He'd always seen Saber as the headstrong, confident knight he met ten years ago, the same beautiful young face that traded blows with him with such pride and honor that he couldn't help but be in awe of the woman. He still did, still viewed her as the warrior he met back then, except now he glimpsed the other side of the coin, the side Saber tried so hard to hide, the part of her he knew in the back of his mind existed yet didn't acknowledge, the face she never showed to anyone. He finally understood why she always kept on that solid facade.
His arms looped around her just before she hit the stony terrain, a sigh escaping his lips in relief. A few meters away, Diarmuid saw the King of Heroes had frantically scrambled his way to the woman, and stood frozen, now that she was safe. It terrified him, and left him troubled, that the King of Heroes mirrored his own expression: one that was panicked, chaotic, and concerned at the same time. Troubled him because the King was showing he actually cared, and it terrified him that such a little girl could invoke such a strong feeling in him…in them. Saber always put on a strong front because in the very rare occurrence it collapsed, it utterly destroyed the people around her. Just like how it rattled the King of Heroes and himself. Diarmuid looked away from red-eyes; there were much more important things to be dealt with, and the current matter was shoved into the back of his mind like a bad memory best forgotten.
Important things, meaning the unconscious female knight he had safely circled in his arms.
That was too close, she could have gotten hurt.
His lips curled downward into a grim line. Each time he touched her he was reminded she was frail: too small to be a warrior, too thin to have ever been able to wield a sword, and yet she could stand against him with ease. But collapsed and slack in his arms, the woman seemed as vulnerable as a child, and as fragile as a sheet of glass. He was too anxious to move her for fear she would shatter, and he'd be left alone again amid her broken pieces.
Inwardly, he gave himself a good, hard slap to the face. Saber wasn't a brittle piece of crystal, and when he looked at her it was still the mesmerizing knight that he saw. It's just…the more time he spent with her, the more it was getting harder to ignore the soft lips, the tiny frame, the lovely features that made Arturia a lady, and conversely stirred in him the overwhelming need to protect her.
Sharp stones poked at his soles from the rocky ground. This was certainly not the most ideal place to lay her down. With an ease that came with being such a strong knight, he got up gracefully, securing her in his arms, and looked for a comfortable place to bring Saber. As he moved, her head hung limp and her arms lazily dangled at her sides like an abused ragdoll's. The man's frown deepened. What would have happened if he wasn't there with her? His eyes snuck to the other man they were travelling with. What if she was alone with Gilgamesh?
Diarmuid turned away. He was here. What-ifs hardly signified anymore.
Except for one.
What if Gilgamesh was the one who caught her? What then?
Questions plagued his mind as much as the girl did.
If Lancer's thoughts tormented him, Gilgamesh's exploded into a chaotic mix of murder, irritation, and frustration. Lancer was turned away from the lake, unaware of the glare a very pissed off Archer was sending him.
Tch.
It had been a while since he'd had to remove his armor manually, and he did it with such ferocity that the gold clanged around him as they hit the hard rocks. He threw off the black garment he wore underneath the metal, as if trying to discard the inner turmoil that had been scratching at him to do torture that irksome, sex-deprived stud.
If there was anything keeping the King of Heroes at bay, it was that Saber was still very infuriatingly secure in that mongrel's arms and as much as his nerves popped at the idea that it wasn't he that caught her in her weakness, he had to be thankful someone had caught her at all. The rocks looked brutal enough to inflict some sort of damage, and even if they couldn't exactly die anymore, it couldn't hurt to be careful.
That did nothing to quell his fury at all, and it burned through his veins like the venom of those snakes he hated so much. Balled fists shook as he plunged himself back in the water to calm himself. A few minutes later, he would realize throwing punches at the water only made him more agitated, because the water evaded him the same way she'd always slipped between his fingers right when he thought he had her.
Saber…
It was a miracle he could find her again, and he wasn't going to waste it. He was puzzled, to say the least, when he'd awoke in the Throne of Heroes, when he was so sure Saber would see to it that the Grail was destroyed, but that ended up being beneficial to him, since it allowed him to see her again. Correspondingly, he had another chance to right things, except this time, that sorry excuse for a hero that had been such a pain ten years ago was back to block his way.
The worst thing was he couldn't do anything about it, because he could barely even support his own weight. From the pool he focused his energy on his castoff pieces of armor, hoping to make them disappear into his Gate, and was more exasperated to find out he could barely make them shimmer.
