I'm so sad. So very, very sad. The young woman thought as she picked her way through the village market, her eyes on her feet. Or rather, what she could see of them as they occasionally peeped out from beneath her rough brown dress. She did not know the word depressed and the concept of mental illness in general was quite foreign to her, but if she had known she would surely have used it. So very sad.

Deep in her miasma of sadness, she walked into the bakery and looked over the loaves, trying to decide which she would buy. They all looked the same so she picked one at random and after a bit of dickering, put it into her bag. The baker didn't try to talk to her. No one tried to talk to her anymore…

Then she heard voices and they weren't familiar. That was odd, she knew everyone in the village. Feeling the mildest of curiosity, she looked to see who was speaking. And then her eyes went wide with shock. The man had his back to her but even with the strange armor she knew that back…!

"Sam!" She dropped her back and her foodstuffs spilled out, unheeded, as she ran towards that strong back. "Sam!" He didn't turn so she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her –

Then stopped with a combination of shock, disbelief and profound despair.

"Oh…" It… wasn't Sam. The face was so similar, the wide green eyes were so much the same but Sam had never worn glasses. He didn't need them and they were ridiculously expensive besides. And his hair… oh, what strange hair this man had, it was nothing like Sam's chestnut brown. "I… I'm sorry." Emotions were welling up, too strongly to be suppressed and her throat tightened as tears stung at her eyes. "So very… s-sorry…" she sobbed once before turning and running away. Behind her she heard the stranger call after her but she didn't stop as the tears began to fall.

Her heart was so full of pain.

Gudao went to bed as usual. There was nothing out of the ordinary, unfortunately. (getting Siegfried to drag Kiyohime out of his room was normal) After checking under the bed to make sure Serenity wasn't hiding there, and the closet as well, Gudao settled in for a comfortable rest.

"Master, wake up." …Huh? Gudao stirred, unwilling to wake up from what felt like a very deep sleep. As he stirred, though, he registered that something was wrong. There was a gentle breeze on his, blankets were missing and he felt like he was on something uneven. Reluctantly opening his eyes, Gudao looked up to see a concerned face looking down at him.

"Sigurd?" Gudao mumbled the name of the newest Servant summoned to Chaldea. Only answering his call three days ago, he'd barely had any time to get to know him. Sitting up, he glanced around to realize he was lying in a meadow filled with soft green grass and spring flowers. "…" Glancing up, he saw the sky was a cerulean blue with only a few fluffy white clouds. "Am I dreaming?" This looked like a dream paradise.

"I do not believe so," Sigurd said quietly and Gudao looked at him. The dragon slayer was looking away, a faint frown on his face. "It is too soon for us to have bonded that well." …That was true. Gudao frowned, pushing himself to his feet. "I believe this may be a spontaneous Rayshift. If so, there may be help coming soon." That would be good, Gudao never felt safe without Mash by his side. Not just her shield but her solid, comforting presence. Sigurd reached up to adjust his glasses before pointing. "There is a village in that direction. Perhaps we should see what is there?"

"Sure," Gudao said agreeably, hoping someone would notice what was happening soon. Although if he'd just left his body, like with Dantes, it might be a while. They walked through the meadow down to a road, which led to a small village. As they walked Gudao saw farmers in the fields, just beginning the process of tilling and planting. They had oxen and horses and seemed quite prosperous.

"This is excellent farmland, as fine as any in my kingdom," Sigurd said, echoing his thoughts. "There are no signs of trouble. It is like any village I have seen in my travels."

"Well, that's good!" Gudao said cheerfully and Sigurd gave him an indecipherable glance. The young Master really wished he knew the man better. "You don't think so?"

"In the circumstances, I am suspicious," Sigurd said after a moment and Gudao bit his lower lip, glancing around. Would Mash eventually come? "Perhaps the village will hold some answers."

The village, when they reached it, was small but very pretty. Homes and stores of wood, they were built in a very old-fashioned and intricate style. Gudao marveled a bit at the effort that had been put into them… They had gorgeous little curlicues and molding and every home was painted in multiple colors to accent the decorations. The stores were a bit simpler but still beautiful, with very well cared and painted signs denoting the wares within.

"This is truly a very prosperous village, to afford to spend time on money on such things," Sigurd said, pausing to look up at a two-story home. "These buildings are all so fine, they would have stood out proudly in my capital." Hm.

"This must be a prosperous place in general. If a small village looks like this, what would the capital look like?" Gudao said quietly, looking around. They were catching a lot of attention but there wasn't much help for it, they both stood out like a sore thumb. "Do you think we – " That was as far as he got before a hand suddenly seized Sigurd's arm.

"Sam!" Gudao stared, stunned as Sigurd was forcefully turned to look at the woman. Oh my god she's so beautiful. Even after seeing so much feminine beauty in Chaldeas, this woman stood out. Her hair was a gorgeous shade of gold, braided and neatly wound behind her head in a complicated pattern. Her eyes were a rare shade of violet and her face… her face was just so beautiful, pale skinned and perfect. Gudao was stunned and captivated, staring at the wide-eyed hope in her eyes.

