There were few things in the world that truly vexed Gilgamesh. One of them was the King of Knights, the servant king who gave everything for her people, who loved them so much she spared none of that affection for herself.
His snake-like eyes narrowed as the events in that blasted elevator returned to him, like how it was Arturia's first instinct was to pull him toward her. He was able to teleport them through the Gate of Babylon just in time, but not before they'd both suffered blows to the head.
It was only later, when she'd pressed her handkerchief to his temple, that he realized why she'd so desperately wrapped her arms around him as they fell, why she'd cradled his head and pressed him to her body like she did. Just the thought made him grit his teeth, that she'd so easily lowered herself to something expendable when she was the very opposite.
Arturia...she intended to cushion his impact. Despite the way she detested his presence, despite the numerous occasions she shoved him away, she chose to do this.
I've never hated you, Gilgamesh.
His eyes sealed themselves shut as he drew breath and slowly exhaled. Silently, he set down her white silk handkerchief, the one she'd used to stop his head from bleeding, on the maple coffee table.
She was ever an enigma. Trying to navigate her headspace was like walking through a maze whose twists and turns changed with every step. It seemed every moment he found himself face to face with a dead end, the towering walls around him taunting him at every turn. Yet, Gilgamesh found himself excitingly navigating her alluring corridors, awaiting the tantalizing treasure that waited at its denouement.
He'd known she was different since the banquet at the Einzbern courtyard all those years ago, but to be able to baffle him this much…It was a feat. And oh, he would enjoy unravelling every single one of her mysteries.
So then perhaps, an invitation?
Alas, the King of Heroes would not get his wish, for another king had already stolen her away.
"YO! King of Knights! Fancy a ride?"
"I once thought your master a coward," Arturia commented, hanging on with both hands as the rough undulation of the Gordius Wheel threatened to send her flying. "Now, I feel his fear was entirely justified-"
She jerked forward, hip slamming into the sideboard as the King of Conquerors led the Divine Bulls to the sky. Each of their hooves, she noticed, were not in fact trotting midair, but on a road paved with lightning that sprung forth with every crack of the whip. Where lightning was, thunder followed, and when she looked down the multitude of feet that separated the chariot and the ground, she could hear its roaring echoes resounding into the night.
Loud as it was, the noise still couldn't drown out Iskandar's boisterous laughter. It was so jovial, so deep she could feel the vibrations shaking her ribcage.
"Remind me, King of Conquerors," she yelled, her voice barely audible as it was swiftly carried away by strong gales that struck them, "the reason you brought me out here?"
Christ .
She cursed inwardly as the wind buffeted her around like she was a frail leaf in a hurricane. While she struggled to keep her footing, Iskandar stood much more dignified, throwing his hands to the air and hollering with no fear of being taken by Zephyrus this night.
Arturia grappled for the crossbar as Iskandar jerked the reins backward, suddenly slowing the two beasts that pulled his chariot to a leisurely trot. He then swerved, and in the small space it was only instinct that kept the girl from plummeting to her death. While she scolded him, fully irritated, he stood akimbo, smiling like a child who'd been given candy.
"Why?" he asked, for once at a volume that didn't make her feel like ripping out her ears. One of his patchy eyebrows was raised as he questioned her. "Haven't you gotten it yet, little king?"
No. No she hadn't gotten it yet. In fact, she hadn't even figured out why she'd agreed to this little excursion. If she knew this would be less of a ride and more like trying to wrestle a hurricane, she might have at least thought twice. But, she thought, pulling the ribbon from the tousled mess that used to be a perfect braided bun, it was far too late for that.
Iskandar patted one of the bulls on the back, and as if they could read their master's mind, they began a slow descent. Now with her life less threatened, she dared peek over the side with Iskandar's gesturing for her to do so.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Ocean. It was water as far as her eyes could see, the white moonlight reflecting like magic on the wave peaks. If she hadn't been brutally assaulted by the wind speed earlier, she would've believed Iskandar took her to the world of fairies. When she looked up, the sky was an inky black canvas, painted with hundreds of millions of twinkling lights. She couldn't hope to ever count them. It was a cloudless night.
