So fun.
Chapter 4: King's Sorrow
Artoria leant against the wall, knees pulled up to her chest. A light snoring reminded the King once again of where she was.
Her Master's bedroom.
Purely to look after him, of course. An amateur magus like him warranted watching 24/7. It wasn't because she was interested in him or wanted to know more.
Definitely not.
At first he had looked peaceful, no doubt exhausted by the summoning and completely still in slumber. But slowly she saw the despair shine through, and heard the gentle whimpers that escaped his mouth. She looked down, tears trickling slowly as the raw memory of her life broke through now no one was around.
A King had to be strong, but she wasn't a King anymore. The Berserker had no right to the title after her Kingdom had fallen to civil war and her own knights had betrayed their sovereign lord.
The Servant wasn't a knight either. God had forsaken her that night in the bedroom, turned away by the girl's sinful act. Her subjects she lied to every day, proclaiming herself to be King Arthur and not Queen Artoria. They loved and worshipped a lie, all of it fabricated by the men around her.
In the end, this was what she was. A raging beast determined to destroy everything, with her only companion this wretched Master. For the second time that night the Servant stood up to watch the pathetic heap of malekind that was her Master. Her sorrows would come later; here was someone else's pain to think about.
Servants had knowledge of the modern world implanted in their brain by the Holy Grail. She knew the rules, goals and template she'd been summoned into, but still could not figure out why by him.
Pairs were chosen based on compatibility by the Grail, yet her Master could not be more different. He hadn't even taken off the hoodie, or even his jeans, perhaps ashamed of the scars on his body. Any man should be proud of his scars, for they showed the torments and trials one had gone through. Or he was just that tired from the summoning, which wasn't much better.
Lazy and cowardly, lustful and brash, he was ignorant of his own faults and failures. Her Master was everything she hated in men. Her masquerade of manhood protected Artoria from the leers and crude comments, but the visiting noblewomen or the maidservants weren't as lucky. Not a week went by she had to answer a complaint about one of her knights.
No, she couldn't fault him for being a man. Her father and foster father were good men along with Merlin, although he could have done more to stop Morgana's machinations.
This person, Kariya Matou, had no hope in his future. He was just another martyr for love, although that at least she could understand. Her men often shone when defending a beautiful maiden, willing to go to the ends of the earth to repair their honour, or save their life.
He wouldn't. His chance at love had come and gone, and instead of making an effort, he had waited until it was too late. A man like that only sorrow in his future.
Both Master and Servant were merely spiralling through the void. Neither of them expected to survive to the end; this was just their final shout at God. One last crusade before everything continued the same.
It was possible to kill him. He would be spared the bloodshed and torment to come, and she would return to die when she should have. The both of them would merely vanish from this world, and find everlasting peace.
No more anger, no more betrayal. No regrets, no sadness, just the end to their torture. Despite their differences, a mercy kill would be worthy of their promise, their bond, as Master and Servant
She pulled Excalibur slightly out of her sheath, getting into a good position. Before the Berserker could draw it completely, Kariya whimpered and whispered one word that stopped her.
"Aoi."
-The past-
"Who travels for love finds a thousand miles no longer than one."
Packing his things, the black haired youth looked again at the photo of him and a brown haired girl. It broke his heart in two, until he saw the other photo. The family one where an old, withered man plotted horrible evil.
It was for her. He couldn't have asked better for her to fall in love with another man. He could offer her protection and safety. Without him, her future would be bright and tranquil, allowing him to live the freedom filled life of a bachelor.
Yes. It was a good decision. She kind of understood his reasons, yet a young Kariya Matou was confident she'd figure it out in time. Not that he loved her; he'd held off on that and had been doing so ever since he saw the old man leering at him and Aoi playing together.
Zouken didn't believe he would actually leave, so it was easier that he'd do it when the decrepit zombie wasn't at home. He wouldn't care anyway; he had another son who would do better. He was more their father than Kariya was; he was just a spare.
Backpack ready, he didn't have much to take with him, Kariya left the house and his life.
-The present-
The knight steeled herself against the welling emotion, staggering back against the wall. Through the tears she smiled, hand to her mouth. Idiot. How could she have missed all the similarities that screamed at her? It all resonated so powerfully with her own aching soul that she began to laugh.
The sound woke up the Master, the name of his love fresh on his lips. Turning to face the intruder, he stared at the chuckling knight. Throwing her head and arms up, the King continued laughing, body forcing all its emotion out of her. The tears streamed down her cheeks, bloodshot eyes reminding Kariya just how insane his Servant was.
Her fit soon subsided, although the crazed expression remained. Stomping forwards, Kariya was nothing but a sack of potatoes in her strong grip. "LAUGH WITH ME, COME ON. IT'S FUCKING HILARIOUS!"
"W-what is?"
An unsettling calm lowered the room's temperature, her eyes shimmering with magic. "What right do I have to judge you worthy when I am not even worthy to be your Servant?"
"Could you let me down please?" whispered Kariya, calm despite his fear. Her anger wasn't directed at him, after all. The Servant pushed him onto the bed and then turned to the servants who opened the door.
"Get out! I need some alone time with my Master." She licked her lips, giggling at the horrified expression on the maid's faces. The door closed abruptly, and Artoria stroked his cheek. "I realise now, Master, how alike we really are."
"W-what?"
"Haunted by a forbidden love, while having your true nature restrained? Unable to have what you want while knowing it's your own fault? It hurts, right? TELL ME IT HURTS!"
"Yes! YES IT HURTS!"
"You try to fix it, but it only becomes FUCKING WORSE! You do your best, and what's your reward? A. CRUEL. END!"
"End it then!"
"No. No no no no no NO! That's not the point. YOU HAVE TO WANT TO LIVE!"
"Why?! HOW CAN I LIVE WITHOUT HER?"
"By changing that, you FUCKING IDIOT! NO MORE CRYING, NO MORE WEEPING, TOMORROW WE WILL TAKE THE FIGHT TO THEM"
I realised that before I had gotten across Artoria's rage, and why she was a Berserker, but to me, this chapter sets her apart from Saber Alter. A lot of self loathing here, tipping her past the Despair Event Horizon. For both, really.
Next, the other servants finally appear!