The Boss, don't you? A legendary soldier and your mentor. Actually, it was The Boss that got the DCI's authorization in the first place. She's going to be serving as FOX's mission advisor.

Barristan: 'She'? The Boss must certainly have quite the storied tale behind her.

Snake: The Boss is?

Tom: She also helped me plan this mission. She and I were at SAS together.

Boss: Jack, is that you? How many years has it been?

Robert: So that's her voice . . . She sounds like an angel of death and war.

Barristan: Aye, as comforting as the seven's embrace, and with as much steel behinf her as Valyrian Steel.

Snake: Boss?

Boss: That's right, it's me.

Snake: ...

Boss: Talk to me. Let me hear your voice.

Snake: It's been 5 years, 72 days, and 18 hours.

Robert: That is . . . quite odd.

Ned: Either that, or he must have quite the memory.

Boss: You've lost weight.

Snake: You can tell just by the sound of my voice?

Boss: Of course I can. I know all about you.

Robert: Normally, that'd be odd, or enticing if a woman were to say that . . .

Ned: But with her, it's like a mother knowing everything about her child.

Robert: Aye.

Snake: Really. Well, I don't know anything about you.

Boss: What's that supposed to mean?

Snake: ...Why'd you disappear on me all of a sudden?

Boss: I was on a top-secret mission.

Robert: Secret, eh. I wonder what that mission was.

Snake: ...

Boss: You didn't need me anymore.

Snake: But there were still so many things I wanted you to teach me.

Boss: No. I taught you everything you needed to know about fighting techniques. I taught you all I could. The rest you needed to learn on your own.

Barristan: She's right, sparring in the courtyard is good for learning how to fight. But surviving is something one learns in combat, not before. Not even all the texts in the world, can prepare one for combat.

Snake: Techniques, sure. But what about how to think like a soldier?

Boss: How to think like a soldier? I can't teach you that. A soldier needs to be strong in spirit, body, and technique - and the only thing you can learn from someone else is technique. In fact, technique doesn't even matter. What's most important is spirit. Spirit and body are like two sides of a single coin. They're the same thing. I can't teach you how to think. You'll just have to figure it out for yourself. Listen to me, Jack. Just because soldiers are on the same side right now doesn't mean they always will be. Having personal feelings about your comrades is one the worst sins you can commit. Politics determine who you face on the battlefield. And politics are a living thing. They change along with the times. Yesterday's good might be tomorrow's evil.

Robert: Aye, technique and your abilities is nothing compared to your will. Rhaegar might've been better with a sword and he wounded me at first, but I was not gonna die in the Trident.

Barristan: . . . you are correct, for as skillful as Arthur Dayne was, surely his abilities pales in comparison to your will to live, Aren't I correct, Lord Stark?

Ned: . . . Aye, I certainly paled in comparison to Arthur Dayne, but I didn't want to die on Dornish Sand.

Robert: 'worst sins you can commit'? I must admit, during the Rebellion, that the friends I made before, made it harder for me to strike against them.

Ned: This 'Boss' is certainly wiser beyond her years, and that is not flattery. Evil and Good isn't always as certain as we would want it to be,

Snake: Is that why you abandoned me?

Boss: No. It had nothing to do with you. I already told you, Jack. I was on a top-secret mission. A soldier has to follow whatever orders he's given. It's not his place to question why. But you're looking for a reason to fight.
You're a natural born fighter, but you're not quite a soldier. A soldier is a political tool, nothing more. That's doubly true if he's a career soldier. Right and wrong have no place in his mission. He has no enemies and no friends. Only the mission. You follow the orders you're given. That's what being a soldier is all about.

Barristan: She is right, as a Kingsguard, no matter what the King does, I must follow my oaths and protect him to my last breath or at least I should've.

Robert: You wanted to die, then? Back at the trident?

Barristan: Some nights, Aye.

Snake: I do whatever I have to do to get the job done. I don't think about politics.

Boss: That's not the same thing. Sooner or later, your conscience is going to bother you. In the end, you have to choose whether you're going to live as a soldier, or just another man with a gun. There's a saying in the Orient; "Loyalty to the end." Do you know what it means?

Snake: Being... Patriotic?

Boss: It means devoting yourself to your country.

Barristan: Loyalty to the end? That can be the words of the Kingsguard. All of us were prepared to lay down our lives for the king, no matter who was against us.

Ned: 'were'?

Barristan: Loath as I am to say, The Kingsguard have certainly declined throughout the years.

Robert: Barristan is right; Ser Greenfield, Ser Lannister, and Ser Blount are a testament to the decline of the Kingsguard, No matter how vile Aerys the Second was, even I can't deny that his retinue of Kingsguard were amongst the finest in history.

Snake: I follow the President and the top brass. I'm ready to die for them if
necessary.

Boss: The President and the top brass won't be there forever. Once their terms
are up, others will take their place.

Barristan: Again, she speaks true, Jaehaerys the Second, though short as his reign was, he was certainly one of the better kings from the Targaryen's. But Aerys the Second destroyed everything that his father had built up. I hated the mockery that he made of the Iron Thrones, but despite my personal feelings, I am oath-bound to serve the King.

Snake: I follow the will of the leader, no matter who's in charge.

Boss: People aren't the ones who dictate the missions.

Snake: Then who does?

Boss: The times. People's values change over time. And so do the leaders of acountry. So there's no such thing as an enemy in absolute terms. The enemies we fight are only in relative terms, constantly changing with the times.

Ned: She is correct, yet again . . . Enemies won't always be your enemies. You, yourself are a testament to this, Robert. You befriended many foes through the Rebellion.

Robert: Ahh, my thanks, Lord Stark.

Ned: Cut it out; In the inverse of this, Friends can quite easily become enemies, The start of the rebellion certainly proved it.

Snake: ...

Boss: As long as we have "loyalty to the end," there's no point in believing in anything... even in those we love.

Robert: No point in believing in anything, huh.

Barristan: Aye, mi'lord. Even for a Kingsguard, there is no point to believe in anything else, save the oaths that we have made.

Snake: And that's the way a soldier is supposed to think?

Boss: The only thing we can believe in with absolute certainty is the mission, Jack.

Snake: All right. But do me a favor.

Boss: What is it?

Snake: Call me Snake.

Robert: So he's too easily accepting of his new name, huh.

Ned: 'The name doesn't matter, all that matters is what you do', is that their philosophy?

Robert: Well, I am all for that, if so that some noble pansy won't always hide behind their family name.

Boss: Snake? Oh, right, your codename is Snake. It suits you well.

Tom: That's right. The legendary unit that The Boss put together during WorldWar II was a snake. The Cobra Unit... a group of heroes that brought the war to an end and saved the world. As long as you've got a legendary hero backing you up, you'll be fine. Isn't that right, Snake?

Robert: Safety isn't always guaranteed, even with a Hero by his side.

Snake: Yeah, I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have with me. Oh, and one more thing, Boss...

Boss: Yes?

Snake: It's good to hear your voice again.

Robert: Aye, such voice it's . . . like the both the Maiden and the Warrior speaking to you.

Boss: Same here. After all, who knows if either of us will make it out alive... Snake, you were always best at urban warfare and infiltrating buildings. But this is the jungle. Survival is going to be key. Those CQC techniques I taught you are sure to come in handy.

Snake: CQC - close quarters combat, huh. I've been in the Green Berets for the past few years. I'm probably pretty rusty.

Boss: Not to worry. I'll be here to help you remember. After all, this is your first actual survival mission. I'll be supporting you over the radio.

Snake: Where are you, Boss? Next to the Major?

Tom: The Boss is communicating with us by radio from aboard a Permit-class submarine in the Artic Ocean.

Boss: My frequency is 141.80. Call me if you need my advice on battle technique.

Snake: Gotcha.

Tom: Your mission is to retrieve Dr. Sokolov. Dr. Sokolov is being held in an abandoned factory located to the north of your current position. Avoid heavy combat and don't let anyone see you. Don't forget that this is a stealth mission.

(Snake stands up and draws his gun and knife)

Boss: Snake, try to remember some of the basics of CQC.

Snake: Commencing Virtuous mission... now.

Robert: Seems that this jungle will be akin to sacred ground for him.

Ned: How so?

Robert: This forest, it will prove who he is as a soldier.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Cersei: (mutters to herself) Does my oaf of a husband think that he can watch those recordings and not I!

Septa Morgane: Your grace?

Cersei: Septa Morgane! You have the same recording's as the one's that Maester Luwin have, yes?

Septa Morgane: That is correct, your grace.

Cersei: Very well! Have those same recordings be 'played', now!

Catelyn: Your grace, It would not be wis-

Cersei: Silence!

Septane Morgane: Your grace, the very recordings detailing the genealogy of 'Snake' that Maester Luwin has played to his grace, Robert Baratheon alongside his lord, Eddard Stark, and Sir Barristan Selmy shall now be play-

Cersei: Give me that! (She grabs it and plays on one of the recordings)

(Miller hums while lathering himself).

Snake: Shouldn't you take your sunglasses off?

Miller: Ah. So that's why it was so dark in here.

Snake: Aaah.

Cersei: What in the nine hells is happening? Why can't I play another recording?

Septa Morgane: I believe that the recording is 'locked' in, Your Grace.

Catelyn: It would appear that this 'Snake' is in some sort of a Hot Spring, Your Grace; only this one does not have water.

Cersei: Is that so? Well, I should install one of these Hot Springs in the Red Keep. They seem quite comfortable.

Miller: Boss? It's you, Snake?

Snake: So it's finished, huh?

Miller: Hm?

Snake: That room.

Miller: Ah, sauna?

Cersei: So it's called a Sauna. Yes, I shall install these Sauna's in the Red Keep.

(Septa Morgane and Catelyn stay quiet)

Snake: It's so not like you...

Miller: Hmm?

Snake: Isn't it a bit too... extravagant? To have a sauna in our Mother Base?

Miller: Well, you were the one who approved it?

Snake: I changed my mind while I was on a mission. Isn't it a bit too costy?

Miller: We talked about this before, right? It should be pretty economical if we use filtered ocean water and think about our electricity expenses.

Miller: And we have some soldiers from Finland, I think it might boost their morale a bit.

Miller: Wanna use some soap?

Snake: Nope!

Miller: This sauna is quite popular. You wait till it gets hot, then you pour water, which creates steam. It's like one of 'em Finnish saunas! 20 people can get in.

Cersei: Quite spacious, isn't it? 20 people. Still for this 'Sauna' to make steam should be quite a similar experience to the Hot Springs in Wintefell. Do you agree, Lady Catelyn?

Catelyn: I would agree, Your Grace.

Snake: Aah.

Miller: Snake?

Snake: Kaz. I heard someone got injured here.

Miller: Hmm? Oh, that was barely a bruise...

Snake: And he was recovering from it for a month? Who was it?

Miller: Armadillo.

Snake: You were here when it happened?

Miller: Aaaah. Yeah. He suddenly slipped. Probably on soap.

Snake: Slipped. That guy, huh. The one who has a posture of a tank, huh. Slipped.

Miller: Yeah. He was so heavy that when he fell, the seagulls on the top of our Mother Base went flying.

Snake: Huuuh.

Miller: Maybe he just felt dizzy. He was in a sauna, after all.

Cersei: Quite an obvious lie from this Miller, I would reckon that this Miller was the one to cause that incident.

Septa Morgane: I believe so, Your Grace. A bruise would hardly warrant a month of recovery.

Snake: Sauna, huh.

Miller: Boss.

Snake: Kaz.

Miller: Boss?

Snake: Is there anything you want to tell me?

