This is long. Far longer than I'd intended it to be, but I needed to put all of the components in with it or the pacing would have been off. Those of you who have waited for the better part of a year, my apologies. I would tell you of all the drama I dealt with, but I'd rather that be put behind me, for good.
I've moved back to the States from Japan and am trying to make a living here. It's slow-going.
Remember that contest I asked people to participate in? Well, since only one chapter's gotten out in that span of time, it's still ongoing.
Those keen on giving me a boost of stability, go along to my P(a)treon page - details are on my profile. Patrons get to see chapters in advance before I post it up on here. My beta and I are planning to finally do that podcast, and once we're in our groove, one will come out each month hopefully. Patrons get to choose the topic.
Enjoy the chapter.
The room was dark and quiet, the only light coming from the gentle rays of the sun as it began its ascent into the sky. The door clicked shut behind him, almost sounding as if had slammed for how disturbingly silent it was in the king's study. Shirou swept his eyes around the office quickly before coming to rest on the figure sitting at her desk. He walked forward slowly, wondering if perhaps King Arthur was taking a break from all of her paperwork, and he was about to greet her when he found himself coming to an immediate halt. The candles on her desktop had long since gone out, and it was hard to tell out her features except for where a small sliver of sunlight hit her just right.
Obviously exhausted, her head rested over her left hand, a quill still in her right as shoulders shifted just barely as she breathed in and out slowly. Her eyes were closed, and all signs of her normal stress, concern, and problems were absent from her expression as she rested serenely. The king's tendrils of hair fell over her eyes, waving slightly with each breath she exhaled, and the entire scene made her seem innocent, young, and a complete contrast to her normal countenance.
Shirou couldn't help but stare, and when he heard the telltale sound of his dishes sliding, he quickly righted the tray and, taking a single, deep breath, put the tray aside on one of the chairs meant for the king's guests. When his golden-brown eyes peered back at her again, he found that she hadn't moved even the slightest.
He couldn't take his eyes off of her.
Perhaps he should have been concerned when there was no answer at the very first knock he'd made to her door. King Arthur was not an intentionally rude person – if she was busy, she would simply ask him to come at a different time. But, then again there were times when she was so deep into her work, that she just didn't hear any outside influences. Those times were rare, but still happened every now and then. Actually, it had happened just last week, if he recalled correctly. That time, Shirou had stood outside of the office for at least ten minutes before trying again, and she was certain to apologize about the incident.
When the second knock and call went unanswered, that waved a few red flags that had him narrowing his eyes a bit. Maybe she simply wasn't in her office? But the king was always in her office at the ass crack of dawn, and he would've received a notification from that steward of hers, whatever the hell his name was, otherwise. The steward was nothing if not prompt and quick to inform.
At the third knock and call, Shirou finally realized that there might've been something wrong on her end, and he took a cautious step back. It was probably unnecessary of him to do so, but he immediately thought up the number of things that could have gone wrong: she had Avalon, so that shouldn't have been an issue; it was a closed-quartered room, without any breaches that he'd noticed, which was another thing to dismiss; any signs of struggle would've been noticed by the guards standing at the sides of her door; he was in charge of everything she ate, but that was still negated by Avalon, which made it a moot point; could something have come in through the window – a sleeping gas, maybe? But, to Shirou's knowledge, that hadn't technically been invented yet.
So, when he had made his way inside, ready for the worst, the sight of her like...this, froze him to the core. Even during his time with Saber, when had he ever really seen her look so relaxed, so calm, so...small and sweet? The time she had been meditating in his house's dojo couldn't compare. The time she had lain in the room next to his to conserve energy, couldn't compare. Not even their night together could compare to how she seemed now. Excepting the last example, the woman had been ready to take on the world if need be – she would have launched from her meditational pose to her feet in a heartbeat, from the realm of sleep to an attacking stance in less than a second.
But her, right now? Certainly, she could, but...it was different. This was her safe haven, in her castle, in her territory, her time, surrounded by her people, who would jump to protect her at the cost of their lives. It was different, and he knew it. Even if she didn't trust everyone, even if she were wary of problems within her haven, it was still her home, not a battlefield where she had to protect her idiot Master. Shirou forcibly cast down his gaze before involuntarily zeroing back in on her again.
His feet taking him closer to her desk, Shirou couldn't help but continue to stare. His thoughts always pushed him back towards his time with Saber, towards their two weeks together, whenever he saw the king. Never had Shirou regretted letting her go at the end of the war – she hadn't belonged in his time, in a place among the living. He never regretted saying goodbye, but he had wished they could've done more, could've had the chance to experience other things. Shirou remembered her expressions of happiness during parts of their date, remembered her joy over finding something new to take interest of.
Now, as his mind told him to stop and think about what the hell he was doing, he still felt himself leaning down, a hand gently, and gingerly brushing aside tendrils of her bangs. And, as his heart pounded in his chest, and his head telling him, "Damn it, Shirou, no!", he bent down towards her.
I love you, Saber, was what he had wanted to say, but the second his fingers left her skin, and her eyes flickered open slowly, Shirou had launched back away from her desk with speed he hadn't known he'd possessed, his heart having leapt into his throat as he watched her stare ahead of herself absently. He hugged the wall behind him, staring with heavy trepidation as King Arthur groaned softly and slowly rose from her uncomfortable position on her desk. Her left hand massaged her neck as her gaze swept over the paperwork left to be done.
"Funny," she muttered, and Shirou almost felt himself inwardly squeal with fear as he clutched the wall more tightly. "I could have sworn I felt something..."
