Chapter 74 - Artoria vs Swordlessness


"I can't ever thank you enough, Knights of the Round Table." Pellinore said enthusiastically, as he led them towards his holdings. "Not only have you freed my bloodline from our quest to slay the Questing Beast and saved my subjects from its predations, but you have also miraculously healed me of the wound inflicted by the holy lance itself!"

"..."

"I have already dispatched the runners throughout Listenoise! A grand feast awaits us upon our arrival into Corbenic!"

"..."

"Uh... Kay..." Jaune whispered to the knight, as Pellinore continued on his one-sided conversation excitedly. "Is it just me, or does Arthur seem a bit... out, of it?"

"A bit?" Kay raised an eyebrow incredulously.

"... okay." Jaune conceded, looking back at Arthur as he weathered Pellinore's conversation wordlessly. "A lot out of it."

"Don't worry about it." Merlin called out breezily behind them, ignoring Artoria's pale face and blank expression, the clenched fists around Llamrei's reins, the way her lips trembled and her wide eyes gazed emptily ahead, and the disapproving looks Kay and Jaune were shooting him. "Everything will work out in the end."

"Sod off, wizard." Kay hissed. "If a certain womanizing bastard hadn't been too occupied at the village, this wouldn't even have happened."

Merlin hummed, but wisely decided not to further provoke the two (for once). After all, necessary as it may have been for the future of the country, even Merlin (with the advantage of Clairvoyance) couldn't say he wanted to see his student acting like this.

"At least Pellinore thinks she managed to find it..." Kay murmured, looking at the hilt above Caliburn's empty sheath; a simple Projection by the Magus to help disguise the absence of the Sword of Selection.

"But what if the other nobles at the feast ask to see her draw it as well?" Jaune pointed out with a frown, worried about the young boy. It wasn't exactly a secret that the loyalty of the other nobles, especially the ones who weren't at the original Joust, wasn't the strongest; in the current world, information travelled slowly, and solely by word-of-mouth or missive.

Even the first few villages had been skeptical that they'd been visited by the Boy-King himself, carrying the legendary Sword in the Stone.

It didn't help that Jaune knew how much being King meant to Arthur; he could only imagine how badly the kid would take it, if the other lords and knights turned away from him, just because he'd lost a sword protecting the people. It sounded ridiculous to him, personally, but then again the people of this world apparently selected leaders based on drawing swords from stones, so...

"Shite..." Kay groaned, as he thought about it. Artoria's fledgling authority couldn't afford to be challenged, especially not at a feast meant to celebrate her achievements! "This is going to be a disaster, isn't it?"

"Once again, Kay, relax." Merlin reassured the anxious knight, before ducking as a fist missed the back of his head. "There have been contingencies in place from the very beginning."

"What, like your warning on what the Huntsman's sword could do and Listenoise?" Kay growled, trying to catch up to the white-haired man and strangle him. "Would it kill you to speak plainly for once?"

"It wouldn't." Merlin admitted, much to Kay's surprise. Then he smirked, and added: "But it's a lot more fun this way."

Jaune just sighed, as he watched the two men continue their usual antics, before turning back to Arthur, concern plastered all over his features.

Later that evening, as Pellinore snored in his bedroll, Merlin disappeared into the forest to do "magic stuff", and Kay searched for a suitable piece of wood to carve, Artoria glumly stared down at her skewer, before letting loose a deep sigh.

"What's wrong?" Jaune called out suddenly, making her jump as he plopped himself down next to her, a fresh skewer in hand.

"Jaune?!" Artoria yelped in surprise, having been too lost in her thoughts to notice his approach.

"Yep." Jaune drawled out, biting into his skewer. "So, what's on your mind, Arthur?"

"Wh-wh-what makes you think anything's wrong at all?" Artoria stammered out. "Absolutely nothing's wrong at all! Everything's perfectly fine!"