Miller: Ah, yeah. Snake... you wanna check out the sauna?

Snake: Will you show me around?

Miller: Just look at this steam.

Snake: There... there's an injury on the inside of your thigh.

Miller: W-what are you looking at.

Snake: At you, at your whole body. Well... Besides that part you're hiding with that towel.

Cersei: This is not . . .

Snake: Kaz, so...

Miller: So! What do you think about this sauna, isn't it something?

Snake: Yeah. It's quite refreshing, compared to that dry tropical weather.

Snake: So... Kaz.

Miller: Yeah, what?

Snake: What's with these leaves?

Miller: Vihta. Tied up leaves from a Japanese white birch.

Snake: Vihta.

Miller: You use it to strike your body. It stimulates the blood circulation. Reinvigorates you.

Snake: Huuuh. Let me try it.

Miller: Sure thing.

Snake: Give me it.

Miller: Here.

Snake: Huuh. This is nice.

Catelyn: (blushing) Your Grace, this recording is quite inappropriat-

Cersei: (also blushing) Q-quiet! If my husband knows something that I do not, then I must figure out what it is.

Miller: Geez, you use so much strength, Snake.

Snake: So, Kaz. Show me your back.

Miller: Yeah?

Snake: Show me your back.

Miller: ... Huh? My back?

Snake: Yeah. Stand up and turn around.

Miller: W-Why? W-What, Snake?

Snake: Take off your towel.

Miller: S-Snake? Where are you touching me?

Septa Morgane: I-I believe that I must take my leave, Your Grace. I will need to tutor the children of his Lord, Eddard Stark. (she tries to leave but the door is locked.) What the-

Cersei: It would seem that we are locked. N-nevertheless, we must continue to watch . . . this.

Snake: You even have scars on your ass. As if someone clawed at it...

Miller: I-Isn't this enough?

Snake: No. Show me more. Turn around.

Miller: Huh?

Snake: Turn around.

Snake: Huuuh.

Miller: Snake.

Snake: Kaz. Are you popular?

Miller: ... I suppose so.

Snake: Ooooh.

Miller: (groaning) Ah, Snake? Where are you touching me?

Cersei: W-what is 'Snake' touching?

Catelyn: I simply cannot bear to watch this! Y-your grace!

Cersei: I-If you even so much as faint then you will be hanged!

Snake: Kaz. That.

Miller: Ah, oh...

Catelyn, Cersei, and Morgane: oh . . .

Snake: Hey, do you remember?

Miller: Eh?

Snake: That time, when just we met. You asked me what my count was with the ladies.

Miller: Huh?

Snake: Or was it, how many women I had been with?

Miller: Ah, aaah.

Snake: It's been two years. So, how many new girls have you had since then?

Miller: Hmmm... Somewhere around... this? *shows some number using his fingers*

Snake: THAT MANY!?

Miller: Ah, uh...

Snake: How did you manage that in two years leading a life like ours?

Snake: Kaz. I'm not going to control everyone's love affairs. You're free to choose. The responsibility is also in your hands.

Miller: Just what I'd expect from you, Boss-

Snake: However. I also believe it's important that no one sets a bad example when it comes to their duties and intentions. Do you understand?

Cersei: A-at the very least, it would seem that Snake is discplining his men for debauchery. It would be a better world if every leader would do the same. Would you not agree, Lady Stark? What with the Bastard your husband has produced, this 'Jon Snow'.

Catelyn: I-I am afraid that I do not share such sentiments, Your Grace.

Miller: Hah, I see you're getting a bit red, maybe I should go-

Snake: Kaz. You, as a deputy commander, should be more sensible.

Miller: What's with that...

Snake: Gazelle asked me for some advice. Right after she got back from a mission. She wanted to talk. She's one of our prettiest staff members, isn't she?

Miller: Well, yeah.

Snake: Did you do it with her?

Miller: She said so?

Snake: Oh yeah, seems Gazelle also said she saw you with Swan. Swan's another one of those -- almost too pretty to be working around here, right?

Miller: Well, just being around her isn't--

Snake: You came here with her.

Miller: Huh?

Snake: You took a shower with her here, huh. You two. Alone.

Cersei: This Snake is at least a h-harsh and strict man. Not even his commander's are safe from the rules.

Miller: W-Well... (gets whipped)

Miller: Huuurts!

Snake: So how was it. I've heard everything. Soap play, huh.

Miller: Soap play-

Snake: Tell me!

Catelyn: Your Grace, it seems that this is not a leader disciplining his men, but them 'rolling in the hay' together

Cersei: Silence!

Miller: I'm sorry, it was so suddenly-

Snake: So suddenly? Armadillo saw you two. And Swan was his girlfriend.

Snake: And was he surprised! That Armadillo, who was so proud of his tank-like balance...

Snake: ... fell down, huh... So hard, the seagulls on the top of our Mother Base went flying!

Snake: Vihta!

(the following part is full of fighting and hard to follow unless you listen to this track while reading it)

Snake: Two-timing!

Snake: What happened to chivalry! You're setting a bad example, what the hell are you doing?

Cersei: Chivalry? Even your honorable husband, Eddard Stark fooled around and birthed a bastard.

Catelyn: (muttering) Yours as well.

Cersei: What was that!

Catelyn: It was nothing, Your Grace

Miller: Snake...

Snake: Making me lecture you like this!

Miller: I was just stupid that time!

Snake: Oh really? I know they weren't the only ones you slept with. So, who else was there? Dolphin? Elephant? Just how many were there? Do you want me to crush you for all this!?

Miller: I didn't do anything with them!

Snake: You bastard! This time, I'll mince you!

Snake: Won't let you do that!

Snake: You damn pervert!

Snake: Wait!

Snake: Don't you move from where you're...

Miller: Boss, calm down... You know, animals are actually instinctively--

Snake: We're civilized human beings around here!

Miller: Waaah!

Snake: Wait!

Snake: Snake kiiick! (kicks the door down and they're outside now.)

Random Soldiers: ?? Boss!

Miller: W-W-Waiiit, my neck...

Snake: Hey, it feels good, doesn't it? The sea breeze on our exhausted bodies...

Miller: You're... so hot... I can feel it on my back...

Catelyn: . . . oh my!

Cersei: Is this what my husband was watching with Lord Stark!

Septa Morgane: Your Grace . . . this was the wrong recording.

Cersei: . . . Silence!

Snake: Kaz, think about it seriously. It's either women, or us.

Miller: ... Can't I have both?

Miller: You bastard! [something else here, but hard to catch]

Miller: What's... wrong... with being... popular!

Snake: That was a good punch. But that's not enough to beat me.

Miller: Impressive as always, Boss...

Snake: What have you got there?

Miller: Heehee.

Catelyn: I do not even want to know!

Snake: Fulton Recovery System? What are you going to do with it?

Miller: How about flying away, hm, Boss?

Snake: Apologise to everyone. And be more careful next time.

Miller: Uh...

Snake: You're on sauna cleanup duty for the next year.

Miller: Yeah.

Snake: Great.

Snake: Eh.

Snake: Hey, you all. What are you looking at? Get back to what you were doing.

Cersei: At least Miller g-got punished.

Septa Morgane: Y-your grace, the door is now open

Cersei: Then our businesses has been concluded and we must never speak of this again! (quickly rushing off)

Catelyn: Agreed!

Chapter Text

Meryl: My head! ...Ooh. It hurts!

Snake: What's wrong?

Meryl: Don't come here, Snake!

Robert: What in the nine hell's happened to her?

Ned: I have not the foggiest idea.

Barristan: Can it be possible that a previous head trauma could have cause it?

Snake: Are you okay? What happened?

(Mantis/Meryl stands up. When she speaks her voice sounds different.)

Meryl: I'm fine. Let's go.

(Mantis/Meryl walks to the door of the Commander's Room.)

Mantis/Meryl: C'mon Mr. FOX-HOUND. The commander is waiting.

Robert: I do not trust her at all. The voice is too eerie.

Barristan: From what we have heard, Psycho Mantis was a powerful psychic. It is probable that he has bewitched Meryl.

Robert: For one to possess another in such a way, it sends shivers down my neck.

(They go into the Commander's Room. Meryl begins to jerk around.)

Mantis/Meryl: Ah!

(She points her handgun at Snake. She begins to walk towards him, slowly. When she speaks her voice sounds strange.)

Mantis/Meryl: Snake... do you... like me?

Snake: What the!?

Mantis/Meryl: Do you like me? Hold me, Snake.

Snake: What's wrong?

Mantis/Meryl: Hurry... hurry! Make love to me!! Snake, I want you!

(We now see Psycho Mantis behind Meryl. He is controlling her.)

Robert: Now I appreciate when a woman is toward. But this . . . is . . . too . . . I do not even have the words.

Ned: This feat of magic should not be in the hands for any man.

Barristan: So Psycho Mantis has appeared.

Snake: Who's that!?

Mantis/Meryl: Huh? You don't like girls?

(Snake knocks Meryl out.)

Mantis: Useless woman!

Snake: Optic camouflage, huh? I hope that's not your only trick.

Mantis: You! You doubt my power!?

Robert: It is obvious that this Mantis is nothing more than a charlatan! Is that not right, Maester Luwin!

Maester Luwin: Quite right, Your Grace. Most who claim to be practitioners of sorcery are merely Mummers and the like who only deceive their audience.

Ned: Still, Snake should not underestimate this Mantis.

(Snake checks on Meryl to make sure she isn't hurt.)

Mantis: Now, I will show you why I am the most powerful practitioner of psychokinesis and telepathy in the world.

Mantis: No... there's no need for words, Snake. I am Psycho Mantis. That's right... this is no trick. It is true power.

(Snake whips out his SOCOM and points it at Mantis.)

Mantis: It's useless. I told you... I can read your every thought. Now... let me read your mind. No... perhaps I should say your past.

Robert: Read Snake's past? Hah! What a loon! He has probably read about the history of Solid Snake!

Barristan: Still, if he isn't . . . lying then-

Mantis: Still don't believe me? Now I'll read more deeply into your soul. King Robert Baratheon!

Robert: What in the-

Maester Luwin: This cannot be!

Ned: How in the!

(Barristan remains silent as he drew his sword.)

Mantis: The most defining moment in your life, the reason you resorted to whoring and to drinking, was when you watched your parents' ship, The Windproud, sink in Shipbreaker bay. You tried to row a boat over to save them but you were stopped by your brother, Stannis and by the guards, that caused quiet a strain in your relationship with Stannis, did it not?

Robert: Damn you! Maester Luwin! Shut this down!

Maester Luwin: I am trying, Your Grace.

Mantis: A rather embarassing moment for you was when you bedded Cersei Lannister, on your wedding. You kept on weeping the name of 'Lyanna Stark'! It is quite funny, is it not!

Robert: Damn this bastard!

Ned: I . . .

Barristan: Your Grace, behind me! The door is locked!

Mantis: Now, for the Quiet Wolf, Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell. The moment that would forever haunt your dreams was when Robert was presented with the bodies of Elia Martell, Rhaenys, and little Aegon.

Ned: Damn it.

Mantis: Who next? Barristan or Luwin? Bahhh! Luwin is a bore! I'll try Ser Barristan the Bold!

Barristan: You will not enter my mind!

Mantis: Oh . . . but I already have. Did you all know that Ser Barristan wished to court the once-fair Lady Ashara Dayne? The old man angling for a marriage to a youthful woman? How embarassing! He even planned to crown her 'The Queen of Love and Beauty'! He was quite jealous of Dear Ned for his favor towards Ashara!

Barristan: I have many regrets in my life, but my love for her is not of them!

