Mordred wasn’t a Valentine’s Day sort of person. It wasn’t that she hated the idea of romance in and of itself, not really. It wasn’t any more her business what made others happy than anything she did was someone else’s business, so more power to ‘em. Unfortunately, Valentines Day had a habit of making all those things that should not have been her business into her business. The collection of servants either A: In relationships, B: Horny enough to celebrate the holiday despite not being in one, or C: Depressed by not having a relationship, practically filled Chaldea and all the places Mordred usually hung out. And frankly, she didn’t have any interest in watching couples be sickeningly sweet, being flirted with, or being a shoulder to cry on, respectively.

She had originally planned to follow her normal Valentine’s Day routine of shutting herself in her room and locking the door until the damned day was over with. Sure, it would have been boring as heck and probably not all that conducive to her productivity, but neither was dealing with the other Servants on that kind of holiday.

This time, though, she was doing something different - she was walking to a certain other Servant’s room. Once she arrived, she knocked on the door. Then again. “Coming!” A voice called from inside, and she heard some noise from inside. The door slid open to reveal a familiar face - namely, that of her King/Father/Archenemy, Artoria. Or rather, a younger, significantly nicer version thereof. “Oh, you came! Happy Valentines Day, Mordred!” she said, her mood as chipper as ever.

Mordred studiously looked away. “You seemed so excited to ask. I couldn’t exactly say ‘no’, ya know?” she said. It was unfair that a version of her Father could be so cute as Artoria Lily, and yet there she was. She was wearing a different dress than usual, a white gown that seemed more for social events than the field of battle and wouldn’t have looked out of place in a court.

The previous afternoon, Mordred had been lamenting alone the pains and annoyances that Valentine’s Day would surely bring, when the young Saber had approached. Cheerfully, she’d offered to spend the day with Mordred (‘as friends’, she’d been sure to note) so that she didn’t have to coop herself up in her own room the whole time. With nothing better to do and nothing in the way of plans, as well as a look at the earnestness in her expression, Mordred could hardly refuse.

“Come in, come in!” Artoria Lily said, stepping out of the doorway and sweeping her arms to the side in an inviting gesture, “Please, take a seat! It’s good you didn’t bring your armor, it might have gotten a bit uncomfortable for a social call.”

“Ah, right…” Mordred said. “You didn’t have to get dressed so fancy, you know.”

“Oh, but it’s so pretty, isn’t it?” Lily said, doing a little twirl to show off the dress.

“Right, yes, it’s just a bit… formal, isn’t it?”

Artoria Lily didn’t seem to be listening, humming pleasantly to herself as she went to the cabinets. Her room was fairly standard-issue, not overly decorated beyond the pink bedding and some extra furniture she’d managed to acquire. “I’ve got something for you~” she said cheerfully, closing the cabinet and whirling around to present her findings to Mordred.

“Wow, a box.” Mordred said.

“You know I mean what’s in it!” Artoria Lily said. “It’s chocolate. I worked hard on it!”

“...You know, this isn’t that kind of meeting, is it…?” Mordred said, a bit confused.

“Friendship chocolate!” Lily insisted. “Chocolate’s tasty no matter what day it is, it just so happens that today it’s usually used for reasons other than just tasting good. No reason we can’t have some anyway.”

Mordred couldn’t think of a way to argue with that, really. Mordred experimentally took a chocolate out of the box and bit into it. Any concerns of propriety melted away instantly, as she shoved the rest in her mouth and then a second piece besides. “Thish ish really good!” she mumbled through a full mouth. It wasn’t baseless praise - it was some of the best chocolate Mordred could remember having. Which in fairness wasn’t a wide sample,  but still.

“Thanks, it took a few tries to get the filling just right.” Artoria Lily said with a smile. She moved to the bed, hopping onto the edge and patting a space for Mordred. “Come on! We’ve got some time to waste, so why not take a seat and chat?”

Mordred normally would have balked - sitting on someone else’s bed next to them? Wasn’t she making some big assumptions there? But for whatever reason, this time she didn’t see much reason to complain. She sat down next to Lily, bringing the chocolate box with her. “Too much time. I wish that today would just be over already.” she said with a sigh.

“That seems a little dramatic, doesn’t it? What’s so wrong with Valentine’s Day?” Lily asked.

“It’s a day all about love and romance and making you feel bad if you don’t have it! It’s something that’s bothered me ever since I heard of it the first time. It’s a ridiculous holiday and I’m not sure why Master bothers to celebrate it. Same reason she celebrates anything when the only humans left can be counted on my fingers, I guess.”

Artoria Lily was quiet for a little, kicking her legs out in front of her idly as she formulated a response. “I don’t think that it’s that mean-spirited. It’s a celebration of romance and love, and I think that means it’s a pretty good thing overall. I’ve got a certain someone I admire a lot and would love to spend a day like today with…” she leapt to her feet suddenly. “Oh! That reminds me! I have something I want to give you…”

She fussed around in the cabinets for a bit, before coming back with something that confused Mordred. It was… a suit? It was a fine garment to be sure, and she could tell from looking it had been tailored for her. “I… what? Why the suit? How’d you even get my measurements…?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Lily said, waving away the question. “I want to see how you look in it, so could you start taking your clothes off?”

Mordred felt her face rapidly heat up, and knew she was turning as red as a tomato at the thought of stripping in front of Artoria Lily. It was strange - she wasn’t exactly the sort of person who cared what others saw of her body, or else the clothes she wore when unarmored wouldn’t leave as much skin visible. But somehow the idea of the young woman seeing her nude left her composure in shambles. “W-W-What-”

With a sly grin, Lily was on top of her, gently pulling off bits of clothing from the blushing knight. “Hey, you can’t- you can’t do that- what-” Mordred stammered, but she was unable to make herself resist as she pulled down her skirt and leggings.

