~Author's Note~

No fluff in this chapter, hahaha, sorry guys:$$$ Well, I hope you enjoy nonetheless~! Remember to tell me what you think so far and any questions or concerns~!

Sincerely,

~Ms. AtomicBomb


The Mass had gone by fast and Arturia was aimlessly walking the halls as everything seemed hazy. She was afraid of Jeanne's trial and what the sentencing was. In the past few years, Arturia understood that the younger female had begun to reclaim parts of France that the rebel Burgundian forces had taken; there had been disputes of illegitimacy against the Dauphin at the time but after Jeanne had been able to get him crowned in Reims, France was starting to win back their land. It was surprising to Arturia that Jeanne had not had her ransom paid yet, as she was a woman loved by the people and courtiers alike.

"My king," she was snapped out of her thoughts by a man that had somehow materialized next to her without her knowledge. She lifted her head up in an instant, seeing the man that made her heart skip a few beats faster.

She instinctively covered her rings and formed a soft smile on her lips, "Oh, hello Diarmuid." She tried to seem as if she wasn't in deep thought about Jeanne, so that she would not cause him trouble as well.

"I wish to speak to you about urgent matters," he too seemed as if he had been in deep thought about something, "It is truly important as I wish for you to know by my words."

The blonde female furrowed her brows and gave a short nod, "Why yes, we could speak somewhere more private, if you would like. Is the throne room alright?"

"As long as we would be the only ones there, my liege." He was obviously troubled over something and Arturia thought that he too heard of Jeanne.

Arturia walked through the many halls, Diarmuid following her as fast as he could without running after her, she seemed quicker on her feet than before. They arrived at the Throne room, two knights on either side. She smiled at them and quickly asked if there was anyone waiting for her anytime soon, but they shook their heads in response.

Arturia pushed the doors open and quickly made her way inside, instructing Diarmuid to close the door behind himself. Upon having the silence fill the room quickly, Arturia thought not to sit down but rather face the man, eyes a little expecting and lips pursed together.

"My king," he gulped, eyes falling from hers; ambers that they were seemed almost afraid of what her reaction would be.

Arturia took a step closer towards him, resting a hand on his shoulder, "What seems to be bothering you, Diarmuid?"

The man lifted his head and then, slowly but surely, set a hand on her waist, "There is something I must tell you."

She was taken aback quite a bit as his behaviour was much more forward than ever before. She welcomed it, albeit, with caution because she was still a little shaken with the news of Jeanne, "What must it be?" She asked, tilting her head ever so slightly.

He took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes, much more determined than she had seen him, "My king, you must understand."

A smile slowly snaked into her lips and she chuckled, "I'm quite certain I will."

"The Prince and I will be leaving in two days' time." He was a firsthand witness of her smile disappearing slowly as the hint of joy in her eyes blinked away, her brows furrowing with every passing second and a frown creasing her lips.

"Pardon me?" She surely must have heard him wrong. She was blinking her green eyes as she slowly pulled away from him, "What do you mean by that?"

Diarmuid sighed, "Our advisor has told us that it was the king's order to return as soon as something unwanted occurred… We would have to leave, as the king dictates."

Her eyes dropped, she seemed to be searching for something; an explanation maybe, "You surely do not mean you will be returning to Uruk, do you?" She looked back up to him, hoping she was wrong.

"My king, I—"

She interrupted him, her voice growing stronger, "You are leaving? Again?"

"Arturia, let me explain," The Irishman was trying his best to calm her growing anger, the fire of wrath visibly showing in her green eyes. Since he still had his hand resting on her hips, he pulled her in a little closer, hoping to keep her in check.

"No!" She saw through him and ripped away from his embrace, this time making her voice as harsh as a raging storm, "I… I have waited five years for you and I sure hope you don't think I will be waiting any longer," she spat.

The wrath in her eyes made him reply in the same tone, his patience tipping over with every word that tried to suppress him; her words bubbling something deep in his gut, "I promised Gilgamesh I would take care of his brother—I cannot break this promise," the following words came as hissed as a snake, "You clearly wouldn't understand."

"I wouldn't-ah!" Her face twisted with anger, "How dare you?" She growled through clenched teeth, "You don't think I didn't promise something to Lancelot or Guinevere when they died? In fact, I have promised to many people that have died in my hands and I've even broken many of those. As a king I have had to let down many knights!" She yelled, her vision blurring as there was melancholy and sadness mixed in her words.

He had immediately regretted having spoken to her in the same manner, "Arturia that was not what I meant." Diarmuid tried to reason, taking a step closer towards her and hoping to calm her down with some sort of intimacy as his voice came like soothing waves.