Mantis: What's more, you even wanted to defect to serve Viserys Targaryen . . . but he was too mad, was it not? Just like his father and the ones before him!

Barristan: Damn you! Do not dare to . . . Damn you!

Mantis: What do you think now! Can you feel my power now!

Barristan: I've figured it out. King Baratheon! Lord Stark! Maester Luwin! Change your fonts and font color to stop him!

Ned: Thank you, Ser Barristan!
Robert: Where the hell is my hammer so I can cave his skull!

Mantis: Damn it! You are quite sly, I shall give you that, Ser Barristan! But this demonstration is over!

Barristan: My lords, we should not let our defenses down for now.
Ned: Aye.
Robert: How the hell can he do that Luwin!
Luwin: I- I have no idea, my lords.

(Snake was able to defend him self against Mantis as well by switching over Controller Ports and fires his SOCOM pistol into Mantis' gut.)

Robert: Damned bastard deversed that.

Mantis: So... you used another font and snake used the other... I... I wasn't able to read the future...

Snake: A strong man doesn't need to read the future. He makes his own.

Robert: Aye. I don't need the gods or some sovereign to deign what my fate should be, I'll craft my own tale and make my own legend.

Mantis: Perhaps so... But I will also read your future...

(Meryl gets up from the floor.)

Mantis: To get to Metal Gear's underground maintenance base... you have to go through that hidden door. There's a hidden door behind the bookcase. The overland route... it's blocked by frozen glaciers. Go past the communications towers. Then use the tower's walkway.

Barristan: Why is he helping Snake?
Ned: Maybe he wants to die by helping someone.

(While Mantis is talking we see what he is talking about. Snake kneels down beside Mantis.)

Snake: Why are you telling me this?

Mantis: I can read people's minds. In my lifetime I have read the pasts, presents, and futures of thousands upon thousands of men and women.

(Snake takes off Mantis's mask. Meryl grabs her mouth, horrified.)

Meryl: Oh... gross...

Robert: Tt. Such a disgusting face.

Mantis: And each mind that I peered into was stuffed with the same single object of obsession. That selfish and atavistic dsire to pass on one's seed... it was enough to make me sick. Every living thing on this planet exists to mindlessly pass on their DNA. We're designed that way. And that's why there is war. But you... you are different... You're the same as us. We have no past, no future. We live in the moment. That's out only purpose. Humans weren't designed to bring eachother happiness. From the moment we're thrown into this world, we're fated to bring each other nothing but pain and misery. The first person who's mind I dove into was my father's. I saw nothing but disgust and hatred for me in his heart. My mother died in childbirth... and he despised me for it... I thought my father was going to kill me.

Robert: So . . . his father hated him? Just like Tyrion then, I'm not wholly ignorant of what the Lannisters are doing, and I know that Tywin hates Tyrion for 'killing' his mother.
Barristan: Aye. This Mantis seems to be quite the nihilistic man.
Robert: I might've disagreed once but Mantis is right, we don't bring each other nothing but misery. Cersei brought me nothing but hell and I gave her nothing but misery in return.
Ned: . . .

(Now we see Mantis's spirit or soul floating above him.)

Mantis: That's when my future dissapeared. I lost my past as well. When I came to, the village was engulfed in flames...

Snake: Are you saying you burned your village down to bury your past?

Barristan: How revolting.
Robert: Aye.

Mantis: I see that you have suffered the same trauma.

(Mantis laughs feebly.)

Mantis: We are truly the same, you and I... The world is a more interesting place with people like you in it... I never agreed with the Boss's revolution. His dreams of world conquest do not interest me. I just wanted an excuse to kill as many people as I could.

Barristan: This man! Has he no sense of-
Robert: No. He doesn't. His life was nothing but misery so he'll bring as much misery as he can.
Ned: That's wrong. When we die, we shouldn't die and leave nothing but suffering for the future generation. It's our imperative that our sins doesn't get handed down unto the next generation.
Robert: . . .

(Meryl is taken aback by this.)

Meryl: You monster!

Snake: Let him talk. He doesn't have much time left.

Mantis: I've seen true evil. You Snake. You're just like the Boss... No, you're worse. Compared to you, I'm not so bad.

Robert: How the hell is Snake worse than him?

(Mantis nods to Meryl.)

Mantis: I read her mind as well.

Snake: Meryl's?

Mantis: I saw you there... you have a large place in heart.

Robert: So Meryl has little crush on Snake, eh?
Ned: Not necesarrily. It could be that Meryl idolises Snake and believes him to be a hero.

(Meryl touches Snake's shoulder.)

Snake: A large place?

Mantis: Yes. A large place. But I do not know if your futures lie together. I have a last request.

Snake: What is it?

Mantis: My mask... put it back on.

Snake: Okay.

(Snake hesitates to put it back on while Mantis is talking. He holds it over
his face.)

Mantis: Like this... other people's thoughts force their way into my mind. Before I die... I want to be by myself. I want to be left alone in my own world.

Robert: Somehow, I want the same myself. I don't want to be surrounded by others when I die, my life has already been spent being socialising and such. I want to die by my lonesome.

(Snake places the mask on Mantis' face and secures it with the straps.)

Mantis: I'll open the door for you.

(Mantis reaches out a hand and moves it so that the bookshelf blocking the door moves out of the way.)

Mantis: If you want to find your future, go through that door. This is the first time I've ever used my power to help someone. It's strange... it feels... kind of... nice.

(Mantis' head lolls to one side. Snake pauses for a moment and then stands up.)

Barristan: It should be fine to use our regular fonts, now mi'lords.

Ned: For a life of bleakness, he helped Snake in preserving the world.

Robert: I . . . maybe there's some hope for us if even Mantis can do that.

Snake: Let's go, Meryl.

Meryl: I'm sorry...

Snake: Meryl?

Meryl: How could I let Mantis control my mind like that...

Robert: Happens to the best of us. Isn't that right, Maester Luwin?

Luwin: (quickly) Aye, Mi'lord.

Snake: If you're going to doubt yourself, I'll leave you here.

Meryl: You're right.

Snake: Never doubt yourself. Just let it make you stronger. Learn something from it.

Meryl: You're right. I'm sorry. I won't do it again.

Ned: Aye. Doubt will kill you.

(Snake turns to leave.)

Meryl Snake, can I ask you something?

Snake: What!?

Meryl: About what Mantis said... I was just wondering...

Snake: What? What's the problem now?

Meryl: Oh no... nothing. So tell me, Snake. What's your name? Your real name?

Snake: Name means nothing on the battlefield.

Ned: I must disagree. Our names can help us in inspiring our men, akin to a light within the darkness. But in the world that they live in, maybe that light is overshadowed by the dark.

Meryl: How old are you?

Snake: Old enough to know what death looks like.

Robert: Aye. For men like us, we learned to live and die in war.

Meryl: Any family?

Snake: No, but I was raised by many people.

Meryl: Is there anyone you like?

Snake: I've never been interested in anyone else's life...

Meryl: So you are all alone. Just like Mantis said.

Snake: Other people just complicate my life. I don't like to get involved.

Robert: He sounds a little like when I first met you, Ned!

Ned: Shut it, I'm embarassed by what I was back then.

Robert: Haha!

Barristan: (chuckles)

Ned: Not you too, Barristan.

Meryl: You're a sad, lonely man.

Snake: C'mon... let's go.

Robert: I . . . can oddly relate to Snake.

Barristan: . . .

Ned: We should play the other recordings by the next day. We need to recollect our thoughts.

Robert: Aye.

Chapter Text

Campbell: Snake, are you okay?

Snake: I've been better.

Barristan: After his torture, I'd expect him to be much more worse.

Ned: Aye, Ocelot was much more heinous than I first thought. Perhaps the years have changed him. Still, there is certainly no excuse to mistreat a prisoner as such.

Naomi: How's Meryl?

Snake: . . .

Barristan: I very much hope that Ocelot will remain true to his word and spare the lass after what Snake had to endure for her.

Ned: Aye. I very much hope so, aswell. She reminds me too much of . . . Catelyn. If Catelyn was much more like Lyanna then I would suppose that Meryl would be the result.

Campbell: Snake, the government has decided not to give in to their demands. We're trying to buy some more time.

Snake: C'mon, Colonel. Why don't you stop playing dumb? I'm sorry about Meryl but I want the lies to end now.

Robert: Gods! They've already sent him on that mission against his will, he isn't even bound by his oaths, the least that they can do is to stop scheming and tell him the truth!

Campbell: What are you talking about?

Snake: Metal Gear was designed to launch a new type of nuclear warhead, wasn't it?

Campbell: !

Snake: You knew it all along, didn't you?

Campbell: . . .

Snake: Why did you try to hide it?

Campbell: . . . I'm sorry . . .

Snake: Can't tell the grunts, huh? You've changed a lot. Metal Gear. Secret advanced nuclear weapons research. Does the White House know about this? How deep does it go?

Campbell: As far as I know, as of yesterday, the President had not been briefed about the Rex Project.

Barristan: The president doesn't know? This project is tantamount to treason!

Robert: Aye. But I shouldn't be one to judge, after all . . .

Snake: "Need to know basis", is that the idea?

Campbell: These are sensitive times. Even sub-critical nuclear tests are causing quite a stir.

Snake: Plausible deniability, huh?

Campbell: Yes. And tomorrow the President and his Russian counterpart are scheduled to sign the Start 3 Accord.

Snake: I get it. That's the reason for the deadline.

Naomi: That's right, Snake. And that's why we can't let the terrorist attack go public.

Campbell: We still haven't even ratified Start 2 or dealt with the issue of TMD's. This has to do with the President's reputation and America's place as the dominant superpower.

Snake: So patriotism is your excuse for circumventing the Constitution?

Campbell: Please, Snake... just stop them.

Snake: Why should I?

Robert: Aye. Why should he? He isn't a knight, or a soldier anymore. He's no longer tied by any oaths or duties.

Ned: I . . . agree. It isn't just to hold a man against his will after his duties are finished. Lord Lannister might agree with this, but I do not.

Campbell: Because you're the only one who can.

Snake: In that case, tell me the truth about this new type of nuclear warhead.

Campbell: I told you before. I don't know the details.

Snake: I don't believe you. If the situation is so serious, why don't you give in to their demands? Let them have Big Boss's remains.

Campbell: You see . . .

Snake: Or is there some reason that you can't do that? Something you haven't told me about?

Naomi: Publicly, the President has been very vocal in his opposition to eugenics experiments. We don't want the existence of the Genome Army to go public.

Snake: And that's the only reason?

Campbell: . . .

Snake: Huh! The hell with you!

Campbell: I'm sorry.

Snake: The corpse of the DARPA Chief is lying right here next to me.

Robert: DARPA Chief? He looks a little like Sigint if Sigint was older.

Ned: Aye. The looks could just be a coincidence. But . . .

Naomi: Poor man.

Snake: But it's strange. He looks and smells like he's been dead for days. All his blood's been drained out too.

Campbell: Drained?

Naomi: Maybe to slow down decomposition?

Snake: I have no idea.

Robert: Me neither.

Barristan: It is possible that the DARPA Chief we saw earlier was Decoy Octopus. It explains why the body has rotten, as he's already died some time before.

Robert: You've a keen mind, on you, Ser Barristan!

Naomi: But the Chief only died a few hours ago, right?

Snake: Right. But he's already started to decompose.

Naomi: What could it all be about?

Snake: Something in his blood that they wanted?

Naomi: I doubt it. Just the nanomachines and the transmitter.

Campbell: Did the Chief tell them his detonation code?

Snake: I'm afraid so. It looks like they've got both codes and are nearly ready to launch.