"Arthur." Jaune rolled his eyes. Oum, the kid really reminded him of himself. If it wasn't for the eyes, he'd have thought he'd found the other-worldly version of him! "You're haven't even had thirds yet."

"..." Artoria's mouth fell open, and she gawked at him, before furiously protesting: "I do not eat that much!"

Jaune just raised an eyebrow at her.

"..." Artoria's face began to burn. "... it's not that much, right?"

Jaune kept his silence for a few more moments, and Artoria's agitation grew.

Then he couldn't contain it any longer, and finally snickered.

She couldn't help it.

Even despite all her stress and worries, a look of fond exasperation appeared on her face, and she remarked: "It is little wonder that you, Merlin, and Sir Kay get along so well. All of you are united in turning my hair grey!"

"Hey now, don't lump me in with those two!" Jaune complained. "Kay can't take his eyes off of a woman's behind, and Merlin is Merlin!"

Artoria giggled, unable to rebut his words.

"And you probably should eat more, Arthur." Jaune added slyly. "Maybe that way you'll finally come up to our shoulders... does the Round Table have a height requirement?"

"Oh, wounded by my own familiar!" Artoria played along. "And to learn my own knights are plotting against their... king..."

Artoria quickly tried to regain her stoic composure, but Jaune didn't miss the way her face fell.

"Hey..." Jaune pressed, gently placing an arm on Arthur's shoulder. "What about the kingship is bothering you?"

"... it's..." Artoria was tempted to deny it, but as she gazed up at him, as her dazzling emerald orbs met his concerned sapphires, she remembered the day they'd met.

Jaune had been summoned to help her, after all. Rejecting his aid now would be denying the very reason he was here.

"Jaune..." Artoria tried again. "How can I be King without the holy sword?"

"..." Jaune took a moment to look back at her, shifting nervously, before sighing. "Do you need Caliburn to be King?"

"..." Artoria bit her lip, unsure of how to reply. Finally, she explained: "The Sword in the Stone has been a legend among the people for over a decade, Jaune. The lords and nobles of the land only agree to follow me, the Boy-King, because I was able to fulfill the prophecy and withdraw it!

"And now I've lost it! Lost it because I wasn't paying attention, lost it because I failed to slay the Beast in a single strike!" Artoria finished, exclaiming with frustration. "Now who will follow me? Now how will I do what I was born to do?"

Jaune stared at him, before reflecting that Arthur really was like him... if he'd been given Pyrrha's views on destiny and such. Oum, wasn't that a terrifying combination?

"How will you be the King you were born to be, the King you've trained all your life to be?" Jaune asked rhetorically, after a brief moment. Then he snorted: "That's easy. Just do whatever you were planning to do before this. Wander the land, rally the people, spread your reputation, and finally unite the country."

"Things aren't that simple, Jaune." Artoria retorted. "Without the holy sword-"

"Arthur." Jaune interrupted sternly. "Let me ask you this; what does the sword actually do? Does it tell you how to be a King?"

"... no..."

"Does it magically make people follow you?"

"I wish..." Artoria remarked bitterly, reflecting that it would have made her current task that much easier.

"So how does losing it change things?" Jaune asked, much more gently.

"Because!" Artoria began to argue, before hesitating. "... because it served as a symbol of my authority! It legitimized my claim to the throne, my right to rule!"

"I see..." Jaune really didn't know enough about this world to remark on her statement, so he instead changed tactics, drawing on his own experience as a teenage boy. "And what would have happened if the sword had never been drawn?"

"..." Artoria took a moment to dumbly process his words. After all, she'd been told all her life that only she could draw it, and that she needed to draw it, in order to save her people. The idea of not drawing it was almost unfathomable to her. "What do you mean?"

"During that joust that we interrupted." Jaune pressed gently. "What would the gathered lords and nobles have done if the sword hadn't been drawn."

"Oh. That's easy." Artoria rolled her eyes. "They'd have picked a king from the joust, and sworn fealty to him."