She barely felt when the Gordius Wheel had settled atop the strangely calm water, and the vehicle began to rock lightly. Dazed, she hadn't even realized the King of Conquerors had helped her down til she could feel the water lapping against her bare feet as she stood atop it, just like she had in the fight against Caster.
"Ha! It still amazes me how you do that, Knight King," he said, the smile on his face just a little bit crooked. He looked to his side, then back at her, as if expecting someone would be there. Then he sat down, his bulky legs hanging off the end of his chariot, while she took a few steps out into the open water.
"And your answer?" she asked, turning away from the ethereal sight to look back at her sort-of-kidnapper.
He shook his head and sighed. "Saber...I knew you were a serious one," he said, kicking up salt water in her direction. "But truthfully, I shall admit that this level of seriousness is beyond what I expected."
Saber tilted her head to the side. Like that, Iskandar thought she looked even younger than she already did. An exasperated sigh escaped his lips.
"Tis called fun, King of Knights. Ring any bells?"
The little second of surprise on her face confirmed his fears. He was right then, about her, how she had given up her entire life for her kingdom, not even sparing herself a sliver of joy. He found himself pitying her as she looked away, at a loss for words
There were a great many things he wanted to ask. Only, the first two may be who and what made her lose her love for herself the way that she did. He had a feeling it was the former. Surely no one else but a father could shape their child so horribly twisted. He imagined he'd be entirely different had he given up his childhood, given up his youth, sex, love? Would he even have become the King of Conquerors if he had done so?
"Surely, you have business with me, king," she stated as she stood on the waves, her voice steady, and yet unsure.
Iskandar procured a bottle of wine, a gift from that goldie, and filled two cups with its contents. He held it out at arm's length for her to take, for he was not endowed with the blessing of the Lady of the Lake.
"Business, no," Iskandar said, clinking his goblet with hers. "Meaningful conversation, certainly."
The King of Knights did something even more ridiculous than standing on the water: sitting on the water. Iskandar couldn't help but be entertained. It was a shame her pride did not allow her to be recruited. She would have been the best of his cavalry.
"Of what do you wish to converse?" she questioned, looking like a fae from her perch on the ocean. "And why the hour long ride to get me..." she paused for a while, realized she had no idea where they'd ended up, and looked back at him, "...here."
Iskandar chuckled. "And here I thought you'd be glad to be away from goldie."
That last word seemed to shake her, absentmindedly she touched her left cheek, like she was remembering something. Strange. He actually was supposed to ask her what she thought of their fellow king, but he felt he saw everything he needed to in that brief moment. But, there was also someone else he'd wanted to ask her about.
After all, he didn't think the King of Knights was one to so boldly show affection in public. For her to kiss that Emiya boy like that, she must really have had feelings for him. In truth, he was glad the little monarch had finally experienced love, but it did come with several complications. For one, he thought she might have gone with one of his fellow competitors in the Grail War. Second, he was positive that the ginger master of hers was married to the magus woman that joined them at the post-mission meeting. He'd been around enough lovers to know when two people shared a marital bond.
But, he thought, as he stroked his beard, perhaps he shouldn't be so direct. It was a wonderful night, and he brought food and drink. It would be a shame if they didn't take advantage of it. To his surprise though, she beat him to it.
"You must be having the time of your life, King of Conquerors. After all, if I recall correctly, you wished to be reincarnated, did you not?"
Iskandar blinked once, twice, and smiled so bright he lit up the dark night. She remembered. "It surprises me you do recall, Knight King Saber."
"How could I forget?" she replied, sipping on her wine and looking up to the sky. It was a clear night too, the day she, Iskandar, and Gilgamesh had sat down for discussion. It used to leave a bad taste in her mouth when she thought back to that moment, but now it was but a distant memory.
Come to think of it, Iskandar was the main reason she changed her wish from wanting to redo her time as king into wanting to make sure a more worthy one pulled the sword from the stone. Now, seeing just one of the attendees of the Banquet fof King's before her, she couldn't help but think the seat beside Iskandar should have been occupied by one blonde demigod.