That quickly dissolved into utter despair.

"Oh…" she let go of Sigurd's arm. "I-I'm sorry…" Her face twisted and Gudao realized, with a jolt, that this beautiful woman was about to cry. "So…. S-sorry…" Then she turned and ran away, her soft blue dress fluttering as she sobbed.

"No wait – " Sigurd reached out but he was too late. The soft patter of feet quickly vanished into the air. "…" Sigurd's gaze went to something and Gudao followed it to see a brown paper bag lying on the ground. Cans had rolled out and a loaf of bread was peeping out. Sigurd went to the bag and began picking up the cans, putting them back in. "We must find her, Master. She is the key to this," Sigurd said as he straightened, the bag cradled against his body.

"Eh? You think so?" Gudao wasn't so sure although the way she'd mistaken Sigurd for someone else, despite his armor, was pretty odd. Sigurd nodded.

"There is no doubt of it. She…" His voice suddenly faltered. "She reminds me of Brynhildr." …Oh.

"I see." Gudao quickly rearranged his thinking. She'd mistaken Sigurd for someone named Sam, and she looked like Brynhildr? "Yes, this has to have something to do with why we're here. Let's bring back her bag and see if she'll talk to us." Gudao was confident she would. Why wouldn't she?

Well, the only reason she wouldn't was because she was bawling her eyes out.

"Why… Sam, why… Sam…" The woman was collapsed on the stairs of what seemed to a church, her face buried in her hands as violent sobs wracked her body. Gudao stared, feeling helpless in the face of such grief. "Why… why…" He wouldn't have known what to do but Sigurd did. He set aside the bag before kneeling at the woman's side.

"It's all right miss. It's all right," Sigurd murmured as he gently gathered the woman in his arms, patting her on the back. "Shhh. Shhh." She didn't resist him at all, no, quite the reverse. She clung to him and sobbed into his chest, her tears wetting his clothing and armor. Finally she pulled away, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, stranger, to have… have been an… imposition…" her voice was small and tremulous, so quiet it was hard for Gudao to hear. Sigurd just smiled at her reassuringly, gently holding a small, pale hand in his gauntleted one.

"It's fine but please, miss, can you tell me what's wrong? Perhaps I can be of assistance," Sigurd said and his voice was so soothing that even Gudao could feel it. The nameless woman melted immediately.

"It's… likely nothing you can help with… but it's my husband, good sir," she said and Gudao felt a sudden disappointment as he looked at her hands. Yes, that golden band was a wedding ring. "In the middle of the winter I was having cramps from my, my menses…" A delicate blush shaded her cheeks as she glanced away. "Sam took the horse to go to the village to get me some medicine. And he arrived and bought it from the apothecary but on the way back he – he vanished." Vanished? "We searched, we all searched, the whole village came out to help but we didn't find a th-thing." She sniffed, reaching up with her free hand to rub her eyes again. Sigurd held her other hand, giving her a comforting squeeze. "We even… even… searched the river… but there was… nothing…"

"Miss… I'm sorry, what's your name?" Sigurd asked and quickly got a response. "Brianna." What a beautiful name! "I will try to help, I swear it. Please, will you take me to your farm? So I can retrace his steps?" She looked at him with a combination of disbelief and hope.

"You… you think you can? But it's been many months good sir," she said and Gudao thought that wouldn't be a problem. They'd been brought here for a reason, there had to be clues, something to guide them. Sigurd smiled reassuringly, squeezing her hand again.

"Please, call me Sigurd. My Master is Gudao," he said and she repeated Sigurd's name easily, then struggled over his. This had to be a European Singularity of some kind. "We are travellers from far away but we will do our best to help."

"If – if that is what you want, good sir." Brianna rose to her feet and picked up the bag, holding it against her chest. "My uncle let me take the cart… this way…" Gudao and Sigurd followed as she walked through the village, leading them to what could only be the inn. It was a huge building with a great wooden sign. "We often see many strangers here," Brianna said as she put her groceries into the cart and untied the pony from the hitch. Her cart was an amusingly small little thing, meant to hold just a few parcels with just enough space in front for one person to sit. Gudao resigned himself to walking. "Are you taking the trade route from the sea to the Duchess' capital? Or are you perhaps going towards the sea?"

"We are heading towards the capital, most likely," Sigurd said easily as Brianna gently flicked the reins and her pony started off at an obedient walk. Gudao and Sigurd walked beside the cart and Gudao wondered what anyone seeing them would think. "It would be a shame to see so little of this land."

"Oh, I've never been outside the village. But I'm told the capital is a glory that would put any other town to shame!" Gudao could believe it, with as pretty as this little village was. They quietly conversed as they made their way to the farm and as they walked, he glanced around, hoping Mash would arrive soon.

It just felt wrong not to have his beloved Kohai by his side.