Campbell: Damn. Is there any way to prevent it?

Snake: It seems there's some type of emergency override device that can cancel out the detonation code. It's a countermeasure that ArmsTech installed secretly. You have to unlock it with three special card keys.

Campbell: And where are those keys?

Snake: I've got one of them. I don't know where the other two are. Besides, I'm locked up here.

Campbell: We've got no choice. Forget about the keys. Your top priority now is to destroy Metal Gear itself. Sorry to lay it all in your lap, but you're all I've got. Bust out of there and get to the Communications Tower.

Robert: So Snake has to escape from his cell, destroy Metal Gear, and stop Liquid. That's a tough ask.

Snake: Naomi, please talk to me. Say something to take my mind off the pain.

Naomi: What can I say?

Snake: Anything.

Naomi: I...I'm not a very good talker.

Snake: Please... tell me about yourself.

Naomi: Myself? That's a tough one...

Snake: Any family?

Naomi: That's not a very happy topic for me.

Robert: Me either. Stannis and Renly are . . . I feel complicated about them. By the hells! I consider Ned to be more my brother than my own blood!

Ned: . . .

Snake: I don't have any family. No wait, there was a man who said he was my father . . .

Naomi: Where is he?

Snake: Dead. By my own hand.

Campbell: Big Boss.

Robert: So Snake is a kin slayer, then.

Ned: Aye. Even if to save the world, he has still committed one of the greatest sins that can be committed.

Naomi: What!? Big Boss!? I had no idea.

Campbell: There was no way you could. It happened in Zanzibar 6 years ago. Only Snake and I know the real truth of what happened there.

Naomi: So, is it true? Was Big Boss really your father?

Snake: That's what he said. That's all I know.

Naomi: And you were able to kill him, knowing that?

Snake: Yup.

Naomi: How?

Snake: He wanted it. Besides, some people just need killing...

Robert: Big Boss, or Naked Snake, really wanted to die?

Ned: His grief over the betrayal by his betters consumed him entirely. All that was left of him was . . . anger.

Barristan: I didn't think there'd be a time that I'd condone kin slaying, but with what has been shown to us . . .

Naomi: That's patricide.

Snake: Yup. That's the trauma that Mantis was talking about. The one we share in common.

Robert: Aye. Kin slaying will be sure to rattle you.

Naomi: Is that why you left FOX-HOUND?

Snake: Let's just say that I needed to be alone for a while and Alaska was the perfect place...

Robert: So Alaska was like the North, eh? Then Snake became a Dog Musher. Not exactly the most expected retreats . . .

Ned: The snow and the cold makes for a great companion for when you want to be lonely . . .

Naomi: ...Snake... I didn't have a real family either. Just a big brother who put me through school. We weren't even blood-related and he was much older than me.

Snake: Where is he?

Naomi: He's dead . . .

Snake: I'm sorry.

Naomi: ...Snake, is there a woman in your life?

Snake: After you've been through as many wars as me, it's hard to trust anyone.

Robert: Especially for me! Gods, I barely trust a soul within the Red Keep! With you by my side, Ned. We'll sort things out.

Naomi: Friends?

Snake: Roy Campbell...

Campbell: Huh? You're still calling me friend?

Naomi: Is that it?

Snake: No, there was another... Frank Jaeger.

Naomi: What!?

Campbell: Big Boss's most trusted lietenant and the only member of FOX-HOUND to ever receive the codename "Fox". Gray Fox.

Snake: I learned a lot from him.

Naomi: But... didn't you try to kill each other?

Snake: That's true. We did. In Zanzibar. But it was nothing personal. We were just professionals on opposite sides, that's all.

Robert: Aye. I don't hold any true animosity over those who sided against me back at the rebellion. It wasn't personal, and we had to do what we had to do.

Ned: Same for me, as well.

Naomi: And you still call yourselves friends?

Snake: Hard to believe? War is no reason to end a friendship.

Robert: Ha! True enough! After the rebellion, the men who wanted to unman me were the same ones that were merry with me when we drank!

Ned: Aye.

Naomi: That's insane.

Snake: I first met him on the battlefield. He was being held a prisoner of Outer Heaven. But he didn't look like a prisoner to me. He was always so cool and precise. I was still green and he showed me the ropes.

Naomi: You knew him well?

Snake: No. We never talked about our personal lives. Sort of an unwritten rule. The nest time I saw him on the battlefield, we were enemies. We were fighting barehanded in a minefield. I know it sounds strange to most people. But we were just two soldiers doing our jobs. It's like a sport.

Robert: Indeed! It's like hunting, you don't hate the animal, and it doesn't hate you either, but you have to survive, and to do that, you'll have to kill the animal!

Naomi: Men and their games! You're like wild animals!

Robert: Ha! She sounds a little like Cersei!

Snake: You're right. We are animals.

Ned: True. With the wars that we've waged, are we really any better than the animals?

Naomi: So if you were friends, then how do you explain the Ninja's behavior?

Snake: I don't know.

Robert: I do. The Ninja wanted to die, but not just from anyone. He wanted to die at the hands of a warrior that he deemed worthy enough to kill him.

Naomi: It's your genes... they make you predisposed towards violence!

Snake: You really like talking about genes, Naomi. Why did you get into genetic research anyway?

Naomi: I never knew who my parents were or even what they looked like. I guess I got into genetics because I wanted to figure out why I'm the way I am.

Snake: So you studied about DNA?

Naomi: Yeah. I thought if I studied my genetic structure, I'd find out who I really was. I thought that by analyzing a person's genetic information, I could retrieve the blank spots in that person's memory.

Snake: Memory is stored in DNA?

Naomi: We're not sure. But we know that a person's genetic fate is determined just by the sequence of the four bases in their DNA.

Robert: I am lost. Maester Luwin, can you kindly explain!

Luwin: Of course, Your Grace. In the records that was given to us, DNA is the material that carries all the information about how a man will look and function. For instance, DNA in humans determines such things as what color the eyes are and how the lungs work. Each piece of information is carried on a different section (called Genes) of the DNA.

Robert: I see. So they determine things like your hair?

Luwin: Indeed, Your Grace. They are passed from Parent to Child.

Robert: Huh.

Snake: So what about my fate? You know my DNA sequence, don't you?

Naomi: Your fate? I...I'm sorry. I have no idea.

Snake: Of course not. You're a scientist, not a fortune-teller.

Robert: You'd agree, wouldn't you, Maester?

Luwin: Indeed, Your Grace. Maesters focus on logic and of the physical world, not on the unwieldy thing that is magic.

Otacon: Don't shoot! It's me! Don't shoot! It's me, Snake!!

Snake: Otacon? How'd you get here?

Otacon: It wasn't as dramatic as your entrance, believe me. I'm afraid of heights.

Robert: I've gotta try what Snake did with that rope at the Red Keep.

Barristan: Your grac-

Robert: Ha! I was just joking!

Snake: You were watching?

Otacon: Yeah, I was watching.

Otacon: Yeah, that's right. You're incredible . . . like a hero or something.

Snake: No . . . you're wrong. In the movies, the hero always saves the girl...

Robert: Aye. The hero always saves the girl in the tales. But I couldn't save her . . . I must be no hero, then.

Otacon: You mean Meryl? Sorry . . . forget I said anything . . . Snake, there's something I've really got to ask you. It's why I followed you up this far . . . Have you ever . . . loved someone?

Snake: That's what you came to ask?

Otacon: No I mean . . . I-I was wondering if even soldiers fall in love...

Robert: Is this Emmerich some sort of sword-swallower? Is he confessing to Snake?

Ned: I think not. I'd wager that he's asking about Sniper Wolf.

Snake: What are you trying to say?

Otacon: I wanna ask you . . . Do you think love can bloom even on a battlefield?

Barristan: Love?

Ned: War isn't no place for love, it only takes it away.

Robert: Aye.

Snake: Yeah, I do. I think at any time, any place . . . people can fall in love with each other. But if you love someone, you have to be able to protect them.

Robert: That wasn't the answer that I was expecting, but . . . now that he said it . . .

Ned: I suppose that people can always fall in love with each other, no matter the circumstances.

Robert: Aye. But we couldn't protect her.

Ned: Aye.

Snake: You really look like hell. Are you okay?

Otacon: Don't worry. If I do this, it doesn't matter. I just pretend like I'm not here. Then I'm not scared.

Robert: The man wasn't built for fighting, that I can tell. I can almost feel his anxiety.

Ned: Yet still, despite his fears, he didn't cower away. The only time that a man can be brave is when he's afraid.

Mei Ling: Don't forget to save your memories of me too.

Snake: You can't save memories even on that system of yours. Memories are fragile things. After your reduce them to binary numbers and send them through the air, they're not memories anymore.

Robert: Aye . . . memories really are fragile, aren't they.

Ned: They are.

Mei Ling: I wouldn't be so sure of that. There's nothing that my systems can't do.

Snake: Memories aren't just sounds and pictures. They exist somewhere between the sounds, between the pictures.

Robert: (Remembering memories of Lyanna) He speaks true.

Ned: (Remembering memories of the Mother of Jon Snow) Aye . . .

Barristan: (Remembering memories of the Old Kingsguard, and Ashara Dayne) . . .

Mei Ling: I don't get it. Anything can be done digitally.

Barristan: This Mei Ling seems to be quite so arrogant with her creations.

Snake: If that's true, why don't you go ahead and try to save what I'm thinking right now.

Mei Ling: I can't save that type of thing.

Robert: Snake has got her right there.

Barristan: Indeed.

Snake: That's right. And that's what memories are . . . wordless.

Ned: They really are . . . aren't they? My memories of Father, Brandon, and Lyanna, I can't describe it in writing, but the way I feel is ever so vivid.

Mei Ling: I don't know about that.

Snake: No matter how far data technology advances, you'll never be able to penetrate the human heart.

Mei Ling: You're wrong. It's just a matter of time . . .

Snake: But first you have to try to understand human emotions, Mei Ling

Mei Ling: And how do I do that?

Snake: You have to allow yourself to fall in love with someone.

Robert: So Snake is still very much sly with his words. I can respect that.

Ned: Disregarding his attempts at . . . courting. Snake speaks true, emotions must first be understood by being vulnerable with someone that you love.

Robert: Aye. Emotions are fickle yet so complicated, aren't they, Ned?

Chapter Text

Miller: Hey kids, ready for a hot load of knowledge dripping down your neck and chest? Today we're gonna talk about the greatest mind to ever live. (Shows a picture of Einstein) Nope. (Shows a picture of Kanye West) Not him. (Shows a picture of a stock image person) No, keep trying.

Robert: Greatest mind to ever live, huh. I think this would be better reserved for the Maesters but eh.

Tyrion: May I ask, Maester Luwin, who are these figures shown?

Luwin: Gladly, mi'lord, The first figure is of Albert Einstein is considered as one of the most influential physicist of the 20th Century in Earth. The second figure is of- uhh, Excuse me, mi'lords, but it appears that the records has redacted all of the files from this person citing 'Age-Restricted Content', and the records as well doesn't tell of the third figure.

Arya: Ohhh. How disappointing.

Sansa: Arya. Behave.

Robert: Well, that was whole bunch of bollocks.

Miller: Who I'm really referring to the ancient Greek philosopher known as Diogenes of Sinope.

Robert: Oh. Seems boring, I might just piss myself to sleep if the rest becomes this boring.

Ned: Robert. Even if he seems boring, it doesn't mean that his teachings have little value. I am sure that this man can give great lessons to us, particularly to the younger people in here with us such as Joffrey, Myrcella, Sansa and hopefully even Arya.

Arya: Oi!

