Two souls.
Tied together.
Bound by fate.
.
.
.
The knight returned her smile, pleased at her answer, and offered his hand.
"Come."
Saber took his hand a little hesitantly, and allowed herself to be escorted. She was tugged along gently through the seemingly endless plain. The situation felt foreign. She had always led, never followed; always been on the front lines, never behind defences. Her eyes strayed to where his fingers enveloped hers. He held her hand in his firmly, yet tenderly, as if giving her the option to let go.
But she didn't.
Guiding her was Lancer…Tall, strong, the very image of a knight in armour. She should know. When they met, she'd almost wished for his company at the Round Table. Her eyes moved from his wavy black hair down to his back, brows furrowing at the deep gashes she saw amid the tattered fabric of his garbs.
Why?
He led her to a low-branched tree that shaded them from the high sun. Diarmuid lay on the grass, hands behind his head, but not before letting his lady King lean comfortably on the tree trunk.
He laughed as he began, "Forgive me if my words seem to be laced with pride." It was a sweet, innocent sound, not marred by resentment or agony.
The blonde smirked, "A knight as skilled as yourself should be proud." She nodded to him, signalling that she was eager to listen.
"I was the first of the Knights of Fianna , the one most trusted by my leader. Though I was but a knight, one high as him regarded me as a friend. Skilled with both spear and sword, even more formidable when wielding two weapons, I was quite the powerful one, if I should say so myself."
Is that a challenge?
Her eyes met his with an amused raised eyebrow, and he smirked.
"Moralltach, The Great and Fierce One, was my stronger sword. It left no blow unfinished and would never miss its mark. Beagalltach or Little Fury was a shorter sword I owned. Both were bestowed upon me by Aengus, who raised me."
He was raised by another as I was. Her days with Kay and his father suddenly came to mind.
"Gae Dearg is the name of my strongest weapon, the Red Spear that cancels mana. Gae Buidhe is the Yellow Spear that makes wounds that never heal."
The knight sat up, keeping one leg outstretched and one bent, and rested his arm on his bent leg. Glancing at her as if asking permission, he took her left hand in his right and turned it over gently. "I am quite sure you already know the strength these spears possess."
Looking at him with questioning eyes, she flinched slightly when he brushed the thumb of his free hand over her wrist.
Diarmuid withdrew his hands as the slight tremor passed his fingertips. Saber only realized what he had been doing when his brow furrowed and he averted his eyes. On her wrist was the reminder of a deep cut that had given her a handicap all those years ago.
He was looking for a scar.
She searched him for the mark that had ended his life in the last war, thanks to his foolish master. She was hit by a pang of guilt when she couldn't find it. His back was so torn apart she couldn't distinguish it from the other gouges roughly ingrained in his flesh.
"I slew three thousand four hundred men single-handedly, all to bring victory and glory to my captain." Her thoughts were interrupted by the continuation of his story, temporarily banished from her mind by the way his eyes caught the sun.
Why would heaven ever forsake this man?
"For many years I basked in the praise sent my way and nothing could make me happier than serving my lord." Just as suddenly as they lit, his amber eyes darkened, excitement dying in his throat.
"And I was also known for this," he sighed. He moved his hand up to tap the mole beneath his eye. "Diarmuid of the love spot!" he exclaimed, swiping his hand in front of him as if he was spelling his name in the air. The move was half-hearted, like he never had pride in such a title. And his eyes masked no pain.
His jaw tightened, and he spoke as if his words were poison, slowly killing him from within. "At first it dealt me no harm. It only added to my fame. Never did it cross my mind that this cursed spot would be my downfall."
"One day, my captain, Fionn Mac Cumhaill, whose years had finally caught up to him, had received word that his wife had died. He had many spouses, but Oisin, his son, suggested he marry Grainne, the beautiful daughter of the High King of Ireland. Their marriage was arranged."
At the mention of the Irish princess, Arturia swore she saw him wince, the scowl on his face only intensified as he resumed.