The moment she paused, froze, and slowly slid her gaze up to look him dead in the eyes was the very moment Shirou felt himself die a little inside. King Arthur's gaze bore into him, as if daring him to make the first move, and he felt goose bumps all along his body and sweat break out along his face. She never turned her gaze away, not for at least a minute straight. Then, she flicked it over towards the tray he'd set on the chair, and then closed her eyes completely.
He watched as she visibly restrained herself from slamming him with an explosion of anger, and then let out a quick sigh when the king bit out a curt, "Good morning, Shirou."
Every delusion the man had of her decapitating him, slicing him up, incarcerating him, and whatever other terrible thing his mind could come up with in that terrible moment of fear finally vanishing, Shirou let out a shaky breath and almost felt his legs give out from under him.
"Good morning, Your Majesty," he choked out in a high-pitched voice that immediately made him flush with embarrassment. "I apologize for coming in unannounced, but –"
"Enough," she muttered, turning away from him as she cleaned off her desk. "I must not have heard your calls, because, you most certainly did follow the correct procedures, yes?"
"Of course!" he squeaked out, backing up a few steps away from her again. "Three times, uh, sir!"
King Arthur continued massaging her neck as she sat back down and sighed. "Three times, was it? Then, I apologize for not responding appropriately."
As Shirou set down the tray of food on her desk, her hand whipped out and gripped his wrist tightly, making him flinch.
"See that it doesn't happen again," she warned, eyes cold and unyielding. "And, on that matter..."
Shirou watched her open her mouth before she blanked, and shut it quickly with a small clack of her teeth. Her hand released him hastily, and she cleared her throat.
"Never mind. What am I partaking this morn?"
He felt the need to touch his wrist where he could still feel the tantalizing touch of her warmth, but ignored it. When her emerald-green eyes moved to look up at him again, awaiting his answer to her question, Shirou took a moment to judge whether he really was in hot water with her or not. Just as he evaluated her, her own gaze searched his calculatingly.
"It's fine," she eventually breathed. "I am...not angry."
He frowned, staying silent as she cleared her throat. King Arthur averted her gaze. "Not...too angry, at the very least. So long as it doesn't occur again, we will forget his incident ever happened."
Shirou couldn't help but smile at her bare honesty, and pulled off the lid from her plate. On it, much to her disbelief, were scrambled eggs galore, bacon strips, ham, sausage, toasted fresh bread (that he'd made himself), a small salad on the side, and a bowl of bean soup to finish up the entire meal. There was also a glass of drawn wine to complement it all.
King Arthur frowned at the amount of food. "What is the occasion, Shirou? This is double the amount of food you normally serve."
The moment he broke out into a large grin, she almost wished she could take back her question. The king held up a hand and shook her head.
"No, perhaps it is best that I do not know."
Shirou lost his smile somewhat as she started to eat, and took a couple of steps back to allow her some semblance of privacy. Watching as she finished the first half of it with ease, he couldn't really hide the smirk that appeared on his face when he noticed her have trouble finishing the last quarter of it all. Well, she was only still human at this point, not the living black hole Saber had been. Filling her up to the max wasn't an impossibility, though it was still very much a challenge. Whatever – he enjoyed the challenges of meeting her palate tastes.
When King Arthur finally set down her fork and held her left fist to her mouth as she turned away, Shirou smiled happily. "Was that enough food for you, Your Majesty?"
Her darkened eyes met his, and he saw both the weariness and wariness present in them. It was obvious she didn't know what he was trying to get at, and he'd known damned well that he'd forced her to her limits. That had been his intention though, so it was with great joy that he pulled the tray from her desk and plopped down a large box instead. The king eyed it as if it were another enemy to triumph over.
"What is this?"
"A little something I made for you, Your Majesty," he replied without hesitation.
Bewilderment flitted over her features. "More food? Shirou, I do not know what it is you think of me, but –"
"It's your lunch," Shirou said quickly, silencing her protest. "I...think I'm finally ready to go out there, but I don't think I'll make it back in time."
With those few words, her countenance returned to its former seriousness. She looked down at the bentou box in front of her.
"I see," she murmured. "To be truthful, I had wondered why you hadn't gone racing out the very next morning. You seemed so eager."
He scratched the back of his head, chuckling softly. "Well, I'd wanted to, but let's face it, I didn't know anything about what's down there. I needed to do a little research, so I had to ask some people about the place. I had to talk to Zago, because he knows everything about everything."
"Ah, yes," King Arthur sighed out as she slowly leaned back, the fullness of her stomach heavy on her mind. "Your food conspirer."
"Hey, that was his idea, not mine," Shirou affirmed, crossing his arms over his chest. "That guy's going to get me killed someday."
She raised an eyebrow at this, but didn't bother commenting on the matter. "You've finished your research then? You will be gone all day, I take it?"
Shirou nodded. "That was the plan, but..."
"I will allow it," she told him, her fingers running along the outside of the lunch box. "I can only hope this adventure of yours quells some of that restlessness you've gained over the months."
He blinked slowly at that. "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to –"
"It's fine," she interrupted, a short smile on her face to ease the curtness of her words. "You think I do not realize how confining this place can be to someone used to being on the outside? I would very much love to be out there, testing my sword rather than in here, confronting the idiocy of some people. Enjoy your time, while you can."
A beaming smile lit up his face, and King Arthur found herself unable to turn her gaze away from it. He slid his hands into his pockets and nodded firmly.
"I'll have the time of my life!" Shirou told her determinedly.
She wasn't even aware of when she'd stopped breathing, or when her heart had begun pounding so hard, but cleared her throat the second she came back to reality. "See that you do," she murmured.