“Don’t be shy~” Lily giggled, not slowing one bit, “Once we get you all dressed up, you can help me change later! Doesn’t that sound fun~?”

Mordred was surprised to find that it did… she she didn’t mind the concept as much as she normally would. “Maybe, but…”

Lily took the presented opportunity to throw Mordred even further onto the back foot, leaning in and silencing her by pushing her lips into her target’s. The kiss surprised Mordred, but after a short muffled protest she found herself returning it… especially as it turned out Lily had taken the opportunity to push more chocolate into Mordred’s mouth, further quieting her discontent.

The young king-to-be eventually withdrew, still holding close to the by now naked Mordred. “I… I have to admit, I didn’t just ask you to come to chat, if that wasn’t obvious by now…” she said.

“Y-You don’t say…” Mordred managed to say without tripping over herself too much. She couldn’t believe that had happened, couldn’t take the embarrassment! She snatched the suit from Lily’s hands and started pulling it on, soon being fully dressed. She had to admit, it was a flattering look, but given what had happened moments before she didn’t have the time to dwell on it.

“Yeah… I wanted to talk about… well, some feelings I have.” Artoria Lily continued, “How I feel about our… relationship.”

Any other day, with any other person, Mordred would have just left. Or maybe struck out. Or something else dumb.  But here, now, she couldn’t find it in herself to leave Lily, still feeling that strange warmth through her whole body. So instead she nodded, prompting the young woman to continue.

“You’re one of the strongest people I know - it inspires me to try and be just as strong, some day, to train every day! And you’re so dashing and cool… but you’re also really down to earth, in a way that a lot of the other knights aren’t. They all seem larger than life, but you’re just unapologetically yourself, and there’s something really nice about that. It lets me feel more comfortable talking to you, without all the expectations and stuff the others always have for me.”

“You’re just saying that to be nice…” Mordred said, looking away but not pushing the young woman off of her. “It’s weird getting this sort of praise from you, you know?”

Lily nodded. “I guess it would be, for you… didn’t we kill each other in life? Or at least, you and another version of me.”

Mordred blinked with surprise. “How did you hear about that? We usually don’t really talk about our past lives…”

“Oh, I asked Master about it… she tried to evade it, but well, there’s plenty of books lying around, and the other Servants don’t mind talking as much…” Lily said. “I have to admit, it was shocking - I have to admit you’re not the nicest person I know, but that…”

It was a long time ago, and any other time, Mordred normally would have lashed out for that kind of talk. So what if she’d killed Artoria in another life? She didn’t regret it, and she’d do it again given the option! So why did she feel so crappy when Artoria Lily talked about it? “I… I’m sorry it had to be like that… but that’s not you.” she found herself saying. “Still, I understand, a bit… is there any way I can make it up to you?” It was weird to say something like that, but it felt… right, somehow?

“Well, you can start with eating some more of my chocolates…” Lily nodded her head towards the partly-empty box. Mordred complied instantly, popping a few into her mouth one after another. They were still delicious, and she felt herself relax. When she had that chocolate, it was like everything was good, all was right in the world… “And while you do that, I can come up with some more things…” she continued, her lips curling at the corners into a sly smile.

Mordred couldn’t exactly respond, with her mouth full, but she nodded vigorously and Artoria Lily kept talking. “You will be my knight, from now on. We’ll always be together! You get to stay by me all the time, and we can do everything together!” she said. As she did, the casual chatter became ingrained in Mordred’s mind as unbreakable commandments. She was Lily’s knight. Her loving, loyal companion, who would never leave her side.

“Since you’re my knight,” she continued, “That means you reflect on me. So that means I should get to decide what you wear, so you reflect well. I’ve always wanted someone I can dress up… oh, and as my knight, you should refer to me as ‘my lady’ a lot. You have to listen to what I say and do what I ask you!” She sounded more and more excited as she spoke, unable to contain herself. This plan had worked out perfectly! The special little chocolates she’d acquired were doing exactly what she’d hoped.

Mordred swallowed the last of the chocolates. “Anything else?” she asked. Lily was a little worried - that was a bit… casual, for what she’d expected.

“You have to promise me we’ll be together forever, as Lady and Knight… and as lovers…” the young ruler continued, blushing.

Mordred stood up, and Lily worried she was going to leave… before she turned and knelt at Lily’s feet. “My lovely Lady Artoria, I vow to follow each and every one of your commandments. We shall be Lady and Knight until the end, and I shall serve you loyally…”

Artoria Lily’s commands hadn’t just bound Mordred to her. They’d remolded the prickly Servant to fit Lily’s ideal of a knight - her rough edges smoothed out, her personality adjusted to fit her role. Mordred had become in mind and soul, Lily’s loving knight.

Lily relaxed visibly as Mordred made her declaration, offering a hand for Mordred. The newly reformed knight kissed it gently, just as a good knight should. “That’s… very nice to hear, Sir Mordred. I appreciate how noble you sounded just- aaah!”

The lady was cut off as Mordred stood and, in the blink of an eye, lifted her from the bed and into a princess carry. “Well, my Lady, we can’t well spend such a special day cooped up in here. As much as I delight in your company, there’s so many other things we could spend the day on! We can come back and make… full use of the room, when night falls. To commemorate our new bond.”

Lily blushed furiously. This was just like all her wildest fantasies… “Then by all means,” she said, managing to stifle a stutter, “Lead the way, my beloved Knight.”

Mordred did so, carrying Lily out of the room and to the first of many delightful days together...