Tywin: Hmm. This Diogenes seems similar enough from the rest of the great minds in our own history. Still, it wouldn't hurt to learn from such a person with a supposedly singular character.

Miller: Diogenes followed the school of thought known as Cynicism. Far from the yelling at CNN, sitting down during the pledge kind of cynicism we know today. Cynic philosophy centers around the rejection of conventional desires in favour of a simple moderate lifestyle.

Ned: Hmm. I suppose that there are some values in it. After all, Moderation can be helpful in refining one's character. (Glances at Robert)

Tyrion: Oh, but what is life without a little fun, Lord Stark?

Miller: But while many philosophers made their virtue out of self discipline. Diogenes took that all to a whole new level.

Tyrion: So far, this Diogenes appears to be quite the virtuous individual. Shame that we can't aspire to be like him, right, Father?

Tywin: (quietly seething)

Miller: He was the most down to earth guy out there, literally. He lived on the ground, in a big tub in the marketplace where he begged for a living.

Robert: Ha! It seems thinking doesn't pay that well!

Luwin: It says in the records mi'lords that Diogenes' condition was brought about when he defaced the currency of his government which rendered upon him an exile, a loss in citizenship, and the loss of his material possessions.

Tywin: That's a grave crime, indeed. I would've had hung the man if he dared to try that within my jurisdiction. How did he ever rose to such prominence whilst living in squalor?

Miller: For a while, his only possession was a wooden bowl until one day he saw a child drinking out of his hands and he was like pssshh what do I need this shit for?

Myrcella: How disgusting!

Sansa: Agreed.

Robert: Well, that's a man that lives up to his reputation! 'Simple, Moderate Lifestyle' Indeed!

Arya: Is this man really a figure that I should look up to, dearest father?

Ned: Why do I even bother?

Miller: Now, though his way of life and perspective was unique enough. It was the way he showed it that really put him apart from the rest. When someone today wants to go against society, they dye their hair blue and write a blog post about why there aren't enough obese women of colour in Super Smash Bros.

Tyrion: What?

Ned: It could just be the dialect within Earth. But I haven't the foggiest idea what they're talking about.

Miller: On the other hand, when Diogenes has something to say, he just jerks off in public, takes a dump in the amphitheater, pisses on passer-byes, whatever.

Ned & Tywin: What!

Arya: Haha!

Robert: Haha! I ought to crap in the throne room and piss on my subjects! Maybe that'd be qualify myself for a 'simple and moderate' man!

Ned: Robert.

Robert: I jest. I jest. Still, quite the odd fellow!

Tywin: This fool! I am surprised that not a soul has killed him yet!

Tyrion: You should relax yourself, father. You're getting quite red, almost as red as our family sigil from the looks of it.

Tywin: How could I not? This fool is a madman elevated to the same heights as actual intelluctuals. It would like if Aerys the Second were seen in the same light as Jaehaerys the Conciliator.

Miller: The way he saw it, he was just performing much needed bodily functions whilst protesting the superficiality of the civilisation around him. Now keep in mind, although he was a unwashed, publicly dedicating homeless man, that's not all he was.

Tywin: What was this mad man then?

Miller: He was easily on par with his other philosophical contemporaries and his lack of inhibition meant that everyone knew it. For example, here's an often pondered question of the day. How do you define a human in the simplest of terms possible?

Tyrion: If I were to answer, then I suppose that Humans are the most nastiest monster.

Tywin: (rolls eyes)

Miller: Plato decided to tackle this question and he came up with featherless biped. And in the ancient Greek world, they Didn't have kangaroos, or gibbons or nothing so people were the only things that both walked around and didn't have feathers.

Ned: Seems to be a good enough answer.

Tywin: If from what I have heard of the fool, then he'd be sure to make a preposterous enough response.

Miller: Plato thought he was real clever with that one. Diogenes on the other hand, he wasn't having any of it, So he said:

Diogenes: Alright you pompous prick, I'll give you a featherless biped.
(In a Classroom)
Plato: So in reality, we do not learn, and what we call learning is only a process of recollection.

Diogenes: Dodooodooooo!!!

Plato: Oh no not you again.

Diogenes:What's up fuckers hey check out this person I found, isn't it such a human? Look at him wow! Plegghh what a guy. Anyway, love to stay and chat but I saw some trash outside that looked delicious. Smell you later, deliberator.

Plato: (sighs) yes my student.

Student: Yeah uh, what the fuck?

Sansa & Myrcella: How disgusting!

Arya: Hahaha!

Tywin: Gods damn it.

Robert: Hahaha! Quite the intellectual! Come on, Ned. Surely that must've tickled at your sides!

Ned: I must . . . agree, it did make for a humorous sight.

Tyrion: Indeed. All jests aside, he was certainly full of his wits to make such a complete fool out of his contemporaries.

Miller: Here's another anecdote, Macedonian King Alexander was a big fan of Diogenes so be decided to pay him a visit. And he said:

Alexander: Hey man, huge fan. If there's any favour i can do for you, anything at all, just let me know and I'll make it happen.

Miller: Now to put this in perspective, this is Alexander we're talking about. The guy who had his cousin straight up assassinated so he could take the throne.

Ned: Kinslaying. A crime that not many that can compare to its severity.

Tyrion: Lord Stark, surely you must remember that Prince Rhaegar was killed by our King, and they were cousins.

Robert: Pfft. We can hardly be called family.

Miller: The guy who would later go on to conquer the majority of the civilized world. And you know what Diogenes says? He says:

Diogenes: Yeah, you Can do me a favor, move over, your in my light.

Alexander: Wow. I'm just, I'm not even mad, you really are just a legend.

Arya: Haha. If only I could be as bold as him!

Tyrion: Ha! Quite the legend, indeed.

Tywin: Alexander should've made an example of him and have him gelded and eatinh his own Phallus in front of the crowd. You can't ever tolerate such blatant lack of respect of your betters.

Robert: Oh. Lay of the man! You Lannisters are such pompous pricks, I swear.

Tywin: Tt.

Miller: Diogenes lived up to the ripe old age of 89. I don't know if that was a testament to his lifestyle of if he just got lucky. But either way, if there is a god, he definitely has a sense of humour.

Tywin: 89! How!? He was living that long!?

Tyrion: Haha! The Gods must've found him to be their own personal jester!

Ned: . . . I don't even have the words to express my exaperation.

Robert: To live that long but so carelessly. What I wouldn't give for that.

Miller: The exact source of Diogenes' death varies depending on which source you look at. Some say he died from an infected dog bite.

Tywin: Deserved and Expected.

Miller: Others say it was from eating raw octopus.

Tywin: Not the most typical of deaths. But if it was the true reason for his demise, then he deserved it

Miller: My favourite theory is that one day he just got tired of living. And he just held his breath till he died.

Tyrion: Ha! Wouldn't that be a sight! An Old Man just having had enough of living and promptly dying.

Robert: Aye. It would.

Miller: He left behind instructions on what to do with his body after he passed. Now when people think of special post-mortem instructions like these, they usually think: scatter my ashes at 6:53 AM of the western face of mount rainier. Using my grandfather's favourite ladle.

Ned: An oddly specific set of instructions.

Miller: None of that with Diogenes, he kept it simple. In the words of Danny devito, when I'm dead, just throw me in the trash. Specifically, he wanted his Body tossed into the wild so animals could fast on him thereby giving back to the earth what little he took from it.

Robert: Somehow, that oddly fits with him. No complex or long rituals to commemorate his death. Just a throw into the forest.

Miller: So kids, moral of the story, don't judge a book by its cover, the man who appears to be nothing more than a shit smeared babbling vagrant could actually be the wisest man you'll ever meet. Or it could just be a raving fucking lunatic, bring a knife just in case. Anyway, till next time, I'm Sam O Nella and thank you for watching.

Sansa: Such a disgusting and rude man.

Myrcella: Agreed.

Arya: I don't agree. He was quite funny.

Tywin: . . .

Tyrion: Father?

Tywin: That man was a joke sent by the gods.

Chapter Text

Old Lady: Here it is.

Fern: It's a statue of Himmel the Hero.

Old Lady: It's in terrible shape, isn't it? There's only so much an old lady like me can do on my own. The people of the village don't care anymore. When our village was attacked by monsters, Master Himmel fought for us with all his might. Treating him like this is just too cruel.

Ned: It's a bit sad, but that's how time goes, the common folk and even the nobles will forgot the heroes that saved their forefathers. Its only a matter of time. We shouldn't focus on whether or not our actions will be remembered but rather on the consequences of our actions.

Tyrion: Wise words, Lord Stark.

Ned: Thank you, Lord Tyrion.

Frieren: No. He's getting what he deserves. It's Himmel's fault for his pride. He should've humbly declined when the villagers said they'd erect a statue.

Barristan: That's . . . not what I'd expect from a reaction to Himmel's dearest friend.

Ned: Hm. One will rarely flatter someone if they are their true friends. They'd often be the most brazen and frank to them, and speak sense when it is needed.

Robert: Oh? Didn't realize that this hero was quite so egotistical. Hmmph, He remembers me a little of that prick Rhaegar. Bastard with his armory full of jewelry didn't do shit against my hammer.

Tyrion: It is hardly a crime, Your Grace, to accept the gifts of the people you have saved. We are not septons so we shouldn't judge that which is no crime.

Robert: Aye. True. But it rubs me the wrong way.

(Cut to Himmel picking a pose)

Frieren: He spent 18 hours picking a pose. Driving the poor sculptor. In the end, he settled with a ridiculously standard pose.

Robert: Bah! Now he really reminds me of that prick.

Barristan: I suppose that we aren't all flawless, despite that, he still saved the town, that more than makes up for this less-than-stellar attitude.

(Cut to Himmel and his party at a field of flowers, Heiter and Eisen are playing with the flowers)
Frieren: Gross . . .

Cersei: Men. Playing around in a field of flowers? The very thought-

Robert: Y'know what? I must've misjudged my brother, Renly, I think I can see the appeal of a field of flowers.

Ned: Aye. Heiter and Eisen playing around reminds me of the time we spent at the Eyrie. Fooling around without a slightest care in the world.

Tyrion: Ha! Don't suppose you'll invite me, Your Grace.

Robert: Of course, you are!

(Cut to Frieren and Himmel)
Frieren: Blue Moon Wood?

Himmel: It's a flower from my hometown. It's really beautiful. Well, not as beautiful as me, though.

Robert: Oh! That man is getting on my nerves, now.

Cersei: (thinking) I must agree with Himmel. His face is as pretty as Rhaegar. A shame about his apparel, a bit too cheap for my liking.

Frieren: We should get going.

Himmel: Frieren... One day, I want to show it to you.

Frieren: Yeah? Maybe someday.

Ned: Robert . . . if ever we were to go to a field of flowers. I don't suppose you'd be partial on inviting Catelyn along?

Robert: Huh. Didn't know you were quite the romantic on your Lady Wife, but I suppose she can.

(Child flips Frieren's Skirt)

Himmel: What do you think you're doing, brat? I'll kill you!

Barristan: Despite the age of the perpetrator, it doesn't excuse what he's done especially against a Maiden. I approve of Himmel's reaction, despite it being a slight over-reaction.

Cersei: (silently) Damned hypocrite. He didn't raise a finger when the King raised a hand against me.

Himmel:You saw what I've been wanting to see all this time!

Barristan: I (sighs) stand corrected.

Cersei: (smirks)

Robert: Ha! Now that's a man after my own heart!

Tyrion: Mine as well!

Cersei: Did my dearest husband forget calling the hero a dandy, earlier?

Robert: Oi. Shut it.