King Arthur watched him gather up the tray into his hands and give her his normal greetings as he left. When the door shut behind him, she focused her attention back onto the lunch box, her curiosity overcoming her as she slid it directly in front of her. Flipping the lid, she peered in at the contents, only to see a near copy of herself staring right back at her menacingly. Her lips parted as she was unable to fully contain the shock of seeing her meal in the form of her own face. And, even had she not eaten such a large and filling meal, the idea of eating something that resembled her so closely – and how had he even accomplished that, anyway? – filled her with an indiscernible feeling inside. She slowly closed the lid and pushed the box as far away from herself as she could manage without it toppling over onto the floor. Then, she cupped her face, groaning,
"Shirou..."
Shirou glanced down at the king's insignia and initials on his breast pocket. He wished that he didn't have to broadcast his ranking to every person who happened to see him, but this was one of the conditions that had been set when he'd become her Personal Servant. Frowning at the mark, he flicked his gaze up as he walked up to the guards at the gate leading out into the city.
He had expected some kind of comment, but the two men simply waved him on after a single glance. Shirou stayed on guard as he passed by them and joined a crowd of several other people heading out through the gate. People gave him odd looks as he walked amongst them, but the moment they noticed the insignia on his shirt, they quickly separated themselves from him a bit, making sure to look everywhere else but towards or at him. It was a perplexing reaction, and Shirou didn't very much appreciate it. He wasn't going to the village as an extension of the king – or, at least, that wasn't his intention, but it seemed like he wouldn't have much of a choice in the matter. It would be more difficult to communicate with the everyday people if they thought he was there to judge them in some way. With all the guards around, though, there was no way he'd be able to ditch the articles somewhere and not have it get back to the king, and if the king found out...
Shirou came to a halt at the top of the incline leading down towards the main village itself. The castle itself was at a higher altitude than the village, making it seem more majestic and overbearing. Looking up at it from down below made it easy to realize just how imposing the building was. Conversely, though, coming down from the castle offered a terrific view of the spread out village, which was practically a city in this time frame. He couldn't remember the exact population figure, but it had to be over 12,000, at least. Shirou marveled at the scenery.
It was beautiful.
His gaze fell to the wide road running all the way down to the south gate, and he recalled what Zago had told him not too long ago. Shirou had gone to the other man for advice on what to really expect, particularly as a foreigner.
"Exactly what you experienced here," Zago said, sounding more serious than usual. "Just, times, you know, a billion more. At first, everyone will think you're some enemy figure that's somehow gotten into the kingdom. They'll treat you as a threat. Then, the smarter ones will figure out who you are and try to pander to you, maybe. The nobles will, at least. The other ones will stay the hell away from you."
Then, Zago looked over at Eos, who couldn't even manage her usual comforting smile. Then he turned back towards Shirou, murmuring,
"But those people don't matter. The ones you need to be on the lookout for are the common people, the ones who know absolutely nothing about the king but that he lords over them. The ones who like him will probably be very friendly to you, but Shirou, you've got to understand – there's a lot of unrest out there. A lot of unrest."
Eos interjected at that point: "Shirou, whatever you do, don't let them draw you into a fight. They may attempt to use you as a bargaining point if they're desperate. If you need help, talk to someone in a position of authority, like a guard."
"It can't be that bad, can it?" Shirou joked, cracking a half-grin.
Zago and Eos had just looked at one another, before the former shrugged. "Sure, whatever, man. I mean, it's not like it's Sparta or anything, dude. You're not going to step out there and immediately get barraged by people trying to rip through your throat. Just, it's good to have a little caution."
Shirou frowned at that. "Even with all that's gone on around here, I still feel like people aren't really that bad, at heart."
"You're a dumbass," Zago stated bluntly. "You're just going to get yourself killed someday."
Eos slapped Zago's shoulder, looking irritated. "Dagobert, enough of that."
Zago merely shrugged. "But, he is. How much shit do you have to go through before you getthe picture?"
"I don't really care about my life so much," Shirou told them softly. "I'm just trying to make things right."
"See? Perfect definition of a dumbass."
Eos glared at the blond, with him ignoring her blatantly. Shirou just smiled a little sadly, but neither refuted nor agreed with his friend on the matter. Putting his hands on his hips, he switched around topics.
"Okay, so, where do I start? Where should I go first?"
"Dude, do I look like a walking, talking map to you? It's called 'exploration' for a reason. Get the fuck out there and explore. God damn."
At that point, Eos gave Zago a look, one that was enough to have him back away and shut his mouth for fear of any real retribution by her hand. Then, she turned her midnight-blue eyes over towards Shirou, still looking somewhat angry.
"I'm not altogether familiar with the east side of town, being that I am not a noble, but there's a tavern off of the main road, down a path leading towards the far west. It doesn't have a name, but, it's fairly difficult to miss. Perhaps you could start there? And don't worry – it's really hard to miss."
Shirou gave her a smile and a word of thanks, and just as he was about to leave, Zago came up to him, concern present in his gaze.
"Look, dude, I'm sorry. Just, if shit goes down, get the hell out. Don't get your ass thrown in jail again."
That comment struck him hard, and his blood running cold again. Eos put a hand on his shoulder out of concern, and he did his best to ignore it.
"...Are you going to be all right? Should I go with you?"
"I'll be fine," was all he said before bidding the two of them farewell and heading out of the kitchen. He never even thought to argue with Baeddan again, though he kind of missed the asshole.
All things considered, he'd been incredibly excited. Not being able to see anything but the inside of the keep's walls was limiting, especially when he was used to roaming around on his own whenever he felt like it. He wasn't used to be told he couldn't do something, but more so the act of being given freedom to fulfill a contract in however way he could. The method had never mattered, and Rin hadn't bothered to "rein" him in, either. It was thoughts of memories that spurred him to leave the castle eagerly, his desire to know his surroundings and the people pushing him along through the gates and into the main village.