She smacked his hand away before he could fully reach out to her, "You are so selfish!" Diarmuid could not explain the look on her face. Have you ever seen a person in so much anger? They almost look ugly. Arturia was beautiful, but this… She was not ugly per say, but the way her face was twisted, the rancor in her eyes—she wasn't herself. "I—I… As a woman I have pressures from my people because I know that the older a woman gets the harder it is for her to bear any children." She barked, her blood boiling, "And you think that my people are simply looking past the fact that I have not delivered an heir after five bloody years on the throne? I have turned down countless suitors just because I had hope you would return… and yet, you… you are leaving again without a second thought?" A tear fell from the corner of her eye but the anger still present.

"Arturia I—" He was trying to calm her down, he didn't like her this way… "Just listen to me."

"Leave! I don't want to see you right now!" She screamed, taking a seat on her throne because the anger was too much for her to handle.

"Could you stay silent and hear me out for a simple second?" Speaking with someone in rage was completely pointless. There was nothing he could say to calm her down.

She grabbed the closest thing to herself, which happened to be a silver goblet and threw it his way, missing him, "I said get out!" It was the sound of the goblet crashing against the floor that had the guard rushing in.

A guard took Diarmuid by his arm tightly, "Would you like us to escort him out, my King?"

Arturia opened her mouth to speak but Diarmuid harshly shook off the man's grasp, "Do not fret," he growled, "I was just leaving." He dusted himself off and took a deep breath before giving the lady a bow nonetheless and turning to leave.

"Do not expect me to wait for you any longer!" She called after him as he stormed off. After dismissing her guards, she sank back in her chair and let the dread form in her gut as she gave a huge sigh. She closed her eyes shut and steadied her breathing for she did not want to fall into a fit again and she also did not want to fill herself with anger. She looked down at the ring she had placed on the previous evening and she felt the rage building within her again; she prepared to take off the ring and throw it out as well but she refrained, keeping it on still.

The curl of dread was still there at dinner time when she had to face Diarmuid at the table. Everyone seemed to notice the fact that there was tension between the two for even Ko-Giru and Mordred kept looking back and forth between the two adults.

It should definitely not have been shocking when Morgana followed Arturia with a prominent frown on her lips, "What is going on?"

Arturia was visibly upset, her demeanour seemed nothing less than annoyed and intimidating, "Whatever do you mean, dear sister?" The sarcasm lacing her words so densely.

"Do not respond to me like that, must I remind you that—not even if you are King—I am still older than you." Morgana growled. The ill-temperament of her younger sister always caused her bitterness because there was little to be emotional about, "Are you going to tell me what is going on between the both of you?"

"Nothing." Arturia nearly growled, continuing on her path towards her chambers.

Morgana, at this point, had had enough and thus she grabbed her sister by the arm and pulled her towards herself, "You are not a young girl, stop acting like a child and act more like the responsible adult you are."

The rich green eyes were turned to slits, "I think you should ask him why I am upset with him, he will be able to explain the situation."

"Perfect. Well, in either way, since it is very clear that you do not like him, you will meet your suitor tomorrow. This man is best choice you can make, you have to accept it; there's only so many people you can turn down, my king." Her half-sister nearly growled before letting her arm go and disappearing past a bend in the hallway.

A frown set steady on Arturia's lips even until the following day, her head leaning on her right hand as she sat at her desk, looking over the papers that Merlin had brought for her to sign. It was chilly outside and one could bare see the sun leaking through the dense grey clouds that held the sky in place. It looked as if it was going to rain anytime soon but it had been that way for the entire morning.

"My King, your suitor is waiting for you." Merlin gulped as he entered the room.

Arturia glanced down at the golden band around her ring finger and she heaved, "Well, let them in, then." Morgana had already threatened her, she had to marry whoever walked through that door—no matter what. She had been stalling marriage for five entire years, there was no way in hell she was going to stall it any longer with the Saxons at her doorstep.

Merlin gave her a deep bow and opened the door, the creaking of it filled the room, reminding her she had to ask someone to oil them anytime soon.

A tall man, hair the colour of roses entered the room, a solemn smile on his lips. His white suit wrinkling as he bowed before his King.

Arturia blinked, "Is he even here yet, Tristan?" She called out to the man, furrowing her brows, "If he is yet to be here, I will proceed in my paperwork."

"My king," Tristan began, "With all due respect, I am your suitor." His words caused an electric shock to run through her body, she had to drop her quill without another second holding her back.