(Himmel tries to chase the brat but his cape is grabbed by the priest)

Eisen: You'd better not kill him.

Ned: By the gods, I hope not.

Barristan: Aye. I'd wager if he were to kill a child that his legend would be stained by his crime.

Tyrion: Ser Barristan, I disagree, it is more likely that if such an event were to occur that it'd be covered up.

Himmel: You worked really hard during this times' subjugation quest. Go ahead and pick whatever you want.

Frieren: Jewelry, huh? I'd rather go to a magic shop. This is fine.

Robert: Aye. Better to get something practical than something fancy. Rhaegar learned that quickly.

Luwin: My lords, in the records, it is explained that for their culture that rings are sign of commitment to your loved ones. It is often a practice that one becomes betrothed by kneeling in front of a maiden and requesting for their hand for bethrothal and marriage.

Robert: Huh.

Myrcella & Sansa: How romantic!

Sansa: (silently) the very thought of such an event flutters my heart!

Himmel: That was fast. Put some more thought into it.

Frieren: Whats wrong?

Himmel: Nothing. Frieren . . .
(Himmel walks to Frieren, and kneels and places the ring on Frieren's finger)

Myrcella: How lovely!

Sansa: I must agree!

Ned: I must . . . agree, entering into a bethrothal by requesting for your bethrothal to accept a ring. It isn't our tradition, but it does make for a lovelier sight.

(Fast Forward to the future)
Fern: In Flower Language, The Lotus means "Eternal Love".

Frieren: I didn't realize that. It doesn't matter. I seriously doubt Himmel knew the meaning either.

Cersei: (silently) The fool. She would've had a man that was ready to bend to her every whim and she didn't even realize.

Robert: Is this girl so oblivious!? Even a blind maiden would've known that such a sight would be a gesture of affection!

Tyrion: I suppose, Your Grace, that due to the slower rate of aging that it would lead to the Elves being much more slower to realize things such as love.

Robert: If that's the case then . . . that'd be sad. Wouldn't it?

Ned: Aye. It would.

Chapter Text

[Prelude]

Eisen: The audacity. A measly ten copper coins is all the king would part with?

Frieren: What a cheapskate.

Heiter: I'm not surprised. Many heroes have tried and failed to kill the demon king over the years. You can't fund every adventure.

Robert: Still . . . ten coppers?

Tyrion: It would ruin the treasury of the coffers of most kingdoms, mi'lord, if such a thing were to constantly happen.

Ned: Coffers were already draining dry with the king's tourney's.

Himmel: It's no problem. We'll earn money to cover our expenses along the way. There's nothing wrong with that approach.

(Himmel draws his sword.)

Himmel: It's part of the adventure.

Robert: Ahh. That'd be the life. wouldn't it, Ned? Nothing but the wind in your back and the sword in your sheath.

Heiter: I suppose so.

Frieren: Hold on. Your weapon. That's the heroes sword.

Heiter: No, It's a replica.

Arya: What?

Tywin: Hm.

Himmel: I once rescued a merchant who was attacked in my hometown. This sword was my reward. The man said I'd be a hero one day. Probably told every kid that.

Robert: Looking at it closer, that's a dull blade.

Tywin: The fool thinks that he can defeat the demon king with a mummer's blade?

Ned: We already know of his success. He succeeds.

Arya: Hm. It'd be like if you didn't wield Ice but just a regular blade, father.

Ned: Not quite, little one.

Frieren: That's what made you chose this life?

Himmel: Not quite. See, there's this annoying brat named Heiter at the village orphanage. He kept telling me I'd only be a fake hero because I wielded a fake sword. He was such a pain. I figured if I proved him wrong, I'd have the last laugh. So here I am. One of these days, I'll hold the real heroes sword and defeat the demon king. But that'll never happen if we don't keep moving. If you're wondering about the brat, he grew up to be a fake priest who stayed lost in his cups.

Heiter: I'm a real priest.

Robert: Ha! A priest that can't stay off his cups?

Tywin: What an embarrassment to his faith.

[The Tale]

Stark: According to stories, the weapon was hidden in a sanctuary somewhere closed by. Stuck inside a mighty stone. Throughout history, many heroes tried to pull the sword from its rocky sheath. Until eight years ago that is . . . Let me think, how did they explain it in the legend?

Young Girl: There is but one person who can claim this sword. The hero who will drive off the great calamity that aims to destroy this world.

Ned: Curious. They didn't refer to calamity as specifically referring to the demon king.

Tyrion: He got the sword, didn't he?

[The Sword]

Stark: Frieren, I don't understand . . .

(The sword is still stuck in the stone)

Robert: . . .

Tyrion: How can-

Tywin: So Himmel was just a damned mummer.

Ned: He still defeated the Demon King, did he not?

Tywin: Not unless he too faked that, as well.

(Flashback)
(Himmel failed to pull the sword.)
Heiter: Are you okay?

Himmel: I don't think there's anything wrong with being a fake hero. I'll still defeat the demon king and bring peace to the world and when I'm done, nobodies gonna be concerned on whether I'm fake or not.

Ned: It is true. Aye, Ice is a mighty and great sword. But it is not the blade that proves whether the one who wields it will be a good lord or not, it is the man himself. A sword is useless without a capable hand, just like a Throne is, without a capable mind.

Arya: So even Needle can be as great as Ice?

Ned: (sighs)

Robert: Ha! He's the got the right of it! Why waste time waiting for the real hero when you can take the mantle yourself with nothing but your own hand!

Tyrion: I didn't expect that.

Frieren: In the end, Himmel lived up to his promise. Even without the fabled sword, he managed to save the world. He was a real hero.

Fern: Why was the truth covered up in favor of this story, then?

Frieren: Probably because everyone wanted Himmel to be this mythic warrior. It wouldn't do for him to fail in the cave, there's no place for embarassing stories in a heroes tale. When a new generation comes of age, they romanticize the heroes of the past. The truth of who a person was, fall away.

Tywin: Hm. I suppose there is some slight truth to this. We read and tell stories to be inspired not to be discouraged.

Ned: Aye. Tales of Brandon the Builder, Hugor of the Hill . . . stories like that are what inspire children and even knight's. They're no longer thought of as a human, only as a hero.

Robert: Aye. There's likely some tales that might embarass the audience. Maybe Hugor pissed blood, and Brandon the Builder was secretly a sword-swallower. The storyteller just picks and chooses which tales to pass down, and the truth gets forgotten.

Chapter Text

(Shirou is alone in a Nuclear Power Plant. Suddenly, she appears with tendrils approaching and healing him.)

Shirou: I'll do it. If it means no one has to cry.

Cersei: Hm. Quite lofty wishes, he should be careful what he wishes for.

Robert: So is that Altria's little snug buddy, eh?

Ned: Robert. There are children.

Robert: I jest. I jest. Still wishing that no one has to cry? Is he making a deal with the gods?

Tyrion: I suppose so, Your Grace. For who else could deliver on such a deal?

Robert: I suppose so. Still, I squint a little and he reminds me a little of Robb

Ned: I suppose, if you're squinting.

Arya: He speaks of no one crying? If that were the case then I'd have to test that with Sansa.

Sansa: Father!

Ned: Arya. Behave.

(Cut to him sitting at the rubble's of a ruined Mansion, Altria and Shirou are present.)

Altria: I choose to stay and bare witness to this battle.

Robert: Altria not choosing to fight is . . . a sight you hardly come upon.

Barristan: Aye. Letting a regular man fight a heroic spirit means that she either wants something or she's indifferent about it. But she is his lover, so I haven't the foggiest idea why.

Nameless: Bare witness, huh. That's good to hear. I wouldn't want you interfering, if you did then I'd have severed the contract with Rin for nothing.

Altria: No matter what happens, I will not stand between you and Shirou. But in exchange for this, answer me. Why exactly is killing him so important to you?

Barristan: That's my question answered then.

Robert: That was why she doesn't want to interfere? That's an odd question, as well.

Nameless: I'm surprised you even have to ask. Neither of us can accept each other as we are. Sorry to disappoint you, but it's as simple as that.

Altria: That cannot be true. You were the very embodiment of the very dreams and ideals of Shirou Emiya. You are both the same, how can you reject yourself?

Robert: 'reject yourself'? What in the nine hells?

Luwin: Ehrm. It is explained in the records, mi'lords that this man is the potential future self of Shirou Emiya.

Robert: What in the Goddamn!?

Tyrion: I must've drank a little too much because you must've said that this darkened man with hair akin to that of the Targaryens is the same man as the boy with hair the color similar to that of the Tully's?

Luwin: The recording shall explain itself further, but this man shall otherwise referred to simply as EMIYA or as Archer. It is explained in the records that in the footage that we are seeing that Shirou and Lady Pendragon are not lovers as this is from another timeline than the one mentioned previously where in they have not nearly a close enough bond to be regarded as such.

Robert: Now my head is aching.

Tyrion: Mine as well.

EMIYA: Unlike you, I didn't become a Heroic Spirit entirely on my own merits, I traded one afterlife for another. I'm a guardian, nothing more.

Altria: A guardian? But then you're supposed to be protecting humanity by serving as a deterrent force and if that is the case then you are a heroic spirit.

Arya: Aye. That would be the case, wouldn't it?

Tywin: Things are rarely as clear as that, child.

EMIYA: That's where you're wrong, Saber. Guardians aren't here to protect humanity, They're just here pick up the mess.

Robert: Pick up the mess? That's an odd way of putting it.

Ned: I figure that it's tale half-told, Robert. He must have some reason as for why he is as harsh and as jaded as he is.

Altria: But archer-

EMIYA: You're right, though. I suppose I did become a hero. In fact, I became a hero of justice. The kind Shirou Emiya wanted to be.

Altria: A hero of justice?

Sansa: That would a good thing, wouldn't it, father?

Ned: In theory, Aye. But I wouldn't know if it is as clean and as good if it were to be put in practice.

EMIYA: Yes, and that's what opened my eyes to the fatal error of this failed reality. The fact of the matter is that man's life is worthless.

Altria: A life with no value?

Sandor: Hm.

Tyrion: With a man that calls himself so worthless, I'd figure if he is trying to kill himself. Commit suicide if you will, though this is an odd form of suicide.

EMIYA: None. I'm sure you understand of all people what it's like to want to change the past. Take back the choices you made.

Robert: We have heard this before. That Altria picked a deal with a thing called the Counter Force which was likened to the devil to revert the decisions she made.

Shirou: Saber?

EMIYA: What? You mean to tell me you never asked what her wish was? Why she wants the holy grail so badly that she would submit to this blood bath. Allow me to-

Altria: Enough! Shirou, I did want the grail. It alone could grant me my wish. A chance to undo the decision I made. To undo that mistake. To alter the course that lead Britain to ruin. That is why I want to win the Grail. I failed to reach my ideals and I should never have become King. But you are different. You are Shirou Emiya's ideals, you represent the realization.

EMIYA: Is that what you think I am? Indeed. I became to so-called Hero of Justice I had longed for, but all I got in return was a life of regrets. In life, I allied with the Deterrent Force. In death, I became the Deterrent Force as a guardian for humanity. Challenging those who disrupted the balance of the world. I did whatever I was ordered to do. I killed. And I killed. I killed without seizing. I killed until I finally stopped caring. Every life I took meant thousands more would survive. I fought over and over, whenever I was needed. Again and Again and Again. Before long, I learned that no matter how many lives I took, there would always be more. I was not so naive to achieve a world without fighting, but I truly wanted for a world without tears. A kind of world in which no one I knew would have cause to cry, and that's when it hit me. The dream that Shirou Emiya had for this world was nothing more than shallow idealism.