Fan-fucking-tastic.
He slumped into the shallow pool, picking up stones and crushing them in his fingers to vent his aggravation. Gilgamesh seriously hated feeling this weak. The last time he felt this way was...when he died. He felt increasingly pathetic. He went away from the water for nothing, he was tired and exhausted and and and and he was actually rushing to save Saber. That girl better be damn thankful, he thought. Why the hell did that swine have to get to her first? He closed his eyes and slipped into the water, hoping it would dissolve the chaos in his head.
Suddenly, the energy he was robbed of came surging back through his veins like a storm. Fatigue left his body so fast as if he'd had a week's worth of rest in an instant.
Magic? He opened his eyes, scanning the pool of water before him, and ultimately landing on the shining crystal shards that pierced his hand. He brought his fingers out of the water to examine what was left of the stone he'd destroyed. The bluish pieces stuck to his blood, but as if time were turning back, he watched his broken skin mend itself, the blue crystal shards disappearing into the wound like it had never been there. Interesting.
"Mongrel."
Diarmuid was still holding Saber, looking for a comfortable place to put her down. Gilgamesh felt a tinge of jealousy, rising in his throat.
Why the hell is that bastard still holding her? The knight turned to him.
"Bring me my wife."
The knight hesitated, tightening his grip on her protectively. This only frustrated Gilgamesh more.
"Use those hideous eyes of yours, lowlife."
Reluctantly, Diarmuid approached the pool, hugging the unconscious girl close to his chest. The body of water was shallow along the edges, yet after a few feet sank into a deep cave. His eyes settled on the rocks that got Gilgamesh's attention. So, the arrogant one was trying to help after all. Diarmuid walked into the water until it reached his waist and slowly let Saber into the pool. He kept his arm on her back to support her and cradled her head with his other hand so she could breathe. She relaxed, like the water relieved her of all stress. When she looked like that, it felt comforting; it almost convinced Diarmuid that he'd never seen her faint at all.
"I'll do that, mongrel. You retrieve the crystals," Gilgamesh ordered, pulling Saber away from the knight. Diarmuid scowled, but knowing Saber would heal faster, waded to the deep.
"That's right worm. It's only fitting you obey those higher than you. Ha!" Gilgamesh smirked.
The spearman glared daggers at the arrogant king. "I shall never submit to you. This is for her," Lancer said as he pointed to the sleeping Saber.
"If you do anything to her," his eyes glistened with the ferocity of a lion, "I will kill you."
Diarmuid turned and dove, swimming down toward the nearest crystal, instantly feeling its effects on his skin. It felt ridiculously invigorating, and he wasn't even tired. If it did this to him, it would do wonders to Saber. Even just imagining her vivid green eyes open again sprouted a warm feeling in his chest, so he tugged at the crystal with vigor.
Eh?
The jewel stuck firm to the stone it was set in, and the small bubbles that escaped his lips did nothing to ease his worries.
This is going to take a while.
.
.
.
"Vile woman, why do you still resist me?" he said gently, so she would not wake. He found his fingers tracing her jawline before they rested on her chin. His eyes filled with amusement. How was it possible for someone to be so beautiful? That she had shown a moment of weakness before him troubled him a little bit but he knew that even when she looked like this, delicate and exposed, she had every ability to bounce back.
"Yet now, you're weak and defenseless." He leaned down closer to her sleeping form. Her hair was a golden halo around her head, swaying gently with the flow of the water. She wasn't awake yet, what's a little fun?
"How shall you defend against this, oh beautiful King of Knights?" He tilted her head up slowly, not taking her from her dreams. The centimeters that separated them taunted him, daring him to close the little gap that divided him from his queen. His bangs skimmed her forehead at their proximity, and when their noses touched, they shared breaths.
Funny. He hadn't heard his heart hammer like this in ages. It throbbed in his ears like a steady bass drum. Oh, he was excited, and her lips looked way too enticing to possibly resist.
Maybe I should go ahead and indulge.
Her eyes opened.
Oh. Shit.
In the next fleeting moment, she stared at him uncomprehending before Gilgamesh felt her fist connect with his face.
He recoiled, hand over his aching cheek. Gilgamesh spat blood as the inner part of his cheek continued to bleed.
