Disclaimer: Fate/ stay night does not belong to me. It belongs solely to TYPE-MOON, the creators of this game and Tsukihime.
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Pacis Vel Chaos
The sun bathed both of us in pure light as it was rising behind me. A gust of wind blew past our bodies, chilling our bones to the very bone. It was inevitable, that this would happen once the Holy Grail, the source of energy that grants the winner of the massive bloodbath his wish, was destroyed. I would disappear, from this time, from this planet, from life itself. The warm, golden rays started to shine though my armor. This dream of mine will soon come to an end.
"I need to tell you something before I go."
The words flowed though my head as this will be the only time I will utter these words. This dream, all these experiences I've had, all these people that I've met. If this is really a dream, then these words were the last words of this fairy tale. I spoke softly, into the brightening dawn,
"Shirou…I love you."
My vision blurred as my mind was whisked away with the next wind. I can only recall Shirou looking at me with the expression when I was first summoned by him, in the waning moonlight, but it was different. He was smiling...
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"King Arthur… I will call for reinforcements. Please stay here."
A voice… It pierced through the darkness, making me awake from my slumber, one that I will regain soon. I'm in a lush forest, with the air crisp with the morning dew along with the smell of iron wafting in the air. A man was kneeling a few feet away from me, his mount calm and steady. My mind cleared and the fogginess disappeared.
'Bedivere.'
I could only whisper his name as he gasped with surprise.
"You have regained consciousness?"
"Yes."
I spoke after a moment's silence.
"I had a dream."
He replied, with doubt in his eyes.
"A dream?"
I replied.
"Yes. I do not see dreams often. It was an invaluable experience."
He stood next to me, his smile radiating with the same air as the peaceful forest around us.
"Then please rest without any worries. If you close your eyes, you will have the continuation of your dream."
Those words started a flicker of hope in my darkening mind.
"The continuation of my dream? Will I see the same dream again?"
I blurted out before I could stop myself. Bedivere was amused by this and replied.
"Yes, I have experienced this before. If you wish for it enough…"
My body felt light after he spoke. My eyes became hard enough to open.
"I see… You are very knowledgeable about this…"
I smiled, one that will fade very soon.
"Bedivere, take Excalibur, and throw it into the lake past the hill over there. Report to me what you have seen after you've done this."
I pointed towards the direction where the hill was, with my breath growing heavier and heavier with every word. He bowed, and rode with his white steed towards the hill with my trusted sword by his side. He came back two times, and reported that the sword was thrown in the lake, and that there was nothing except the winds and the waves. I told him to do it again. After the third time, he said that after he thrown it into the center of the lake, the Lady in the Lake had raised the holy sword into the heavens, never to be seen again.
"I see. Be proud of yourself. You have listened to my orders."
Tears started to emerge in Bedivere's eyes, his face covered with misery. My body became heavy, with the flame of my soul began to extinguish. The urge to rest once more overcame me and I did not fight it. I spoke to him one last time, before I ran out of energy.
"Bedivere."
"My King."
"My slumber this time…"
"…might be…"
"…a bit long…"
I felt my voice trailed away, and closed my eyes, succumbing to my fate, hoping to see my scabbard once again. My only paradise in this sinned world.
"Shirou…"
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The wing gusted though the forest as King Arthur closed her eyes. The body that was once so labored, the body that led many to their deaths and leaded the country of Great Britain to its glory, was released from it's duties and laid peacefully on the crimson stained grass. Bedivere stared at his King and smiled. The face that was once devoid of any human emotion was overflowing with a radiance that would never be matched. She was happy.
"Do you behold, King Arthur…the continuation of your dream?"
The forest knew the answer to the question, as the wind blew across the trees and the flowers. The everlasting blue skies became brighter as the sun shown on Arthur – no, Arturia Pendragon's, resting body.
"Hic Jacet Arturus Rex Quondam Rexque Futurus. Here lie's Arthur, the Once and Future King." Bedivere's voice rang thoughout the forest, mourning one whose life was truly glorious.
The death was accepted by many and will continue to be told throughout the ages. By time, there won't be a single person that wouldn't know of the mighty king who rode along the setting sun with the holy sword, Excalibur. The dream gradually goes to a close as the curtains have been drawn and the story has ended. However, Arturia's story was an exception to this fairy tale…
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"…Arthur. No, Arturia Pendragon. You must be tired from the trip. Wake."
...Where am I? Everywhere as I can see, I could only distinguish white everywhere, where the only object that was out of place was the throne that I was sitting on along with my intact armor, which has no trace of blood or wounds. Am I in Avalon? It has to be…
"No, you are not in Avalon. You are in Empyrean, the highest plane of heaven. Only those who did divine deeds or did atrocious sins are accepted into this holy place to be judged. You, however, are both." The mystical voice boomed throughout the empty void.