The difference between one side of the main road hadn't been immediately apparent from the other initially, but he could see the buildings grow seemingly stronger and bigger in the distance towards the east. The wide dirt road itself, large enough to field several lines of horseman and infantry, was lined with several crossroads as well as a variety of shops and stands. A number of people had stopped and stared at him until they saw the initials embroidered on his tunic. Then they all turned away quickly, as if wanting nothing to do with him. Some gave hesitant smiles out of courtesy, but most gave him a large berth.
Shirou hadn't particularly appreciated that – he didn't think of himself as any different than any one of them. While he realized that his position as Personal Servant elevated him in status, he felt that was the only part of him that was different. When he stopped at a stand to look at fresh fruit available, which, all things considered, wasn't altogether much, the vendor had looked first at his hair, his expression darkening. Then, the man's gaze fell to his well-kept appearance, the quality of his clothes and leather boots, and then finally, the initials on his chest, and all irritation fled, replaced instead by concern and an obligated willingness. Shirou had noticed every single detail, but ignored it, only offering a warm smile.
When he'd gestured towards the grapes, asking what he'd need to pay for a bunch (was he supposed to pay with a chicken or something? He'd have to ask the king later), the vendor had shakenly, hurriedly, pushed the bunch of grapes into Shirou's hands, mumbling about Shirou's kindness for paying the lowly vendor a visit, and wouldn't he please come again?
Shirou had stood there, hands full of decent-quality grapes, watching the vendor tremble a little from fear.
"I'll pay," he'd hedged. "I just don't know what it costs..."
"Ye don't need be payin' anythin', Lord!" the vendor quickly reassured him. "Only the best for His Majesty!"
"But, I'm not –"
"Would ye like these here plums, too, sir? Perhaps some blackcurrants?"
"No, I..."
At that point, Shirou had felt somewhat... Well, he wasn't sure what, but he hadn't liked it. Every time he'd offered to pay a certain amount, or do something for the man, the vendor only put up even more of a fuss. And, considering who he was, and how stubborn he was, Shirou couldn't just let things alone. He continued arguing with the man, and when the vendor pushed more fruit at him, Shirou finally put everything back down on the cart, knowing in his mind that there was no way he could accept the man's goods for nothing at all. He hadn't earned them, hadn't paid for them, and felt resolute in his decision to just leave the man alone after that since his "position" was causing more stress than it needed to and because he was supposed to be on his best behavior or face the king's wrath. But when Shirou saw the vendor's face pale with beads of sweat slipping down, the redhead felt himself swallow hard.
"Are my wares not good enough for ye, Lord?" the man nearly whimpered.
Shirou shook his head adamantly. "No, that's not –"
Clanking from a suit of armor coming closer made him turn his gaze around to see a soldier coming closer, his spear loose in his hand. Shirou noticed the vendor pale further as the soldier approached and frowned.
"Personal Servant," the soldier greeted with a bow of his head. "Is this...person, causing you undue trouble, sir?"
Oh crap, had he already caused a problem?
Shirou gave the patrolman half a smile. "Nah, he's fine. I think I'm more the problem here, actually. He was very good to me. I just couldn't take his wares for free, that's all."
The soldier paused for a moment before turning to the vendor. "You forcin' your pitiful goods onto this man? Don't feel any shame, do you?"
The vendor had bowed his head low, his back starting to crane as well. "Forgive me, Lord, for my rudeness!"
Shirou's eyes had narrowed sharply, and he'd put a hand on the guard's arm, temper sparked. "It's not his fault. I mean it. He did nothing wrong. Leave him alone."
The soldier backed off immediately. "As you wish, Personal Servant."
Shirou hadn't missed the glare the soldier sent to the vendor, nor the constant shaking of the latter, nor the curious and concerned gazes of onlookers who had all stopped in the middle of their activities to see what the commotion was. When the soldier had retreated, and the redhead had turned to look back at the throng of people, not one adult once met his gaze, and the children who did were quietly reprimanded as their parents pulled them away. Shirou had only stood there in front the stall for a little longer, watching as no one would look at him for fear of some kind of retribution.
He hadn't liked that.
The redhead had walked away from the earlier scene, a frown on his face but still rather hopeful that things would gradually get better as he continued along. Shirou paid attention to the scenery he passed by: the dwellings were shabby, made with poor materials, and in a generally less-than-preferred state. He saw pieces of wood splintering away, with the slates rotting at the bases. Some houses had ivy weaving its way around, making for a pretty sight, despite how much of a nuisance it must have actually been. The houses towards the main road were on the larger side, but as he walked deeper into the western section, they gradually grew smaller and even shoddier. Shirou had never been in such a destitute neighborhood before. He didn't really mind it overall, though.
He didn't mind the dirt that flew through the air with every stride, nor the mud that splashed onto his leather shoes and tailored clothing. Shirou didn't mind the heat from the sun that battered down on him – it was way hotter in the past than it'd been in his time period. Hell, he didn't even mind the horrible smell from the livestock and the people who had probably never heard of a bath in their life. No, what he didn't like, what he couldn't take, were the stares.
As he'd strolled down a branching road into the western side of the city, his eyes had shifted from side to side as he noticed one person after another stop mid-conversation to stare at him as he walked. Some stares were blank, as if he was something they couldn't really comprehend. A few were calculating, like he was a puzzle to be solved, something for them to use to their benefit somehow. An even smaller number of people granted him cautious smiles, like he was some kind of messiah, or a point of hope for them. Apathetic gazes were in the equation as well, but Shirou could deal with apathy. He understood apathy, to a point. The worst ones, honestly, and the ones he had extreme difficulty ignoring, were the stares full of condescension and outright hatred.