"Grainne's ignorance only bestowed upon her a heavy predicament. She thought she'd be the wife of Oisin, or even of Oscar, Fionn's grandson. Only at the celebration did she discover she was to marry the aging captain. Fionn, who could be her father, or even her grandfather, was soon to know her in bed. She despaired in silence beside her betrothed. One of the knights proposed a toast to their happy marriage..." Diarmuid trailed off.
At this point his voice was barely above a whisper, and he was looking so far, far away that though he was right here beside her, she feared that if she tried to touch him, her fingers would pass right through his image. This…this was where fate threw him into the abyss.
"Grainne fell for me the moment she saw the spot on my face."
And this was where gravity crushed him at rock-bottom.
"She came to my chamber in the depths of the night asking...no, begging me to elope. Tears laced her eyes, but despite her pleas, I refused. Such actions were forbidden. Never would I betray my lord. An honourable knight is forever loyal, is he not, King of Knights?"
He wasn't looking at her; wasn't expecting her to answer. His fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"Of what worth is a false love?" he seethed though his teeth.
Saber tore her eyes from him and looked to the leaves of the tree she leaned against.
"And then?" she half-said, half-whispered, hoping she wouldn't provoke him. Suddenly the cool breeze blowing turned frigid, and she could no longer feel the warmth of her companion's ambiance.
Her voice soothed him enough that he could continue. "Many times, she repeated her request, and each time I denied her and told her to return to her quarters. In desperation, she cast a Geas on me, sealing my sin with her kiss. My world crumbled before me. I was stripped of my honour and shamed all in that one instant. She took all I lived for; she took everything from me: my life, my future, with just a kiss in return. Bound by the Geas, I had no choice. I succumbed to her wishes and we escaped into the night."
He laughed cruelly. "My Lord was furious. He sent hundreds of knights after me, promising wealth and power to the one who would strike me dead. The knights that fell by my hand were the same ones whose side I once fought on."
Arturia's eyes widened and flew to him, only to be avoided when he turned away.
"So many times it crossed my mind to stop and return to my lord's side and explain everything. I wished to go back, but Grainne's Geas was powerful. Surely my Lord would have me killed, but I would much rather have faced my fate than live in shame. I returned to Grainne, giving no word of the battle fought. It would never come to her knowledge that knights lay cold and dead in the rain as a result of her actions. It was her ignorance that brought this disaster. If only she had made efforts to know her fiancée, the battle could have been avoided. But, perhaps it was my fault as well, for having this love spot," Diarmuid narrated, eyes looking straight up to the canopy the small tree provided.
A deep gash across his jugular caught Saber's attention, and suddenly she was filled with rage.
Diarmuid was a mess of deep scars. Gashes on his back, gouges on his chest, lacerations all brutally decorating his body. He was made to suffer before he died. A cut to his neck would have sufficed and yet…
She chewed on her lip silently as she looked down at the white gown she wore to her last great ceremony.
Do I even deserve this?
"My sin was unforgivable. Men searched everywhere for clues to my whereabouts. Grainne and I were forced into hiding, remaining deep in the forest. During the years I spent with her, the look in her eyes never changed. It was trance-like, just like any woman's eyes would be when they gazed upon me. Though one of Royal blood, she was no different from the women I had charmed." Diarmuid laughed cruelly at his own fate. Saber watched him, her own fate replaying in her head.
"I knew I had to spend the rest of my life with Grainne, so I endured every day that had come to pass, faking smiles, pretending I was content…at least as pitiful as I was, I could make someone else happy. Finally, after years and years," Diarmuid stated, "word came that Fionn had forgiven us. We were overjoyed, finally being able to come out of hiding, but I was even more so, hoping I could once again fight by my Lord's side. I had served him for many years; I had been loyal and true. There was no reason that I couldn't serve him again, if he had really overlooked the event with Grainne."
There was a smile on his face that looked so forlorn that she wanted to tear it apart.
