Decades have passed since that day.
When the sun rose, breaking the darkness.
When she disappeared into the light, into her long slumber.
When I stood there, a smile on my face, but sadness in my heart.
It had been so long since then.
I had wandered the world, fulfilling my promise to the girl.
To Saber.
—-
It is true. Time is cruel.
I had forgotten her face.
Her voice.
Her smile.
All those things, those precious things, had faded with the years.
And yet, one thing never left me.
That feeling in my chest.
The one thing that drove me forward.
No matter what hardship I faced, I continued walking.
All for that feeling.
I could feel it.
Crying to me, pushing me forward.
A single hope.
—
I had comrades on my journey.
Rin. llya. Gavin. Samael. Daemon. Raphael.
Some went on before me.
Others decided to walk their own paths.
Of my six companions, only one remained to see me off.
The oldest of them all, who was there from the beginning.
And was there for the end.
Her voice is soft. Far softer then the sharp tongue I remembered from our first meeting.
She comforts me, reminding me of our many adventures together, of the friends we had and the battles we had fought.
And finally, she spoke about Saber.
Through her words, I remembered.
—
Her voice. Harsh but kind.
Her eyes. Green as the leaves themselves.
Her hair. Gold, like the sword I see in my dreams.
And her name.
Arturia Pendragon. The Ruler of Camelot.
But to me, she will always be Saber.
—-
Strength is leaving me now.
My surroundings are blurring.
My ally, tears visible on her face, is calling for someone.
I raise my hand and wipe her tears.
She falls silent, understanding my intent.
"Thank you."
My words reach her ears. Her tears begin anew.
I smile and cradle her cheek with my hand.
She smiles back, a sad smile full of bittersweet emotions.
"Say hello for me."
I nod, a wordless promise.
My breathing slows.
My vision dims, like a light slowly breaking down.
Her face, sad but strong, is the last thing I see.
And I finally go to sleep.
—
The sunlight is bright.
Bright enough to wake me from my slumber.
Above me, the blue sky seems to extend endlessly.
White clouds dot the sky.
I sit up, looking around me.
A field of gold stretches as far as I can see.
I'd never been here before.
And yet, it feels nostalgic.
Like my soul knew this place.
I stand up.
The golden wheat reaches to my waist.
I look around.
And behind me, I find it.
A lone figure, standing amongst the gold.
The source of my yearning.
My hope.
—-
I begin to walk.
With each step, I feel myself grow lighter.
The weight of the decades is fading.
As I move closer, her features become clear.
A white dress.
Golden hair.
Green eyes.
And a serene smile.
I stop before her, not daring to touch her.
For I fear that if I do, this dream will end.
Instead, I say the words.
The words that I have wanted to say ever since that day.
"I'm back, Saber."
The girl looks at me, the smile on her face growing.
Decades have passed.
And yet nothing has changed.
Tears appear in the corners of her eyes as she replies with what I had always wanted to hear.
"Yes—Welcome back, Shirou."
—
And there my journey ends.
The journey that had taken a lifetime to complete.
I had known the destination, but not the path.
I had known the goal, but not the method.
I had known the distance, but not the cost.
And yet, despite this, I knew that it would happen.
That I would find her again.
My adventure has ended, but a new one has begun.
One that would go on forever.
But with her by my side.
I love you.
Saber.
—-
To the boy who searched his entire life.
And to the girl who never stopped waiting.
There was no doubt that you would meet again.
It was only a matter of trying.
And having the courage never to submit or yield.
For while your bodies were mortal.
Your souls are eternal.
You can forget each others faces.
You can forget each others names.
But you can never forget their love.
Fate is a fickle thing. Like the moon, it changes.
Once you accept that, anything can be done.
I wish you the best, my heroes.
May your rest in Avalon be peaceful.
You have deserved it.
—-
Huh. Now why did I write this? I don't know. Maybe I just felt like doing a tribute or something.
Or maybe it was because I spent nearly six hours last night trying to get the novel to work on my Mac. (Ultimately failed, but whatever. I've learnt that using Wine/Winebottler/Wineskin/Cross-over is the biggest pain in the arse ever. I'm buying Parallel.)
Or maybe because the train to London is really boring.
Anyways, this is my little dedication to Fate/Stay Night. And yes, I did insert my name in there. I'm egotistical like that.
Tell me what you think. I enjoyed writing this.
Daemon
PS. If enough people want me to, I'll write something similar from Saber's point of view. (I might just write one anyways, just because I want to. And because this train journey is seriously boring.)