When Shirou had looked back at them warily, several men glared back at him, whether at his hair, his clothing, or because he obviously didn't fit within this area of Camelot's society. None of the peasants made any moves towards him, and they didn't try to block his way or push him out of their territory. Shirou had never felt like he was in any danger from them, but all the same, it wasn't the kind of welcome he had been expecting the whole time. Eventually, Shirou had turned his gaze ahead, a frown on his face as he did his best to ignore all of them.
He really hadn't liked resorting to such measures.
...He hadn't liked much of anything so far.
So, now, as he stood in front of a delipidated, defunct-looking, shoddy building, he could honestly say that he wasn't sure it was a good idea that he'd fought so hard to come out here. Shirou was never one to give up when something in his plans went awry, though. He was determined to make the best of things and to get the information he'd wanted so badly. There were so many things he wanted to figure out, but wouldn't have the opportunity to do while stuck inside a castle.
Shirou was still wary over whether this building held access to what he might want to know, and for the first time in his life, he wondered just what kind of background Eos had that she would steer him in this direction. He looked back behind him and watched an old, toothless, bald man in tattered clothing stare at him creepily, his mouth agape as spit trailed down his chin. The old man blinked once, slowly, before waddling away with a cheap cane behind one residence, but not before staring at Shirou the whole time as he was slipping out of view. Shirou blinked, as if unable to grasp what had just happened, and then turned back to face the door in front of him.
Yeah, he really had to wonder about that woman, sometimes...
Whelp, no time like the present. Or past. Or...whatever.
Shirou pushed open the rickety, wooden door, immediately catching the eye of every occupant within the small shack. Only hesitating slightly, he took a couple of steps inside, immediately finding himself standing almost in the center near the roasting pit. An emaciated, but large-framed person peered over at him with dark eyes with bags deep underneath. When he stood up, so did a younger teenage man alongside of a big burly one with a face full of hair. Shirou noticed their gazes flick over to his breast pocket before flashing back up to his eyes, their hostility obvious as none of them made a single move towards him.
The first man came forward, head slightly bowed as he hunched his shoulders in an obvious effort to appear humble. "Is there be somethin' I can be doin' for ye, Lord?"
His eyes had flicked down to Shirou's chest again before using that title, and the latter found himself frowning automatically at the act. As much as he understood the need to show that he was indeed an official representative of the king, it was difficult for him to accept that he couldn't roam as freely as he wanted without complications rising up. But, considering the era he was in, who knew if being independent wouldn't cause more issues? Shirou didn't like it, but he didn't have much choice other than to put up with it. He really didn't like it though.
"Actually," the redhead began softly, noting how all three of the other man stiffened slightly when he spoke, "I was hoping to try some of your meals here – a friend told me that this is the go-to place for local, uh, delicacies."
Damn, he sounded almost formal in comparison to them. He probably had Her Royal Majesty to blame for that one.
At the skepticism that popped up in each of their expressions, Shirou almost smiled wryly. Yeah, he wasn't sure how much sense it made for someone from the castle to come down and ask to point-blank try "delicacies" of the average people, and he didn't even know what would constitute a "delicacy" in this place anyway. Everything smelled like feces, both human and animal alike, there were rodents scrambling around enough to hear their scritch-scratching all the time, and the people looked as if hygiene was some mythical Norse beast. But hell, what did Shirou know? He hadn't taken a damned bath in months. If he ever got closer to the king, that would probably be his first favor to ask for, and wouldn't she just appreciate that one?
The teenager seemed to tighten up even more, if that were possible. "What kind of friend ye be talkin' 'bout...Lord?"
At that question, Shirou gave them a quick smile. "Her name is Eos, actually. She told me –"
"He be a liar!" the teenager suddenly yelled out, making Shirou twitch in surprise. "Eos would never make good with you pompy types! He's here to trick us! The king's after us!"
I have a feeling the king has no idea who the heck you are, Shirou thought to himself, the irony not lost on him that a "perfect" king knew nothing of her subjects. They'd have to work on that problem, but he'd have to get closer to her first. Somehow.
The first man spun around and gave a harsh glare at the teenager, and if Shirou hadn't felt the killing intent of all the Servants who had tried to kill him, – and nearly succeeded – he might've been a bit alarmed. Nearly dying actually came in handy sometimes. Apparently.
"Ye sit your arse down an' shaddup 'fore ye get us all killed, ye worthless piece o' lard! Ye want the king raining down his fury on us? Be a good whelp an' go clean the damned pen!"
When the first man made as if to throw a punch, the teenager backed down, hands raising in surrender as he gave Shirou an expression full of blatant suspicion. Shirou thought he almost saw a thread of hatred in the young man's eyes and found himself immediately prepping himself for some kind of attack. The teenager never dared move anywhere near Shirou, though, instead keeping a wide berth around him and heading out the door, but not without one final glance. The personal servant watched the teenager leave, confusion flowing through his mind.
What was that all about?
"We don't be 'avin' much of worth for a man of your worth, Lord," the emaciated man continued. "We are but simple folk, an' our tastes must differ from people of your kind, methinks."
"It's okay," Shirou reassured him, as best he could, his gaze flashing over to keep an eye on the other heavyset man in the shack. "Anything is okay. I'm not here to judge. I just heard about this place and wanted to try stuff for myself."