"And so he'd be a legitimate king despite not drawing the sword." Jaune pointed out.

"... it's different for me." Artoria argued back. "Even if I assume that whoever was picked from the joust could drive back the Saxons... my entire right to rule is based around me being able to draw it."

"..." Jaune felt like rubbing his temples. Oum, the boy was reminding him more and more of Pyrrha (both of them). "And what would you have done, if you couldn't have drawn the sword?"

If the idea of not drawing the sword was hard to swallow, the idea of Caliburn rejecting her was utterly unfathomable. After all, it was her birthright and her burden! "I..."

"Would you have simply given up, walked away, and left the people to their fate?" Jaune continued, seeing that he had him.

"How could I?!" Artoria demanded, outraged by his insinuation.

"Exactly." Jaune chuckled, as Arthur proved his point. As the boy blinked at him, anger slowly being replaced by confusion, he explained: "Arthur, you're just like me; we're both complete idiots, who can't help but act!"

Artoria stiffened, unsure whether she was being complimented or insulted.

"If the sword hadn't chosen you, I'm willing to bet you'd have just left home one day and began doing what you could to help the people in need." Jaune continued confidently. "... exactly like what you're doing now! Exactly like what I did, when I left home to receive training!"

Okay, maybe not exactly like him.

She wasn't a fraud who'd run away from home and bought fake transcripts.

And she wasn't a failure who'd died multiple times (especially when compared to Yang the Dragonborn, Ruby Ironwood, Pyrrha the Courier, and the Doom Slayer).

Where was he going with this again?

"Uh... sorry, I'm not really the best with words..." Jaune admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to regain his derailed train of thought. "Look, what I'm trying to say is... you're not special because you drew the sword, alright?

"The sword allowed you to draw it because you're special. Because, even if you hadn't... nothing would have changed.

"Even without Caliburn, you would still be a great leader, and you'd still be giving it your all, to save your people."

Artoria gawked at Jaune as he concluded his speech.

Was... was he really right?

She'd really never even considered a life where she hadn't drawn the sword, after all...

But somehow she felt that, even if she'd never been told of her destiny, she'd have still tried to become a Knight.

After all, she'd been raised by Sir Ector and Sir Kay.

The Code of Chivalry was how she lived her life. Being royalty wouldn't change that.

And, she supposed, Jaune would know best.

Even now, she could still see his gallant figure, as he lifted the sword from the stone, and pierced through the volcanic fury to unleash the might of Caliburn on the One-Armed Giant.

Her familiar's existence was proof enough of his words.

Even without being a Pendragon, he had still been able to draw the Sword of Selection.

No, drawing the Sword didn't make him special.

It was because he was Jaune, that he could wield Caliburn.

And why should it thus be any different for her?

"..." Artoria bit her lip, unwilling to admit that she now felt foolish. Sure, losing Caliburn would make things a lot harder... but the path of a King was never easy to begin with.

Instead, she quietly asked him for advice: "What... what would you do, if you lost your sword, then?"

"I'd get a new one, I guess." Jaune shrugged.

"Even if it won't be as good as your old one?"

"Even then." Jaune nodded. "After all, a sword's only as good as its wielder. You could have the best sword in the world, but it wouldn't do you any good if you didn't know how to use it. Trust me, I'd know."

"Oh?" Artoria found herself intrigued. "Did you fight someone like that?"

"Oum, no!" Jaune laughed self-deprecatingly. "That used to be me!"

"... really?" Artoria asked incredulously. Had he somehow had a sword more potent than his current one?

"Remember how I told you I left home to receive training?" Jaune asked. As Artoria nodded, he sheepishly explained: "Well... truth is... it's more like I took the family sword, which my great-great-grandfather used in the Great War, and ran away from home to receive training.

"And before you ask... yes, I was that stupid and desperate. I... I just wanted to be a hero so badly, you know? But my family would never let me...