"Wha-What in heaven's name are you doing?!" Saber shrieked as she thrashed about in the water, struggling to get her footing. The other King screamed back, "YOU SHOULD BE—Oh." Gilgamesh paused mid-rant. "Why, you're all red, Saber. So you have finally opened up to your true feelings for me."
"Nonsense!" She retorted, bringing her hands to her face, instantly surprised it felt hot. While her mind detested the gold-loving man and she knew, she knew, how much she despised him, her own body betrayed her. But she couldn't help it! She'd spent her entire life acting a male, only to have that farce forcibly shattered by the second Emiya, and then suddenly she's being treated like a woman, which is the entire opposite of what she used to be! Then, that inhumane creature who called himself a King was trying to kiss her? True, she'd been open enough to allow him to touch her when he said his last words, but the very little hope she developed that he'd changed was quickly snuffed out by this little piece of harassment he'd done.
"No point in trying to hide it, Saber," he teased, wiping off the blood on his lip with the back of his hand.
"Silence! What is this place? Why are you undressed?" she questioned, still uncharacteristically panicky.
"You tell me to be silent and yet ask for answers? Stupid woman."
"But—" Saber protested.
"Why am I dressed this way? Then should I take this off too—" The other king said, hands moving to the gold cord that held the garment up.
"Absolutely not! This is not how a ruler should conduct himself!" The female king screeched.
"But you were implying that—!"
It was then that Lancer surfaced, carrying a big crystal in his hands. He panted slightly, his wet, wavy hair clinging to his face. Sunset eyes flew from Saber to Archer. Blood trickled from Gilgamesh's lips and Saber was red as a tomato.
Eyes trailed after him as Lancer waded to Saber. He took her hand and closed her fingers around the crystal he brought. Saber's eyes brightened, her strength returning. "Glad to see you awake," Lancer smiled. Then he turned to Gilgamesh and scowled. "As for you, remember our deal?"
"Hah! You think you can kill me, the almighty owner of this universe?"
The Knight of Fianna smirked, causing the King's smug smile to disappear.
"One, you're not at full strength, while I am," The knight felt the surge of power from the crystal just moments ago. " And I've been here for much, much longer," Lancer said. The King of Heroes was scowling now.
"Two, you're useless without your Gate of Babylon. Right now, you don't even have the strength to summon a chalice."
The King of Heroes grit his teeth, clearly offended. But he was right. His magic circuits couldn't even support returning his armor to his treasury.
"Three, between the two of us, I am taller, heavier, stronger than you and have greater skill in hand-to-hand combat. But," Lancer paused. He swept his hand to the side and his long red spear materialized in his hand. "I am much better with a weapon." Lancer drew it back, ready to throw Gae Dearg.
"Prepare yourself, King of Heroes!"
"Wait."
Lancer stopped mid-throw, barely catching the spear by its tail. He glanced back at the woman behind him.
"We have to reach the area before sundown. I'm positive that our summoner wants all of us present. At this point, it will be best to play it safe," said the female blonde, who had regained her normal calm demeanor.
Sighing, Lancer resumed his usual casual stance, thinking Saber was right after all. Although the King would reappear somewhere else if killed here, it would take ages to find him. But though it wasn't like him, he couldn't help but wish he could skewer the King of Heroes through the chest. It ought to teach him some sort of lesson. Even if it didn't, the mere absence of the king would do loads to his emotional state. It's not like the King of Heroes would disappear permanently, anyway. They could always find him whenever they were in need of his help, which given Saber's and his own power combined, would be never. Now that, was an idea. But, sadly it seemed Arturia needed Goldy right now, as per her request, and it certainly was out of the question to deny a reasonable wish, especially one from the King of Knights.
"If you wish it, I shall follow, King of Knights," Lancer said, letting Gae Dearg dissipate into the air in front of him.
That the King of Heroes felt insulted was an understatement. To be at the mercy of a simple dog? Pathetic! He was the King of All, heaven be damned, he was a god! How could he let a mongrel even think they had the upper hand? But every time he tried to use his mana, his nerves would burn from the strain, accomplishing nothing, and frustrating him even more.
The healing crystal was held out to him at arm's length, offered to him by the King of Knights, who seemed to have regained the vitality he so adored. When he turned away, she didn't allow him to refuse, rather forcefully placing it in his arms. The sudden surge of relief didn't appease him as much as the brush of her fingers did. When they weren't hitting his face or holding a sword to his throat, they seemed quite soft.