"To celebrate our freedom, Grainne, who missed her father, decided to hold a feast. Even my master was invited to the celebration. When we met, he showed no hostility. He treated me as he always had, merely waving off the subject of Grainne like it was nothing. He said he had lost a valuable subject, and had hoped I'd still be willing to fight on his side. With his word, my honour was restored. I couldn't be happier. The captain invited me on a hunting trip, and I agreed. I could finally serve the captain again."
Diarmuid was avoiding her eyes. She wondered if he was really telling the story for her or if he was doing it to remind himself of his cruel fate.
"When the day arrived, I took only my weaker sword and Gae Buidhe with me. We encountered a powerful boar that had once been human, which had the strength of a hundred men. Fionn and I fought it together. I did my best to shield Fionn and our other companions, but I was at a disadvantage, having only brought my weaker weapons. The boar was slain as the sun reached its peak. I had been fatally wounded. I lay drenched in my blood, a deep gash running through my abdomen."
Lancer traced where the wound was, like the pain was still there.
"At least my companions weren't harmed, I thought, and Fionn wasn't hurt at all. Water drunk from Fionn's hands had the power of healing; I thought he would aid me in my pitiful state. He approached, carrying water in his hands, but when he reached my side, he whispered close to my ear, 'Do you think I've forgotten what happened with Grainne?'"
Saber's head snapped to face Diarmuid, eyes wide and brows knit. Diarmuid continued, "I could do nothing but watch hopelessly as he let the water flow through his hands and scatter in the ground next to my head. "That's-!" Saber interrupted, but found no other words to say.
Her eyes sank to the grass, a frown slowly forming on her lips.
The raven-haired man blew his lone bang out of his face. "All I wished for during my second life was the loyalty I was denied. However, fate was too cruel." An image of Kayneth and Sola-Ui entered his mind. Tch. He touched his thumb to the mole beneath his eye.
"Well, that's all in the past. I'm done with being a servant...And I'm tired of Grainne."
How could he just dismiss it like that? What of his other scars? Had he been tortured? In the vicious sliver of life he had left, had his own captain wounded him? Mutilated him? Shamed him?
Before she knew what she was doing, she'd run her fingers gently over the lacerations on his back. Her brows had furrowed at the touch, green eyes widening in horror at the large gashes. Even sinners were spared this inhumane treatment, instead granted an undeserved, painless death.
How could anyone allow such horrid things to happen?
It was then that he turned and took her hand from his scars and enveloped it in his. Diarmuid met her distressed green eyes with guilty orange ones.
"You look distraught, King of Knights…"
He squeezed her hand soothingly. Her worried gaze only intensified. Shouldn't she be the one comforting him? She wasn't given a cruel curse. She wasn't the one forced against her will to betray. She wasn't the one who was given death by her own master. Hell, she was once a leader herself!
His palm felt cold in hers. It was so unlike the same hand that had led her earlier. Now, she no longer felt the warmth of his fingers, nor sensed the protective confidence he had when he led her here. Odd as it may sound, she desperately wanted it back. She gripped his hand firmly, leaning closer to him to meet his sunset eyes with her own concerned emerald orbs.
"You did not deserve this. Not any of it."
She shook her head slightly, her voice firm but consoling. Her words were barely above a whisper, as if they were for him and him only.
His eyes widened. The King's words were simple, but more than enough to rest his soul. In that single moment, he'd heard the words he'd yearned to hear for so long. He'd almost wished he could drown in the sea that was her eyes, If only to live frozen in this moment for all eternity.
He'd only realized he'd been crying when he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, tasting the salt of his tears between her knuckles.
(A/N) Heya! So, this is chapter 2, I hope you liked it! :D Thanks for reading! As I'm still a bit inexperienced when it comes to writing, I'd appreciate reviews. I'd like to know what to improve on. :D I'll try to answer messages as soon as I can. I'll probably upload the next chapter by next week. :) Again, thanks for reading! :D
Thanks for the follows, AngelicLuna, DeathhunterAshi, and Hurricane Janna! :D And for the favorites too, AngelicLuna, DeathhunterAshi, and catxangel!
-Akampana