Both? How is that possible? I did nothing to disgrace neither my honor nor my soul!
"We know that fact. You lead your army towards victory every single time. You had given up your humanity in order to prevent your country's citizens from misery. Along with the holy sword that we had given you, Arturia Pendragon, your legend will be always mentioned of. However… you had destroyed the holy object at which everyone on the planet Earth had looked upon as a holy object. One that has great potential. You know what am I talking about, yes?"
Only one object recalled in my mind. The Holy Grail.
"Of course, what other object am I talking about?"
In my defense, the so called holy object was contaminated with pure darkness, one that nearly took my Master's life!
"Yes, this is why your case is quite…a peculiar one. The Holy Grail that you had destroyed was the embodiment of human desires, other known as the seven deadly sins. We had nothing to do with the construction of the contaminated fake. Regardless, the power that was stored inside the fake Holy Grail was from us, sacrificing many lives for our folly."
So…what do you mean?
"We, as in everyone in this high court that are present, grant you two wishes. One for every time that you have destroyed the Holy Grail, as compensation for your misery that you had experienced in the past. This will be granted by the true and pure Holy Grail. You know its existence, yes? You, Arturia Pendragon, had seen the true form of the sacred object with your very eyes, along with the other members of the Round Table. Now, you shall witness its power. What do you want to be granted?"
My heart had raced with desire, as if bursting from my chest. I had decided already, even before you had told me of this miracle.
"Yes. You want to go back to Japan, in the same time and same dimension where the Fifth Holy Grail War took place, Fuyuki City?"
Yes. My heart had already determined this from the start. I wish to be with Shirou Emiya.
"Your wish…is granted. We will take care of any trivial matter that concerns your being in that particular time plane. Your citizenship is prepared and you will be known as a legitimate human being living in the pacific nation called Japan as a citizen born in England. You have no qualms, yes?
Of course not. I thank you and everyone that make this poor soul very happy. I kneel to you.
"We are flattered. Now go."
My mind went blank and I fell asleep again… Seems like I do this quite often, I'm afraid.
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"You let her go without punishment? That is outrageous!"
"That is not the case. She gave up her own 'time' to protect her citizen's smiles from faltering. But she was never rewarded, never praised, always feared. She was an outcast of society the moment she drew the sword from the stone. Never changed, always the same, immortality is not a blessing but a sin. Is that not enough reasons to grant her wish in our expense? Well, Kay? You are a member of the high court and have to judge with order and justice, not with your personal opinion!" A slam resonated in the room.
There was no answer. The voice spoke again.
"You saw her, right? You never knew that King Arthur was a woman. I did, when I saw her with her last breath. If you did, you would had treated her differently, thought of her differently and you might have not even listened to her! But she never revealed that she was, in fact, a women. She took responsibility for you! For Britannia! She had the country on her arms, holding her back since she was a slave for them! Always thinking what to order, always making battle plans! Now she had changed, haven't I told you! " Another thump rang throughout the area.
"Yes, you make a valid point. However, you might have judged with justice but you also ruled with your heart, isn't that right, Bedivere?"
The voice went silent.
"However, we cannot overlook that Arturia was only granted one wish. She didn't even need the second. If we dispose of it, massive amounts of magical energy would go on our rampage. It would take many centuries to regain power over the order of the delicate balance of the universe."
Another voice rose up. "You speak the truth, Merlin. I shall use the leftover for my own benefit. I shall go back to Earth to…push her forward. I didn't go there for such a long time; I almost forgot the majestic sights."
A chorus of dismay ensued.
"What!? You must be kidding!"
"Why should you, of all people, go back to that planet? You've already caused enough commotion when you were alive!"
"Can't you just leave her alone? After all, she is your…"
"QUIET!"
All of the council members stood still. Merlin spoke.
"The woman known as Saber is already softening up, regaining her human emotions, which was once impossible. If perfection is a flaw, then her flaws are perfection itself. You shall have your wish granted. In addition, you shall have the same benefits as Arturia. Do you have any problems with this?"
"No, I am already pleased with this."
"Now go."
A flash of white light immersed the cloaked council member, leaving no traces that she was there. After a moment's silence, Bedivere spoke again.
"I guess all is fair in love and war." he said, that was briefly followed by a sigh.
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Author's Note: Well, this chapter turned out quite nicely. I hope I've met the expectations of those F/SN readers that wanted a good end/ those that were outraged that Saber (Arturia Pendragon) died in the end. Don't worry, she won't die...I think. Just kidding. Who was the cloaked person that also got her wish granted? I'm not telling you, but I'll give you a hint. She's a fairy. If you do enough research, you will find out who it is. If you have any comments about my story or just wanted to critisize, please do so. However, I won't read those that start off with "His power level is over nine thousand!". Until then, Ja ne!
~ Shimata