Sandor: Fuck me. This is getting depressing.

Arya: . . .

Tyrion: Huh. Whereas Artoria failed with her dreams, Emiya didn't. But . . .

Barristan: It seems Ser Jaime was right, there was no 'exit clause'.

Jaime: Aye. Still, that seems like hell.

Robert: Aye. It does, even for me.

Altria: How can you say that?

EMIYA: Because its impossible to save everyone, you might save many, but you leave the few to die. There's no way around that. I don't have to tell you that, Do I, Saber? I found those whose happiness was destined to die and bestowed that honor upon them. Thats what a hero does. The ideal he holds true is mercy incarnate. Isn't that the point after all? To save as many people as possible. So there you have it, I killed one to save many, just like any hero of justice would do. Even though I said I wanted to forge a world without tears, I brough more than my share of despair and suffering. That is who I am, The Heroic Spirit, Emiya. Do you see it now, Why the world would be so much better without him in it?

(EMIYA project a sword and threw it at Shirou)

EMIYA: Now kill yourself, Shirou Emiya. What's wrong? Now that you know what you are, why hesitate?

Sandor: Fuck. Tell us how you really feel.

Tyrion: He seems to hate himself more than our King hates Rhaegar.

Altria: Archer, I do not think you betrayed your ideals. Could it be that you have been betrayed by the very ideals that you wanted to protect. If that were not so, you'd never consider atoning your sins by ending your life.

EMIYA: You can't be serious. Atone for my sins? Really. Don't be foolish, Saber. You're right, I have been betrayed before. Countless times. I was always willing to lay down my life for others. No one understand a man like that. In the end, I was framed as the mastermind for the conflict and executed.

Jaime, Barristan, Ned, Robert, Sandor, and Tyrion: Fucking hell.

Jaime: He has it worse than even me. I killed Aerys for good reason and I was reviled. He was killed, reviled and blamed without just cause.

Tywin: Hmm. I must say, even I feel some modicrum of sympathy for the man. To work so hard only for all your hard work to be brought down by the schemes and idiocity of others.

Altria: But that can't be. That is how you died?

EMIYA: So if I had any sins to speak of, I fully atoned for them in that moment. I never asked them for their gratitude. I didn't want any. Nor did I wish to idolized as a hero. After all, all I wanted was for everyone to be happy but even that simple desire was denied from me in life as well as death. I knew that guardians were essentially automatic defense mechanisms and that those who become guardians after life are removed from the cycle of life and death. They become mere tools to defend humanity, still I thought if as a guardian that I'd save someone who needed help that I'd be worth it. But I couldn't be more wrong. Guardians do not save humans. They only clean up after humanities messes, the only use for their power is to negate what has already happened and sweep away the bad energies created by humans. They are butchers bent on killing anyone who threatens humanity without regard of good or evil. It's almost funny, isn't it? It's no different than when I was completely powerless.

Tywin: Hmm. The man is right. For the most amount of people to live, there must be sacrifices.

Sandor: The guardians are just like knights then, revered for their noble duties, but in truth, we're nothing more than enforcers for Nobles.

Tyrion: I didn't know you had such eloquent thinking, Ser Clegane.

Joffrey: I didn't know the Hound could even think,

Altria: You wished to save many lives. Did you threw out your existence? Did your wish even once came to fruition?

EMIYA: No. Not once. I mercilessly disposed of the very people I dedicated myself to save. All because of my stupid ideal in becoming a hero of justice. I'm sick in cleaning up after humanity, but as a Heroic Spirit, I'm cursed to do exactly that for an eternity. I don't belong to this existence and I know the only way to make myself disappear.

Altria: If you kill one who is destined to become a hero, then that hero will never be born. Is that what you think?

EMIYA: I've waited an eternity for that opportunity. Hoping that someday, my chance might come.

Altria: It will not work Archer, the Die has already been cast. You are exempt from the bounds of time. Even if you do eliminate this Shirou, you will still not disappear.

EMIYA: Maybe not. And yet it's not within the realm of possibility. That is why I will not only kill his flesh, I will also kill his spirit. At the very least, The Hero of Justice is a mistake that will never appear in this world again. What's the matter, Shirou? If my existence offends you, kill yourself and put an end to it.

Jaime: So he's hoping against all the odds that he can finally be put to rest. Damn.

Tyrion: Damn, Indeed. Brother.

Sansa: This is getting kind of . . .

Myrcella: Aye.

Cersei: Fool. He should've knew what he signed up for. Still, that's what a lover of Altria deserves.

(Shirou picks up the projected blade. He examines it.)

Sansa: Oh no!

Arya: No!

Myrcella: By the gods.

Robert: Damned it.

Cersei: Pfft. How weak.

Altria: Shirou!

Shirou: Archer, do you have any regrets?

EMIYA: Of course I do.

Cersei: Obviously, he does.

Robert: He's obviously leading him on, Woman!

Shirou: There you have it. We aren't anything alike. Because no matter what happens to me, I won't regret a thing. That is the reason I will never accept you. If you really are my ideals then it's up to me to correct what you tarnished it with and start over again!

Sandor: Fool. The evidences are already stacked up against him. He's mad for even trying to fight.

Tyrion: Well, I have to give to Shirou, he is quite persistent.

Robert: If I were in his boots, I'd do the same, if mostly to test how I'd last against myself. Still, I don't want to lose to myself.

EMIYA: That kind of thinking is where it all began. Before long, you'll wake and find you'll become me.

Shirou: No way that's ever gonna happen.

Sandor: Idiot. The writing's already on the wall.

Ned: Well, he's a bit thick-headed. I suppose.

EMIYA: Maybe not. You may yet escape that fate, but if you refuse to run then I'm afraid you have no future at all.

Altria: Archer!

Shirou: Saber, it's okay. Thank you, but I still want you to stay out of this. This is my fight and I have to finish it.

Ned: Aye. This is your fight. You have to face this on your own or you'll never understand youself.

Anya: Woo! I'm rooting for him!

Sandor: Hm. Faced with someone who knows everything about you, every move you make, and is more superior with the blade. You have no chance. The boy will die.

Sansa: But. The records say-

Sandor: It was from another timeline. But this? Anything goes.

Sansa: I . . .

Ned: (sighs)

Shirou Emiya: Trace on!

EMIYA: Do you think you can keep up with my blade works? If your precision is even slightly off, then remember that it would mean your death.

Ned: The boy would rather die fighting than live without trying to realize his ideals. Emiya knows this.

Robert: Aye. I'd place my bets on Emiya, coming out though. He is better with the blade and has the stronger body.

Jaime: I'd place it on him as well.

Barristan: I'd place it in Shirou.

Sandor: Bets on Emiya.

Tyrion: Emiya is the safer bet, What of you, Lord Stark?

Ned: The odds aren't as clear cut as it would seem. I'd abstain. Besides, this battle isn't what you think it is.

(The Scene Skips forwards)
Altria: He's running out of Mana.

EMIYA: Don't get your hopes up. I have the lifespan of the archer class but even if it reaches its limits. This boy is still no match for me in combat not by a long shot. Shirou Emiya. You're going to die here, no matter what.

Robert: Damn. Emiya isn't letting up, is he?

Shirou: Damn it.

EMIYA: You thought your projections were on par with mine? You might be able to mimic the design or materials but they're worthless if the configurations are poor.

Shirou: Shut up!

EMIYA: Now I see why you're so persistent. I've heard of mage craft that allows mastery of old skills by invoking them from a previous life and letting them possess you. Your skill keeps improving, every time you and I cross swords and fight.

Barristan: So he keeps steadily increasing and learning more everything they clash against one another.

Jaime: That'd tip the odds slightly for him, not that that's saying much.

Barristan: Aye.

Shirou: Is that what you think? Guess that makes both of us copycats. You keep acting cool, It'll give me more time to catch up to you.

EMIYA: Catch up to me? You're an optimistic fool. You have no idea how wrong you are.

Shirou: Explain it to me.

EMIYA: No matter how strong you get or what skills you draw on; you have no chance at winning.

(flashes of EMIYA dying from being hanged appear)

Shirou: So that's it? That's how his life ended? I don't pity him. I don't pity him. I don't pity him! Still, If this is really the path I'm heading down, my heart's gonna shatter.

Arya: That's . . . an awful thing to say to yourself.

Sansa: Agreed.

Sandor: Damn. That's cold even for me.

Cersei: Why should he pity such a fool who got himself killed? He should only learn from the mistakes that was made from his other self and move on.

Robert: I swear with you Lannisters . . .

Shirou: Everything you've believed in, I see for myself now how all of these are nothing but a dream covered with…lies.

EMIYA: Feeling ill? Judging by the expression on your face, I'd guess you saw it didn't you? Well that simplifies things. Everything you saw is true, Shirou Emiya.

EMIYA: That's what catching up to me means. See it again for yourself. The world I ended up in. I am the bone of my sword, unknown to death nor known to life, unlimited blade works!

(Emiya, Shirou, and Altria are transported into what appears to be another realm.)

Arya: This is so . . . overwhelming.

Sansa: No, It's . . . It's . . .

Myrcella: It's sad. A world without grass, A world eternally clouded. It's just sad.

Ned: I must agree with the Princess.

Jaime: So this is the full realization of Emiya himself.

Barristan: Everything that he is, is personified within that world.

Tywin: If there were ever a world that I could call my own. That would be the one.

EMIYA: A fool who knows his dreams are unattainable but comes anyway. A fraud without a will of his own who's wasted his life on a ridiculous ideal. Can you finally admit that's who you truly are? Saving people just because you want to is both selfish and misguided. You're a defect of humanity, you should never have existed in the first place. There's no point in a life like yours.

Tyrion: Words that he is saying to himself. That he is a defect and that he should've never lived.

Ned: Aye. It is sad.

EMIYA: You know that I'm your ideal and you should know now that your dream never comes true. I see. I suppose it's only natural for you to deny me. As the ideal of Shirou Emiya, I'm the only person you can never bring yourself to accept. Hm, now tell me. Knowing what you know, do you honestly want to be a hero of justice?

Shirou: I've already told you that. It isn't that I want to become one. It's that I will become one, no matter what!

Jaime: The boy does have some mettle, that's for sure.

Robert: But would it matter?

EMIYA: You're right. You must become one, no matter what. You are Shirou Emiya and it's the only thing you've ever been passionate about. Even though you know that the heart of a hero of justice simply isn't in you. There you see, Your reaction tells me that you've always suspected it yourself. Memories of my past faded long ago, but there's still one sight that stayed with me all this time. The flames and the pervasive stench of death. Wishing for help when there was none, what I felt when the wish was granted. But most of all, I remembered the look of relief on Kiritsugu Emiya's face when he saved me. That is where your dream began, it was sometime before you finally felt gratitude for being saved. You adored Kiritsugu Emiya that's all and because of him, because you saw how happy he was when he saved you. You began to think you could have the same thing.

Robert: The records mentioned this before, the flames that engulfed a portion of the city.

Sandor: So that explains why he saved him.

Jaime: Aye. Not because he wanted to save someone, but because he wanted to save himself

Ned: Then the boy wanted to feel the same thing that the mercenary did. He wanted to have purpose.

Shirou: He's right. It wasn't me who was saved that day, A massive blaze that left no survivors, a child who should've been beyond saving and the man who stumbled across him. To tell the truth, I don't know which one was the real miracle.

EMIYA: Children will often idolize their parents but when he died a curse was your inheritance, at that moment that man left you no choice but to become a hero. The ideals you cling to are second hand, ideals Kiritsugu Emiya failed to live up to. In the end, all you're doing is imitating what he believed was right.