"Anyway, that was my original sword. Family heirloom, tested in battle, great sword all around. I still got my ass kicked in just about every spar and practice session I had."

"... and how did you get better?" Artoria couldn't help her curiosity. How had the Huntsman in front of her gotten beaten in duels and spars?

"I had help. Lots of it. And I trained everyday." Jaune shrugged. "It wasn't easy, and I had lots of catching up to do... but I refused to hold my team back."

Artoria nodded in approving understanding, before pressing on: "And how did you lose it?"

"Remember my first death, with the fire witch and the dragon? It was broken while I was holding her off."

"... and do you regret it?"

"Not at all." Jaune shook his head. "She needed to be stopped, her progress halted before she reached the fleeing civiliand, and I wasn't going to let my friends risk their lives facing her."

"..." Artoria could only nod, reminded that she was truly facing an ideal King, the only other person to wield Caliburn. "So, this is your second sword?"

"Hmmm..." Jaune spent a moment to recall the absolute insanity in Skyrim. "Nope. This is my fourth."

"... wha-"

"Second one was a steel sword I found in a grave while fighting undead warriors, and broke while fighting a brass... do you know what a robot is? How about a golem? Anyway, it was a golem almost as strong and large as Edrad. Found the third one after that, some weird glass-like material. Didn't like it. As soon as we finished off the vampires, the blacksmith who made my current sword seized it and basically threw it away."

"... I see?" Artoria blinked, before smiling softly, and teasing: "Are you saying I should fight the reanimated bodies of the dead and massive metal golems to get my next sword, Jaune?"

"Somehow, I doubt your world has any of those, Arthur." Jaune smirked back. "Though... if you're that desperate to get a new sword, I'm sure Merlin could probably figure something out."

"He always does." Artoria nodded in fond exasperation.

"Anyway..." Jaune took a moment to study Arthur. Good, he seemed to be doing a lot better. His voice trailed off, though, as he noticed the moonlight catching the odd golden lock on Arthur's head, giving him a sort of exotic and mystical allure.

Oum, Arthur would definitely be a heartbreaker someday, Jaune mused to himself, fighting down a chuckle. Kid was even more feminine than Ren!

Sorry, Ren, but it was true. No offense.

Jaune coughed and shook his head, before Arthur could catch him staring, not wanting to give the kid the wrong impression. "Anyway, its getting late, and we should probably get some sleep. Do you need another helping?"

"No, it's fine." Artoria rolled her eyes, before closing them with a gentle smile. "Thanks, Jaune."

Even Jaune could tell that she wasn't just thanking him for offering her more food.

"Any time, Arthur." Jaune chuckled, meaning every word of it.

As he got up and finished off his skewer, he called out: "Oh... and if you still really want a magic sword, you can always borrow mine."

And with that bombshell he bade her a good night, before she could take him up on that offer.

She glared at his back and pouted, before shaking her head in frustration.

God knew she wanted to try out a sword made from the bones of a dragon, which could manipulate the very elements with casual ease!

What kind of Knight wouldn't want to wield it, even briefly, just to see what it could do?!

Oh well, there was always tomorrow.

That comforting thought, along with Jaune's words chasing away her stress and anxieties, suddenly made her realize how tired she was.

With a yawn, she demolished her own meal, before getting up and stretching her back, preparing to turn in for the night, and greet the next day (and an opportunity to use Jaune's sword) post-haste.

And so, when Merlin woke her up, and brought her to a lake where a water elemental named Vivian politely greeted her and offered her a new holy sword, she found herself wondering if he'd done that on purpose.

"Now, you won't have to borrow your familiar's sword come the morn." Merlin "comfortingly" reassured her, an innocent smirk on his face (and a smug glint in his eye).

That pansy bastard!

He knew!


Author's Note: Something something infrequent updates something something hate writing dialogue.

Really, I've got nothing else.