Unfortunately, the crystal seemed to only heal physically, and though the blonde was slowly regaining his prana as he rested, that didn't mean he had the capacity to attack anyone. That would be completely all right with Gilgamesh, as his treasures need not be dirtied by the blood of the scum of the Earth, but right now the only one with an acceptable amount of mana was that miffing dog that dared call itself a knight.
But for now…with a wave of his hand and a smile that was more of relief than satisfaction, he succeeded in returning his armor through one of his golden gates. He winced at the sting, but he'd die before admitting his exhaustion, especially in front of Saber. He'd done well to keep face till now, but maybe the impatience that drove him to dematerialize to find Saber was a bit of a stretch. At least, that effort had not been in vain. To think that dog would dare touch Saber was just disgusting. What foolishness! Saber did not deserve to be level with the mongrels. Clearly the dog must be blind if it cannot see the difference between her and himself. No ruler would ever lower herself to the ranks of the hounds. What queen would do such a derogatory thing?
A snap of his fingers, and he reappeared fully clothed in his wide-necked shirt and snakeskin pants. Lancer and Saber got on the shore as well. The girl's dress clung to her curves tightly as water droplets danced in trails from her hair, to her neck, before falling to the stony ground. The white of the dress hid nothing, now that the water turned it translucent, and the silk warped around her frame so closely, it almost left nothing to the imagination.
"Nice view."
The words slipped from the blonde king's mouth before he could stop them, a wicked grin finding its way to the corners of his lips. Despite himself, Diarmuid's eyes wandered before he caught himself and looked away, muttering an embarrassed apology.
Saber crossed her arms over her chest, her face a shade of red darker. Why? She didn't know. She had no problem with things like this; she was a knight! There were times in the field of war where the battle was too close to be embarrassed about being seen nude. Her servants had seen her bare for most of her kingship. There was Kay too, and his father, and even Merlin. The eyes of men on her body had never made her feel conscious of herself, except for that one time when Shirou—! When Shirou… The woman's eyes darkened at the mere thought of his name. But these two men weren't Shirou. Diarmuid was a knight, and Gilgamesh an unreasonable king. Why should she feel so uncomfortable? All this could be solved if she could just phase into her battle dress, which by the horrid sting that tingled in her magic circuits was apparently not even an option.
A loud snap took her from her thoughts, and in the next instant a big black jacket materialized over her shoulders and an elegant dress shirt and jeans materialized in her hands. She didn't even need to look to know they were gifts from the King of Heroes. This would be the second time she'd received something from the King of Uruk. First, the finest wine she'd ever tasted from the banquet of kings, and now, these garments which looked to be the finest the modern world could offer.
"Saber, even humiliated you look beautiful; fitting for my wife. And though I enjoyed that little display, I shall not allow any mongrels to see you in such a pitiful state. That right is mine and mine alone."
The short woman's eyebrows crossed. "I do not belong to anyone, King of Heroes."
Not yet, you don't.
The woman moved swiftly through the vegetation. She wouldn't allow any more of an exposition, so she hid a little distance away. The clothes didn't let her mind stray from the King of Heroes and his red eyes, because she swore he winced just a little when he'd summoned those clothes. Just a little, not enough to be noticed by the indifferent mind. It would make sense that the King of Heroes was just as worn out as she was. They had just come from their own battle, which ultimately, he ended up defeated. His circuits should be near empty, like hers. Why would he go out of his way for her, when it was too clear he'd only ever seen her as an object?
The King of Heroes is being generous today.
Suddenly, it didn't feel so impossible that he'd changed.
…
Because Lancer was a gentleman, he turned away from the bush Saber hid behind to change. She must not have so careful in choosing a hiding place. Women were not objects, and they should be respected, particularly Saber. He had been treated like an object for far too long a time. There was no way he'd ever do the same to Arturia. The King of Heroes was wise enough not to push his luck. It was enough of a treat to see Saber so exposed, but if he wanted a queen, he should treat her as one. She did not let them wait long, and appeared in the attire Gilgamesh provided.
Saber glanced at Lancer, still drenched from head to toe. His hair stuck to his face instead of his usual hairstyle.
"Would you be so kind as to provide clothes for Lancer as well?"
Gilgamesh thought to himself. Mongrels don't deserve the rich clothing of Kings. But seeing Saber, who watched the other man run a hand through his dark hair, through the corner of his eye sent his stomach churning.
Jealousy hits hard.
