Shiro let out a gasp as the rush of ice cold water poured over his body. He could hear several people laughing, but when he tried to sit up, pain coursed through every fiber of his being. Letting out a gasp of frustration, he decided it was best to simply lie where he was. As he looked up at the night sky he noticed that it seemed different somehow. It didn't really strike him until he tried to look for a few familiar constellations. These stars were completely different. He tried desperately but he couldn't find a single one that he recognized.
Suddenly, the face of an older gentleman popped into view. He was staring at Shiro like one would a lab rat. His face slowly inched closer, as Shiro tried to move his back unsuccessfully, due to being flat on the ground. After what seemed like forever the man backed away a little bit making room for another face. This one he recognized to be the commander from earlier. Well at least I know this isn't a weird dream, Shiro thought.
Almost instantly, both of them started asking questions. Well, he thought they were questions. In response, Shiro could only give them a confused look. The pieces were starting to click in. Rin had always said that he wasn't the brightest but hey, this wasn't hard to figure out. With the stars being different, Shiro could say that he was most likely on a different continent which would also explain why he didn't understand anyone. The armor and swords were definitely real and so was saber. Her boot had hurt. A lot. This all lead up to one conclusion, he had somehow gone back in time and if his guess was right, then he was also in England.
The two men looked to one another. After a quick conversation, they both nodded to each other. The older man pulled out a gem. It was similar to the one Tosaka had made him swallow; only this one was carved with many runes and symbols. As Shiro was focused on that, the commander gripped his jaw and wrenched it open, not that Shiro offered any resistance. The old man dropped it into Shiro's mouth. Rather quickly, the commander pushed his mouth closed. He wasn't quite sure how but then the man did something to his jaw that made the gem slide easily down his throat.
"Well now, that's better isn't it," the old man said with a slight smile.
Shiro let out a gasp as the gem seemingly dissolved into magical energy. The only reason he could tell was because Rin had made him do something similar to that before. Still, he couldn't quite figure out what it was for until he registered the words of the old man.
"Amazing, I can understand you now," He said.
"And I you," Stated the commander, who then proceeded to pull Shiro off the ground. "Now you can spill all of those dirty little secrets of yours. So where do you hail from, Assassin?"
Shiro looked at the man incredulously before bursting out in laughter. The thought that he would try to kill someone, or rather that he would even get this far for the sake of revenge was ridiculous. He probably would have laughed for a long time if the knight hadn't punched him in the stomach. Shiro bent over his fist for a moment but then stood back up. It was clear that the other man was not amused.
"Lancelot, that's enough, did I not instruct you to inform me the minute he was awakened," said a familiar voice. It was stoic but still warm to a degree. As well as being a voice of complete authority.
Shiro looked up at the man holding him in surprise. So, he was Sir Lancelot. Figures history would forget to mention that he was a complete jarhead when it came to people. He smirked when he saw the knight's expression. It was as close to shame as the man could probably muster and it definitely didn't look well on him.
"Come Merlin, bring him with you, we have much to discuss and very little time to do so," Saber said.
That thought stuck with Shiro for a long moment as Merlin guided him to the king's quarters. He couldn't call her Saber anymore. She might not know that name and he couldn't call her Arturia because everyone thought that she was a man, hence the title "King". That only left one option which slightly irritated him. He was going to have to refer to her as King Arthur, but to him it just seemed kind of weird.
As they approached their destination, Shiro couldn't see absolutely anything special or outstanding about the tent itself. Upon entry, he found it to be as bland as any other soldier's tent with the exception of a few maps and papers, the three of them crowded into the small space kind of like kids on a school bus. Arturia sat on her cot which was parallel to the walls of the improvised shelter while Merlin and Shiro remained standing in the center of it. The constant clinking of her armor told of her restlessness.
Finally, Merlin spoke up, "Well, I believe that our dear boy here is from the future."
Shiro blanched for a brief moment, was he really that transparent? He looked at Merlin with a surprised expression, "How could you know that?"
Merlin tapped the side of his head, "Brain power my boy, it'll take you places, that and the fact that there are traces of a summoning around here with the same magical signature as you. Although it is somewhat strange, it seems to me that you somehow summoned yourself here rather than someone else pulling you."
"So, my question for you is why?" Arturia butted in. Great pull out the hard question first, he thought. It wasn't like he could just say 'because I couldn't live without you, Saber'. That would be stupid and if he knew anything about her at all, it would probably get him in a lot of pain. So he decided to go for one of the worst excuses he could think of.