"If I am to be honest, little king, I should say it's been quite...disappointing."
Arturia raised an eyebrow, questioning him.
"Our fellow king is a ruthless one, but even goldie had spared my Master. Here I was hoping to be reunited with the boy, but I have yet to find him. It seems he's left no trace of his whereabouts. I believed if I could track down the old couple who housed us during the war they could leave me to him, but alas, I can only assume they've perished," Iskandar explained.
It had been twenty years. Even if Glen and Martha Mackenzie were strong for people their age, even they had to give up the ghost sometime.
"...I see," Arturia remarked. Now that she thought about it, she was lucky that Shirou was alive. Even if he was young, there were plenty of things that could have happened in that time.
"I have been hired," he says, causing Saber to look up from her drink. "That in itself is surreal. A king? Working for someone else's benefit? Ha!"
Arturia opened her mouth to protest, still standing by her ideals that a king must serve, but closed it just as suddenly.
"But fret not, Saber! Soon it will be none other than I on the top seat of that little property development company. Ho, Saber, have you ever heard, have you heard? Land in this time is distributed far differently, being bought and sold left and right! Common folk have become arrogant with their paper money! REAL ESTATE, that is it's title!" Iskandar guffawed.
Arturia stood and refilled their cups, a small, genuine smile on her lips. "I am glad you have found something that interests you, King of Conquerors."
Iskandar seemed to take the tiny tilt of her lips as progress. He would have her living her best life as she should have in no time.
"Do you know where you stand, Saber?"
She shook her head, and Iskandar beamed at her. "You stand right on the equator. The great invisible line that runs across the middle of this here round planet of ours!"
The bewildered widening of Saber's eyes made Iskandar want to holler. "Had I not had you as a passenger, it would have taken less time to get here."
"Still," Arturia said, looking around at the endless ocean surrounding them. "I imagine you'd be down a considerable amount of mana."
"Correct!" he exclaimed, giving her a thumbs-up, "As I am now, the trip back should exhaust my reserves!"
Arturia honestly wanted to punch him for his careless use of energy, but feared she'd be stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of survival. So, all she could do was stifle her anger and seethe with a twitching eyebrow.
"All this for a talk? Even if you wanted to converse in the ocean, the one outside Fuyuki should have sufficed," Arturia reasoned, a million different scenarios of how this little trip could go wrong crossing her mind. Drowning was certainly not the death she expected of this life.
"Now, now, little king, don't be like that. It sets the scene!" Iskandar pouted.
In times like this, it was easy to believe Iskandar had actually died in his thirties. Maybe he died younger than she did. Maybe.
"The scene?" she questioned, noticing for the first time that the crinkles by his eyes didn't run as deep as she thought.
"OCEANUS!"
Arturia barely dodged as he swept his hands in front of him, eyes twinkling as he yelled into the heavens. By some impossibility, his voice resounded, bouncing off invisible walls.
"THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE WORLD! TRULY, A MARVEL TO SEE ONLY FOR THOSE BRAVE ENOUGH TO MAKE THE JOURNEY TO REACH IT!" he yelled.
For a minute, Arturia was so sure she saw a flash of his army behind him, cheering their king on as he proclaimed his mission. There were hundreds upon thousands of different faces, all joined together in an echoing chorus. Their eyes were shining, inspired by the words of their leader who rode in front of them.
They must have really believed in the vision Iskandar promised them all those years ago when he set out on his quest. Believed in him well enough to follow his commands without any doubt. Arturia honestly wished she could say the same of her knights, it hurt her to know some of them had less steadfast hearts.
"Ha! Or so I believed. How odd indeed to find out the world was round," Iskandar commented, his arms falling limp at his sides. His smile however, did not leave his face.
Arturia tilted her head to the side. "You are not...upset?"
Iskandar laughed heartily. "Now, why would I be upset?"