Gilgamesh waved his hand and threw the clothes that materialized at Lancer, which prompted Saber to send him a stern look. Well at least now her attention was off of Lancer.
The raven-haired man caught them, throwing a suspicious glance in the King's direction, before reappearing in a white button-down and jeans.
Modern clothes?
"King of Heroes, why do you have these garments?" Saber asked. She didn't even have either of the outfits she wore in the modern world. Lancer didn't even wear a modern outfit.
"I spent much more time in the modern world than either of you. I had to do something."
"Then why do you have feminine clothes?"
…
The sun was still high in the sky as the trio marched on, and as the two blondes needed to regain their mana, they once again resorted to walking. The tugging in Saber's chest had stopped completely following her collapse, but now that they'd taken their short respite, it began to throb again, as if prompting them to move. Lancer took the lead again as the vegetation began to thicken. He swatted at the overgrown forest green with his red spear, clearing a path for the two Kings.
The forest…somehow seems familiar. Did I pass here sometime before?
"Lancer," Saber called.
The knight jumped, snapping out of his trance. "Is something the matter?" the woman asked.
"Nothing of the sort. Do you know where we are, Arturia?"
The girl felt oddly surprised. She still wasn't used to her own name. Well, except for when she told Diarmuid about it, but that was an introduction. She supposed Gilgamesh might know, but he wasn't even listening to the conversation.
"Not in the least," she replied.
Lancer raised an eyebrow. "Are you certain? We have all been here before," Lancer said. That was…weird. She should have figured it out by now since it has been a few hours.
At this, the King of Knights gave Diarmuid a questioning glance.
He ran his fingers through his hair saying, "We've been here since we died."
Saber felt the fog in her mind clear up a bit. She knew that. So this is the Throne of Heroes, huh? Her eyes drifted to the taller man's back. Should she tell him?
That she'd never died till recently?
That is was her first time here?
Should she?
"We wake up here in the state we are in when we died. The first time was when we entered a contract with the Grail, and when we are defeated in the war, we end up here again. That's probably why both of you were weak when you appeared here. Whenever one of us Epic Spirits accepts a summoning to fight for the Holy Grail, we are transported out of here, and into the real world. When we are defeated, we experience the way we originally died again. Before waking up here after my defeat in the Holy Grail War, I had to be fatally wounded by the enchanted boar again and had to be left to die. The next time I opened my eyes, I was in this realm again, in the state I was in when Fionn left me at death's door," Lancer said.
Makes sense. Saber thought.
"It is depressing, really. How many times must we be tormented by our death before this cursed Grail is satisfied?" The corners of his lips turned up in a painful smile.
"We are immortalized here, never aging. Spirits can eat or drink if they want, but hunger never seems to matter. We can even use our abilities and Noble Phantasms here. I have never explored the entire area. It goes on and on. In some areas of this realm there are castles. In other parts there are arenas where Spirits test their skills. We cannot die in any case. If we do disappear, we just come back," the Celtic one explained, waving his hands in the air as he did so.
"There are oddities though, like how we can still feel things as if we were alive, or how we wake up here as disoriented as we were the first time. Personally, I think we have to be shown our deaths over and over again so our desire for the Grail never wavers. I've been here for ten years since the Grail War I took part in and I remember everything. What I don't understand is why neither you nor Archer ever appeared till today."
So Gilgamesh really had stayed behind after the 4th war. Saber thought.
"This is the Throne of Heroes, a realm created by the Grail solely to house Servants for the War," Lancer announced. The blondes he addressed remained silent, realizing that this was their fate. There was no afterlife; there was no rebirth, no heaven or hell for the Epic Spirits. There was only this sort of purgatory that chained them to Earth: the Holy Grail.
"Welcome home."
Heya!
Gah! I'm so so so sorry for disappearing for a while! Life has been so...ugh. Anyway, this chapter had been sitting in my computer for so long, but I just didn't think It was ready to release yet, until now. Yeah, the story pace is still pretty slow, but I've written a few chappies ahead, so we're getting somewhere! Yay! :) This is also a bit longer than I thought it would be, but eh, it's all right. :)
Also, thanks for all the reviews and favorites! I had the inspiration to continue this one because of you! Thank you! I love you guys!
I hope you liked this one! Tell me what you think! :)
Until next time!
-akampana
P.S. Check out my other Fate fic, Sweet Nothings! :)