The peasant men traded glances, and the first man's shoulders dropped slightly as if he felt defeated. Shirou watched the man grimace and wondered yet again if he'd made the right decision in coming out here. He was being turned away at every corner, and he really just couldn't understand the significant difference that came with status around here. Couldn't anything be enjoyed amongst like-minded people? What was with this diverge? How was this anywhere near acceptable?
Does the king even know about this? No way, there's no way she'd stand for it. I mean, even Saber wouldn't have – I mean, I don't think she would have... She's not perfect, but...
A sliver of doubt crossed Shirou's mind for a moment but he shoved it aside. No, King Arthur had her bad points, but there is no way she would have allowed this – of that he was certain.
"As ye wish, Lord," the man eventually conceded, looking wary and as if he would rather be anywhere than where he currently was. "It ain't our custom to turn away visitors, none, an' we don't be wanting no trouble down here. Don't want the king thinkin' we bad folk, no sir. It'll take a bit of time though."
Shirou chanced a glance through some of the thatched roofing, noting that it wasn't too, too late just yet. He had some time before the evening bell rang – although, if he was actually still in the village at that point, he'd be dead meat. No way he'd be able to deliver the king's meal to her on time. Besides, he was kind of excited about taste-testing the local grub. The painfully cold reception kind of hit him hard, but the thought of trying something new to better his own repertoire always put him in good spirits. Besides, the food here couldn't be any worse than Caster's mess.
He tried giving them an assuring smile. "Don't worry. Take as long as you need."
Conversation between the men died off quickly, and Shirou immediately felt how much he definitely didn't belong in this setting once the men set to work on making something. He quietly watched the burly man leave the shack and then leaned against a wall, his arms crossed over his chest. As the emaciated man sparked a flame in the pit, adding more firewood to make incite the fire, Shirou found himself relaxing slightly with the age-old motions. He shifted his gaze upward when he heard the telltale muffled sound of conversation outside before his entire body flinched at the screech of a pig before it fell suspiciously silent.
Shirou frowned, his heart beating fast as he realized what had just gone on. It was a reality he was well aware of, but that didn't make it any easy practically hearing it for himself, and from so close a location. When they brought slivers of meat inside with some wilted vegetables – he was surprised they had any at all, honestly – he felt his hopes sort of die when the emaciated man chopped the meat into pieces and threw them into a pot. What should have taken at least twenty minutes to properly boil a soup took them around ten, and when the burly man cordially handed him a mud-caked bowl that looked as if it hadn't seen water since it was first sculpted with the soup inside showing bits and pieces of insects, Shirou found himself in a situation that he had never once imagined. Not even the meals as one of the lowest servants in the castle looked even half this bad.
One insects wings fluttered slightly before falling still, and the meat looked ridiculously raw. That wasn't to mention the fact that he had never seen a meal look so disturbingly terrible, but now he was repeating himself.
When the men turned to him to watch his reaction, as it might mean life or death for them, Shirou struggled to recall what was considered decent cuisine, historically speaking. Raw meat meant the juices would hold more flavor and would go better with whatever additives or seasonings were added. And that wasn't a problem – he'd had steak tartare. It hadn't been his favorite, but he could deal with it, and it'd tasted reasonably well.
But this was pork. There were insects in it. The vegetables were barely cooked.
Baeddan would be aghast, and he doubted that a foodie like Saber would ever even think of touching it.
...I-It couldn't be much worse than anything Taiga's made me. Those "meals" were abominations. She had to be kidding, thinking kani-tama and okonomiyaki were both the same damned thing. Nah, this couldn't be worse.
Shirou took a slurp, optimistically keeping his older sister in mind as the two men plus teenager watched his every motion. The taste of the slop hit his tongue immediately and an involuntary shudder swept through his body. He felt the bits of insect cross his tongue and the softness of the half-heartedly cooked pork rub against his teeth.
HOW THE HELL CAN THIS BE WORSE? he mentally shouted to himself.
His first impulse was to spit the detestable concoction out, but when he considered his position and what consequences that might possibly bring, he prayed to Buddha for good health and forcibly swallowed it down. His eyes watered slightly at the horrifying taste, but he kept his coughs at bay as he mustered a smile for his company.
"Ah... Tastes...great," he lied through his teeth.
There was no way in hell he was feeding this to the king. She'd kill him.
He'd held a more romanticized view of things before coming out to the village itself, but now considered himself better relieved of his previous ignorance.
"...He don't like it," the teenager murmured coldly. "I knew it. The king done sent 'im here to make fools o' us. Are ye laughin' now, ye noble pig? See what ye get fo' makin' fools o' the little peoples?"
The emaciated man turned to the teenager slowly with a murderous gaze. "Shut. Up. I hear one more word outta your mouth and I'll rip that tongue straight out."
Shirou gritted his teeth – he'd ask for this, and he'd see it through. He had a goal, and unfortunately for these people, he wasn't planning on ending things here. He hadn't died yet and wasn't intending to.
Taking a deep breath, he downed the rest of the contents without bothering to chew and tried to ignore the taste and feel of each part of it. Another shudder came over him and his stomach gurgled as if he'd introduced it to a new kind of hell. This...wasn't what he'd expected of his first visit at all.
He held out the emptied, soiled bowl for the burly man to take, and sucked in a deep breath. The emaciated man rubbed his filthy breeches – he hadn't washed those hands of his, had he? – and asked Shirou how it was, but the latter knew what he was really asking for.
Are we going to be punished for this?
