Artoria had always had a soft spot for nature, ever since she remembers, she had always liked to be outside, enjoy the sing of the birds and play around smelling flowers or laying down in the grass.
When she was overwhelmed, she would go to the nearby forest that surrounded her home, Kay said a lot of times that it was troublesome for him to have to go there and search for her since she would usually climb a tree or hide in the bushes.
And even while Kay wasn't as fond of it as her, she would sometimes go with her and play around, he enjoyed going to the lake that was deep in the forest, Artoria went with him a few times, but even if he seemed happy in the water, she would never join him, she didn't know why but something about the water made her... uneasy.
Probably her favorite thing to see was the blossoming flowers, especially those with a pink tint, she didn't know why, but she knew she felt at ease when seeing them.
Merlin would sometimes see her playing from afar, either alone or in the company of her brother, or in rare cases, with some boys from the village, and at that time, he could see she was just another child, playing happily and what it seemed to be without a worry in the world.
He knew better, of course, he had been entering into her dream to train her to become the perfect king.
But sometimes, seeing her from afar, he felt something he couldn't describe, but maybe, just maybe, it was a pang of guilt.
Artoria never knew, and Merlin never had the necessity of telling her, because if he ever told her, then what would be the point of erasing her memories?
When she was young, so young he could crawl her into just one arm he would sometimes leave the safety of his hidden den and venture into the markets, he would sometimes carry her with him, but other times he would leave the toddler of a king in the forest, where she would play with fairies and other magical beings.
Maybe that's why she was fond of the forest.
He remembers making her laugh, especially when she cried, the Masked Britain Bishonen never failed.
He would make her flower beds so she could lay on, and at night he would show her the stars and tell her stories from any moment of any time and place.
He remembers being hidden between a big crowd, on a wedding day, seeing her smile at her wedding when a shower of flowers of all colors, but mostly white and pink fell onto Guinevere, Gwen, how Artoria would call her sometimes, and saw a smile crept on the lips of the other girl, the circumstances were the best but it seemed that the flowers were something that both liked it.
They celebrated a marriage that he knew it was doomed to fail...
He would sometimes leave her flowers here and there around the castle just to cheer her up or to see her small but genuine smile.
Maybe and just maybe, she still retained those memories in her subconsciously, maybe that's why, when the responsibilities of a King became too much, she would excuse herself to go on a hunting trip or just to check the surrounding forests.
Maybe that's why she felt a bit of peace deep inside even as she was dying, even when her kingdom had crumbled down and she was begging Alaya to give her another opportunity.
Maybe that's why when she went around town in a foreign country, with a snow angel, she enjoyed taking her to a garden full of flowers or going to the ocean at night just to stargaze.
Maybe that's why when she got another opportunity of obtaining the grail, she would sometimes go to the porch of her new momentary home and watch the stars and had the wish of seeing those pink flowers that blossomed in trees, Sakura flowers she was told, even if she knew she wouldn't be around by that time.
And maybe, just maybe, that was the reason she was smiling when a young girl with white hair put a Sakura flower crown on her head, while she was having a picnic day with her newfound family under a shower of those exact pink flowers, she had wished to see months ago.
Merlin saw outside his prison tower, letting some flowers float into the sky, maybe they would reach to her.
It was almost impossible, he knew, being on the other side of the world and all that but…
Fate did find a way… didn't it?
He was sure these flowers would reach her.
Somehow.
This was originally posted in a Discord group buuut decided to correct it and post it here because I just felt like it lol
I hadn't really been writing properly these years but I might be beginning to again, I'm kinda excited about it XD
Okay so I was seeing "Wizards Tales of Arcadia" and the charas got transported to Camelot and stuff happens.
Anyways the point is that I got inspired by one scene to write this.
Also, the end is kinda settled either on HA timeline or Emiya Gohan because those are the only timelines where we can be happy.