"Curiosity," he said," I wanted to see King Arthur for real. In my time, some people don't even believe that you ever existed. They think that you are merely some fairytale made by the commoners to ease their minds."
They both seemed to nod. It was like they were having a conversation in their minds that no one else would ever understand. Of course, that might not be far from the truth, after all magic can do some pretty strange things. So, he simply stood there being scrutinized. They aren't going to buy it, he thought, but what else can I say? I have always sucked when it came to lying.
"Very well, if you don't wish to tell me then fine, however, from this point on you will remain guarded by two men form my safety as well as my soldiers. I promise if you try anything, it will not end as gracefully as last time," she said.
Shiro almost face palmed, of course she would see right through him. She always had. "But," she continued," I need you to prove to me that Merlin's suspicions are correct. If you are from the future, then you should know my history. So, I want you to tell me something that no one else would know."
This made Shiro stop and think, it was a hard question considering that he had no clue what everyone knew of their king. "I know that you have pulled the sword from the stone," he began," You have lead this country through many battles and all of which ended victoriously, you have been king since you were a young teenager and seem to not age but most of all, I know that your father Uther had never born a son."
It took almost a full minute for Arturia to react, she opened her mouth as if to speak but she simply couldn't find the words. Almost no one but Merlin and Guinevere knew that. How could history know that if the secret died with the two? It was a troubling thought. She hadn't really noticed until now but she found the pair simply staring at her, Merlin looking surprised and Shiro looking like he was about to be executed. Under normal circumstances that might have been the case. Not this time though. Something was telling her that he had known her before, on a more personnel level, not just from a text book. This would require some digging and maybe a little bit of persuasion.
Her thoughts were jerked away when a burning sensation appeared on her right hand. She clenched her teeth and gripped her wrist. Both the wizard and young man were looking at her with concerned expressions. Finally after what seemed like an hour the pain subsided.
Arturia sat there covered in sweat, unsure of what to do. There had to be a good reason. Pain didn't just happen to someone of her age. As she pulled off the gauntlet, Shiro could see her eyes furrow in concentration. At the same moment, he could feel something click inside of him. It was like a wire had been pushed into his soul. In that connection he could feel a very familiar presence. He began to fill with dread as his mind put the puzzle together. With a desperate hope he waited for what Arturia was going to say.
Merlin leaned over to inspect her hand as if expecting some kind of injury. His face instantly paled to the likeness of a ghost. He turned to look her in the face. She obviously didn't understand the problem. "Arturia, what have you done," he muttered.
Merlin shot a quick look to Shiro before grabbing Arturia's wrist and turning it so that the back of her hand was clearly visible. Shiro's eyes widened in recognition, on her hand was a very familiar symbol and one that had been on his own for close to two weeks. The command spells were clearly inked onto her skin, without a single difference or fallacy. Staring back at him was nothing more than the guarantee of utter ruin.
Arturia just continued to look between the two of them. She had no clue as to what the mysterious mark meant but it was apparent that both of these men did, and based off of their facial expressions, it couldn't be good. Before she could say anything Merlin began to tear apart her "room". Papers were flying everywhere along with various other items. To Shiro it looked like a scene from some crazy anime back home.
Merlin turned abruptly as Arturia tried to speak. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly," Where is it? Where is the circle?" he practically shouted.
Shiro stepped in between the two and pushed Merlin back a step," Calm down, freaking out on her isn't going to help anything. I'm willing to bet that our king here doesn't even know what you're talking about."
Merlin took a deep breath and wiped a hand over his face. He then grabbed a piece of paper and a quill. After dipping it in ink, he began to draw with the speed of what could only be a desperate man. Holding up the paper to Arturia, he asked," Have you seen this symbol recently?"
Shiro easily identified it as an older form of the summoning circles that his age of magi was accustomed to. Arturia looked at it for a moment before answering," Yes, that shrine in the forest yesterday. It had some form of pattern like this but I couldn't see all of it because it was partly covered in moss."
"I see," said Merlin," then that sorcerer you and your men killed was also a master, he must have just summoned his servant. Were you injured there at all?"
"Only a few minor cuts, just big enough to lose a few drops of blood."
"That settles it then," Shiro said with an honest smile," like it or not you've just found yourself in another war. Lucky for me, I got dragged in too. Merlin I trust that you know all the rules?"
"Indeed, and I suggest that you both listen very carefully because what you take from this will change the outcome of this war greatly."