Shirou could see it in their faces, could practically feel the anxiety flow from them, and it bothered him. Had it not been him... Had it been some other noble who had eaten that, these men might've been accused of intentional poisoning of a high official, even if they had tried their best to please the person. With the single question, Shirou knew that telling the truth to any guard, much less the king, would result in their deaths – he held that much power now, at the very least. It was his word against that of the lowest.
It was an unsettling, terrible feeling. Shirou didn't like it. He hadn't liked much of this day at all.
"It was good," he told them softly, his stomach churning from both his realization and the nasty slop he'd just ingested. "I've never tried anything like it" – that much was true – "and wouldn't mind seeing what else people eat around here. I'll tell the king that it's met my expectations."
It would be a total lie, but sometimes, lies were necessary to facilitate better relationships. He'd learnt that the hard way. Besides, the expressions on all three of their faces made him warm with happiness – they looked pleasantly surprised, and almost ashamed of doubting him. The teenager, however, immediately turned frosty, his glare frighteningly hard and unyielding. Shirou wasn't sure what to make of the young man's attitude, and so decided to just ignore it. He could deal with whatever the kid wanted to throw at him anyway.
"I'll come back again," Shirou promised, though he wasn't sure his company would take the declaration well. "I'm looking forward to getting to know the people of this village better. Being cooped up in the castle all the time doesn't make for as great a life as you'd think."
"These people be good ones," the emaciated man said softly. "Nobody dare give ye any trouble, Lord."
"Looking forward to it," the redhead told them, giving a wave as he left the shack.
Another shudder came across him and he exhaled slowly, hoping the contents would stay down until he could get to a more private place. Shirou tried to ignore the open-mouthed stares as he passed by people on his way to the main road. He steadfastly kept his gaze forward, his jaw tightening as he found himself back in the reality of this world where he was a foreigner that didn't fit in with anything. His red hair, his nice clothing, his straight(er) posture, his more formal manner of speech... Everything pointed to him being different, a strange and unwelcome feeling.
Yeah, that was it. He felt...unwelcome. The worst part was, he couldn't go back to where he was from if he wanted to, and there were times when he definitely did.
He took a turn at one house and found himself coming to something of a dead-end. Shirou peered around, trying to regain his bearing as rodents scrambled at his feet. Backtracking, Shirou wound himself around a few other houses until he was at a different, wider path. He ignored the stares of children that came upon him, ignored the women who chittered at the sight of him, ignored the men who grumbled at his presence. And, just when he'd thought he'd gotten the hang of blocking everyone out, he felt killing intent swarm around him, the hairs on the back of his neck rising. Shirou quickly spun around, fists ready as his eyes narrowed dangerously, but the only things he saw were the people terrified at his sudden movements, as if he were ready to beat all of them down.
Seeing this, his fists fell and his shoulders loosened, and Shirou turned away. The moment he found his way back to the main cobbled road, he didn't bother looking back. He didn't have the confidence for it.
His mood was still sour as he stood near the wall in as perfect a posture as he could maintain, his throat burning from having thrown up the poor excuse for food. His mind raced with the burned images of the people's cold stares and cautious steps away from hm. The suspicion and barely concealed hatred for him from the teenager ripped at him, and Shirou wondered why things had to be this way. He had only wanted a glimpse into the lives of normal people, to better understand them and to search for the missing links to his various dilemmas. Instead, he'd come out with ostracism, xenophobia, and a clear distrust for nobility.
With this, he could only surmise the chasm between the people and nobility, and how those in the castle were seen to be in so much better a situation. It irritated – no, angered Shirou that there would be such a vast difference. Those people had practically nothing, and what they did have wasn't really theirs to own – it was for the higher-ranked society. That wasn't just poverty, that was...an abysmal living situation. They shouldn't have had to live like that. The castle had better resources – he'd seen them for himself! Why keep that contained to a select few? Was that intentional?
Shirou felt another sliver of doubt race through him, but bit his bottom lip. King Arthur wouldn't allow this if she knew... She didn't know that, right? She couldn't.
The woman in question silently ate at her meal, but clearly felt the tension in the air. Her main concern, however, was whether to both addressing it. She could only assume that things hadn't gone the way Shirou had hoped.
"...How was your time in the village, Shirou?"
He grunted in slight surprise at the question, his mouth trying to stretch into a smile before he ended up turning away. "It was...all right."
That answer did not bode well whatsoever, but he seemed unwilling to say anything further, and she wasn't of a mind to push him into doing so. She watched as Shirou's gaze burned a hole into the floor and looked down at her stir-fried medley. What should it have mattered to her whether he was happy or not? She'd known that he'd had high hopes – he was always overly optimistic. It did not concern her in the least.
Her spoon clacked against the bowl.
"All right," she sighed. Why was she even asking? "What happened? What's wrong?"
Shirou looked as if he would ignore her at first, but his darkened eyes slowly turned to meet hers, and she was surprised at the jolt of concern she suddenly felt. This was not the Shirou who had left her that morning, jubilant and excited for a new experience, and a sense of sadness and disappointment filled her when she thought that her village did not meet his expectations.
"There was so much hatred," Shirou murmured softly, and King Arthur raised a brow.
"Hatred, you say?" she asked. "Of what –"
"I just wanted to see how things were there," he continued, as if she'd never said a word, and her alarm only grew.
"Shirou," King Arthur started, choosing her words carefully, "what were you expecting to happen?"
He hesitated slightly, his shoulders slumping a bit. "I just didn't think I'd be treated like such an outcast. I didn't expect them to look at me and think I'd want to cause harm. I was just hoping to gain some insight, but..."
"And did you?"
"What?" he asked, eyes wide from surprise at the question.
She focused her gaze on him fully before narrowing and averting her eyes. "Expectations are a mighty and powerful device, Shirou. Not everything can go as one would dare hope. There are things I would have never wanted to happen in my life, but perhaps because they did, I am better for it.