"I…"
The female king was sure that if she had been in his position...things would have turned out differently. Perhaps she would have come to the Grail War wishing her army could have reached Oceanus, or that she had inspired her followers with a different tale. She would have wished to correct the past. But as Iskandar had so firmly drilled into her, redoing the acts he committed during life was the furthest thing from his mind.
Iskandar sighed and shook his head, and reached down to pat hers.
"Oceanus still exists, of course. It's out there, just beyond my reach, and I will ever strive to see it. It is what has kept me going for so long after all. It matters not whether the world is flat or round," he explained, hoping maybe Arturia would understand his philosophy, his life, his eternal conquest.
She was silent as she shrugged his palm off her head, but it was easy to comprehend Alexander's words. To the man, his life and conquest were one and the same. It was difficult to separate the two concepts, especially since in many ways Iskandar embodied the meaning of the word in all aspects. He conquered wide lands, whole armies, and most of all, the hearts of people.
Arturia was too proud to admit it, but It was the latter that she felt insecure about, having completely lost control of her kingdom due to her never understanding her own people. Arturia silently wondered if Iskandar was born as magnetic as he was, or if the man learned it from a mentor perhaps. After all, after eradicating Assassin from the war, he was able to recruit Hassan of the Hundred Faces into his army. And from what she'd heard, Iskandar may have even melted the supposedly stone-cold heart of the one known as Medusa.
"You brought me to the middle of the world," she chuckled, "...to tell me this? A bit dramatic isn't it?"
"No. Had to ensure there were no prying eyes or ears, little king. After all, I heard from goldie that he isn't the only clairvoyant around," the big red man remarked, phasing into a shirt that looked far too small for his bulky frame and a pair of simple pants.
Gilgamesh is a clairvoyant? News to her. What would be so important, they'd need absolute privacy?
Iskandar looked at Arturia. Good, he had her absolute focus. He poured her another glass of goldie's wine.
"You had luck," Iskandar stated, meeting her eyes. When she looked at him confused he continued. "With your master, the second time."
The blush that erupted across Saber's cheeks was entirely unexpected. "Well, we certainly got along better-"
"Come on, King of Knights, you know that's not what I mean!" Iskandar teased, and pointed a finger to his lips.
She mirrored him, horrified. "You...you were witness to that?"
The memory quickly returned to her, the feeling of Shirou's warm skin against hers, the smell of sun and light cologne, the same he had worn when he was younger. Her yearning for his company hadn't faded, even if the numerous unanswered texts in her phone made her feel he was avoiding her.
Iskandar hummed as he nodded. "To think you'd find love in a Master, Saber. It is unexpected," he said, throwing his head back in laughter.
"You mock me, king?"
Was it so wrong to let her heart beat for someone for once? She spent her whole life dedicated to her kingdom, and even this one pleasure, she couldn't be allowed?
"Mock you, no," he said, interrupting her dire train of thought, "But isn't it human nature to be curious? You simply must tell me all about him."
Saber cocked her head to the side. "Are you a barmaid who revels in gossip?"
He only smiled brightly. "Ho~! Why no, King of Knights. Just a man looking out for his friend."
Arturia was uncertain. She hadn't quite talked to anyone about Shirou before, let alone one who was once an enemy Servant. But something about the way the old king looked at her, with genuine curiosity in his eyes, made her feel Iskandar was one to be trusted. Besides, with all those he must have courted in his hayday, he may have some advice.
So they talked, all through the night, with only the light waves lapping at the chariot's wheels and the bright moonlight as their company. Only the stars were witness to the light blush that graced Arturia's cheeks and the subtle smile she couldn't hide when she breathed Shirou's name. Only the moon heard the words the two kings exchanged. Only the sea watched over the two kings and their blossoming friendship. And later that night, when Iskandar had dropped her off on Kay's balcony, she'd shake his hand for the very first time, and bid him good night as he went on his way.
A/N
Thank you for reading this chapter~!
Iskandar and Saber have a complicated relationship that I have always wanted to explore. Especially considering they are both kings with different perspectives.
I'm thinking about changing the schedule of my uploads, so you'll get the next chapter sooner than expected just so I can test it out!
Til next chap!
-akampana