Arya: That's . . . awful.

Shirou: You're wrong . . .

EMIYA: Hero of justice, don't make me laugh. Just because the idea consumes you, it doesn't mean helping others is something you truly want. It's nothing but a borrowed dream. Someone like you thinking you can be a force for good, it is the height of hubris! That's right. You couldn't help but admire the beauty in your father's dream of helping others! That's why you never developed and real passions of your own. If that isn't hypocrisy, then what is!? You're driven by this ridiculous obsession with sacrificing yourself for the sake of others, blind to your own arrogance!

Robert: So everything that was, everything he would do . . .

Ned: It was all so that he can realize his borrowed dream that nobody would ever cry.

Tywin: But such a thing is impossible. I wonder, if Kiritsugu told Shirou if his dream was something entirely mundane. Would he still do the same things?

Ned: Aye. He would. When he was rescued, there was no other path for him to take but to feel the same things his father did when he rescued him.

Altria: No!

EMIYA: But in the end you're a fraud and your hypocrisy can't save anyone. How could you when you never knew who you should save to begin with?And look! This is the result! You could never be a savior, you never had anything to save! You became the embodiment of justice and justice can be cruel! Your ideals are falling apart, maybe other people aren't more important than you are. It's dawning on you that a world where everyone is happy is just a fairy tale and if you can't live without that dream, let it drag you down and drown you.

Robert: He hates himself so much, doesn't he?

Sandor: Aye.

Tywin: It is true that such a thing is a fairy tale. In the end, he would've been better served with the aspirations that killing the few will save the many rather than everyone being happy. Now this battle has come to an end. Shirou will lose. The difference in strength and skill is too great between them.

Shirou: It's true, what he said was mostly right. But I couldn't help thinking there was something he missed. I saw hell. I saw hell. I saw hell. I saw the hell that would someday be mine. You were right. At least, I think you were.

Jaime: Even I couldn't survive that fire whilst remaining as myself.

Barristan: Aye. That was hell on earth. No other ways about it.

Emiya: But I didn't live wisely.

Shirou: It seems to me like you lost a lot of things.

Emiya: You've got it all wrong. I'm here because I tried not to lose anything, and I didn't. Not one thing. No. Come to think of it, there is one thing. Something I forgot.

Arya: What was it?

Ned: He didn't lose anything or anyone but himself. He has forgotten why he remained true to his ideals for too long.

Shirou: I saw the hell that led to all the others.

Shirou: Hey, that's hell you're walking into. What was the point of you? No, of me surviving that hell? Why were we spared?

Ned: I see.

Robert: What is it, Ned?

Ned: When he walked out of that hell, he was scarred with the fact that he survived whilst others didn't. That was something that Emiya seemed to have forgotten, that hell. No matter what Kiritsugu would've said, he would've saved others if only to try to heal him from the fact the guilt of survival.

Tyrion: . . . astute observation, Lord Stark.

Emiya: Hey, that's hell you're walking into.

Shirou: No, this is what you forgot, I'll admit it started out as just admiration but at the core of it all was a wish. A wish for this hell to be undone, A wish to save everyone you can see. Something so simple so beautiful.

EMIYA: Even if that life is that of a machine? A tool? A sword?

Shirou: Yeah, Even if it's a path drowning with hypocrisy. I will become an ally of justice. A superhero.

Robert: Ha! It seems he's not fighting just yet!

Jaime: Indeed.

EMIYA: It was entrusted to you. The torch. The light.

Altria: I see . . . My scabbard! Then, that's why . . .

Shirou: My very being . . .

EMIYA: Damn you.

Shirou: is a sword.

Robert: Ha! It seems he's gotten more stronger than before!

Jaime: Aye. They seem to be at least on an even playing field now.

Barristan: No, one of them is holding back.

Shirou: I can't lose, not to you! I'm not afraid of losing but there's no way I'm gonna lose to myself.

EMIYA: You're finally standing on the threshold but what good will it do you? I'm certain you've noticed by now. Your skill and mine are worlds apart.

Shirou: My belief may have been defeated but my arms and legs still work. I honestly believed you were right but now I know that isn't true.

EMIYA: What?

Shirou: I see that being right is the only you care about, well none of that matters to me. I'll become a hero of justice and just as you can't accept me, I'll use every ounce of my strength, to defeat the part of me that's you!

Robert: So long as he has teeth to bite with and a heart that's still beating. He wouldn't dare lose!

Jaime: Hm. It seems that Shirou hates Emiya as much as Emiya hates him now.

EMIYA: Pathetic. Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic! I can't even stand to look at you! Do you realize how stupid this is!? Do you!? You? A hero of justice? That's really what you want? You know how absurd that is, so why can't you admit you're wrong!? True justice is the result of order, salvation for all is totally different from your own salvation. Not only that, they're completely incompatible. The more you strive for the total salvation for all, the more you'll be consumed by your own contradiction! You'll end up a mere murderer! If you can't see that then die. Be crushed alongside your precious ideals, burnt out without ever achieving them. If you die, a mistake such as myself will vanish into the mist. I will wipe out every trace of your life, with my own two hands. This I swear!

Tywin: That is true. Justice is the result of order. The tales and stories have always forgotten it, but justice is ugly. It isn't kind. Surely you yourself, must agree, Lord Stark? After all, you delivery justice on a constant basis with your Valyrian blade.

Ned: That is correct. But just because you are correct, Lord Lannister, doesn't mean you are right.

Tywin: Factually correct as opposed to being right in the moral or ethical sense, you mean? I prefer to be the former. (internally) Though there are some opinions that I will never budge on, facts be damned.

Altria: They are beginning to mesh. If this keeps up, Shirou is certain to catch up to him. However . . .

EMIYA: Why am I bothering with a fair fight? I know I could finish him easily but if I do that, I sense that I will have been defeated in something crucial and I can't accept that! No! I'll finish this! He's already dead on his feet. This is it. How can I be so foolish!? How many times do I have to see it end like this!? He'll never give up; He'll never reach his limit. In fact, he's long since surpassed it. He's completely obsessed with taking down his opponent but it's not me that he's trying to kill anymore. I know it, I know that ragged look of his, it's all too familiar. I recognize the man as well; one who's spirit has never been broken. Who's never been beaten, who never succumbed. Though the weight of it threatened to crush him, he never lost his dream of saving everyone and insisted on carrying the burden alone! I know this man. If only there was a way, if only he could save everyone who suffered, he thought. He might find a purpose for his miserable existence.

Tywin: Why is he even bothering with a fair fight? He isn't a damned knight, he has no oaths to upkeep. He wants to disappear doesn't he? To be rid of his wretched existence? Then why not kill himself?

Sandor: . . . he's a fool, that's why.

Ned: Because this isn't a battle of skills or of might. This is a battle of ideals, the one who remains true to his ideals shall win. Even Emiya is doubting himself now.

Altria: Shirou is attempting to slay the part of himself that would block the path to his ideals, to stay true to what he has always believed in, what he will continue to believe in and EMIYA is attempting to undo the self that gave rise to what he has become. To erase the mistakes that he is doomed to someday repeat. Once, I had two paths. Both were correct, both of them had merit but the outcome of the one I chose was not what I had hoped for. If I was left filled with regret, even then, as long as I could achieve my ideals.

Cersei: Altria should've stayed as a peasant and saved her people from the wretched fate that awaited them has she pulled the sword.

Robert: I heard that! But . . . she shouldn't have tried to revert it. Even as a king, I've had many regrets but the sacrifices of others had put me where I am. To undo it as an insult to the men who have toiled and bled for me and against me.

EMIYA: He knows he can't win; he knows this fight is meaningless yet the very mistake I once made myself, still he fights. Why? In the end, it doesn't matter! Your hope will someday betray you. As mine did! That's too bad, your spirit outlasted your mana. Now it's the only weapon you have. In any event, the battle of Shirou Emiya is about to end.

Arya: No! He mustn't lose!

Sansa & Myrcella: (slightly tearing up)

Jaime: So this is it then.

Ned: Aye, he is correct. But not in the way he is thinking.

Shirou: Yeah, I guess you're right. My wish really is fake but there's something beautiful about it. Putting others before myself is hypocritical, I understand that. Still, I couldn't help but admire the idea. I thought how great it would be to live like that. Even if my life was a sham, there was still beauty in that wish. In doing whatever I could to make others happy. I won't let that go. Even if it is foolish, I won't give it up! I don't care what you say, I don't care if I'm a fraud or a hypocrite! Because, I know my dream's not a mistake! It's not! My dream . . . is not a mistake!

Barristan: Even when logic would dictate that he would lose or that everything he does is pointless, he still persists, I must respect that.

Tyrion: Seems that they really are the same people, Shirou and Emiya.

Barristan: A moment ago, I would've said differently, but they are.

(Cut to a peaceful night, with Shirou and Kiritsugu sitting down)
Shirou: I'll become a hero for you, Just leave it to me, I'll make your dream come true.

Jaime: Such a tranquil scene.

Barristan; Aye.

Shirou Emiya: How cruel, forcing me to look into an old mirror. So a hero like that truely exists.

Shirou: It's over Emiya, I've won.

Robert: So he has.

Ned: Emiya allowed himself to lose. Because in the end, even he acknowledges that his ideals weren't faulty. This battle also exemplified that he wasn't wrong.

Arya: How beautiful.

Myrcella: Aye.

Cersei: . . .

Robert: Damn.

Sandor: So did we just watch a man commit suicide?

Tyrion: I suppose that we did.

Tywin: (sighs) Seems that no matter how faulty the logic, Shirou still persists. The fool.

Jaime: Then that's something that Shirou and Emiya have in common.

Barristan: Now. I believe that there was a bet on who'd win?

Tyrion: Oh, go suck a bag of di-

Chapter Text

Now, this is also to remind myself on what's upcoming as well. So I've compiled a chronological list of reactions that I will write out in the future. It includes: Superman; Metal Gear Solid III, PO, PW, I, and IV; a bit of Castlevania and Jojo. After that, I'm done with creating reactions. 

1. Superman (2025) - Mister Terrific Battle   
2. Metal Gear Solid III - Part IV (Boss' betrayal)
3. Metal Gear Solid III - Part V (Start of Snake Eater)
4. Metal Gear Solid III - Part VI (Granin and all Cobra Unit encounter)
5. Metal Gear Solid III - Part VII (Snake's torture and escape)
6. Metal Gear Solid III - Part VIII (Fighting Volgin and escape)
7. Metal Gear Solid III - Part IX (Killing the Boss and final fight with Ocelot)
8. Metal Gear Solid III - Part X (Birth of Big Boss and Truth of Snake Eater)
9. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (First Cutscene/Recruiting Johnny)
10. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (Johnny and Ursula's Death)
11. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker - Part I (Saving Chico)
12. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker - Part II (Snake's Torture and Boss flashback)
13. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker - Part III (Infiltrating U.S Missile Base)
14. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker - Part IV (Destroying Peace Walker)
15. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker - Part V (Paz' Betrayal and Formation of Outer Heaven)
16. Metal Gear Solid 1 - Part I (Briefing)
17. Metal Gear Solid 1 - Part II (The Cyborg Ninja)
18. Metal Gear Solid 1 - Part III (Miller's Death and Destruction of Rex)
19. Metal Gear Solid 4 - Part I (War has Changed)
20. Metal Gear Solid 4 - Part II (FOX-Alive and Battle atop Outer Haven)
21. Metal Gear Solid 4 - Part III (Zero's Death)
22. Snippets of Castlevania - Season 1
23. Jojo's Bizzare Adventure (Speedwagon, Caesar's death)