"Shirou," she continued, turning her gaze back to him, "you are an unknown to the people out there. Alas, you were once an unknown even within the castle. But, what did you do about it?"
"I wanted to..."
Realization seemed to dawn upon him and he fell silent again. The king felt herself smile a bit.
"If we all quit when something didn't go as we'd hoped, nothing would ever get done. I do not think the people meant any harm – the more they see of you, the more they will learn to know and trust you. That is to be human."
The redhead let out a deep sigh and ran a hand down his face. "You're right. Yeah, you're right, but... I can't deal with the 'lord' thing, Your Majesty. I'm not nobility. I don't want them to think they're going to die or something if I don't like what they say to me or give me."
At that, King Arthur rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I'm afraid you'll have to deal with it, Shirou."
She almost chuckled at his obvious disgruntlement, but made certain to maintain her façade. "Consider it this way: you've already shown yourself with such clothing, and received a less than welcome reaction. What might they think if you suddenly appear again in regular clothing this time? Then you would be more untrustworthy, because they wouldn't know if you were pretending to be something you weren't the first time, or if that held true for the next time."
"So, I'm stuck like this?" he muttered under his breath. "Great."
"Consider it a means of growth," she tutored him, and he immediately thought back to that night she'd given him advice as to how to rise up and better himself. The thought made him inwardly groan, but he could feel his mood brightening a little.
A smile, though slight, came across his face as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess I can't give up here."
"I suppose you can't," she agreed, humoring him.
In hearing that, Shirou gave her a true smile, one she'd come to expect from him. The fact that he'd seen her when she had been asleep came roaring back into her mind and she felt her heart skip a beat. King Arthur cleared her throat and turned away, her lips forming into a scowl.
"If you are feeling better, then you may leave," she directed him irritably.
Shirou noticed the obvious change in her attitude, but managed a smile anyway. He went up to take her tray, holding it in his hands as he looked down at her. Her narrowed eyes caught his gaze, and she raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"Thanks for supporting me, Your Majesty. I hope you have a wonderful evening."
Her scowl died away at his words and the absolute sincerity behind them, and she only just managed to nod her head in consent for him to leave. When the door closed behind him, she frowned, and kneaded the skin of her thumb in between her teeth in thought.
...This might be a problem.
"I see," had been her only words.
Zago had stared at Eos with trepidation, his grey eyes open wide as he created space between himself and her. Despite the fact that Eos had been smiling kindly, the blond could easily tell that her smile didn't reach her eyes, and her corded forearm muscles only belied this truth even further. Zago had shifted a bit closer to Shirou, with the latter not realizing anything was awry.
"Might you wait some time before your next jaunt, Shirou? There is something I'd like to check on."
"Uh, sure?' he'd said inquiringly, not altogether sure what she'd need to check on and how it had anything to do with him.
The next day, she'd given a brilliant smile and wished him a wonderful time in the village when next he went. Zago had grown suspiciously pale and chosen not to offer any commentary whatsoever. Shirou had only known that something had happened, but what, he couldn't be certain. It gave him flashbacks to Rin which inadvertently made him cringe, despite not understanding why.
Some things were better left unknown.
So, after delivering the king her breakfast, complete with another bentou that he had painstakingly made, he headed off into town. King Arthur's expression at the bentou had been fabulously adorable, and Shirou had chuckled to himself at the memory. He would have to take advantage of her dismay before she developed a coping mechanism for it. Hopefully, he might have one or two more surprises before that happened, but most likely not.
Needless to say, he was in a far better mood upon arriving once again at the shack. The stares still bothered him a great deal, but the king had been right in her assessment: they didn't know him, and they definitely didn't know her. Hell, there probably were people who would take advantage of their power and wrought devastation in their wake for every isolated incident that so happened to wound their pride. It was disgusting that anyone like that could exist, but Shirou wasn't one of those people, and he was bound determined to change their perceptions of him.
He pushed the door to the shack open again, clad in a the black clothing from his personal set to hide all the crap he might get on him. The emaciated and burly men from before rose quickly, jolted out of their conversation when he walked in. Shirou noticed that the teenager was very slow to stand, his gaze shadowed with a silent promise of nothing particularly wonderful, but while Shirou wasn't really concerned, something about the boy made him a little cautious.
I'll have to keep an eye on that one.
The emaciated man came forward warily, bent over a bit like he had been the other day. "Be a pleasure seein' ye again, Lord. What can this humble 'stablishment do for ye?"
Shirou rubbed the back of his head, letting out a sigh as he frowned. Then, he narrowed his eyes and stared straight at the other man.
"I'm sorry for the other day," he started, shocking the other occupants. "I'm new to this area, and not really used to the reception I had, but I should've been a bit better with my attitude."
With that, Shirou gave them a genuine smile, eyes showing determination. "I never formally introduced myself. My name is Shirou Emiya, but feel free to call me Shirou. Pretty sure it's obvious, but I work up in the castle as a servant. So, I'm not a 'lord' – I'm just a regular person lucky enough to have landed a job up there."
At first, he considered telling them he cooked for the king directly, but better to let a surprise attack wait until he knew them better, and vice versa. He had a feeling that wouldn't bode well for his trying to create better relations between the castle folk and the regular people. Yeah, he'd definitely keep that under wraps for as long as he could.
"Whatever ye are, we don't much care," the teenager was quick to announce. "If you're that sorry, how 'bout goin' back to where ye came from, huh?"
The emaciated man slowly turned to the brat, eyes glittering dangerously. "Huw, if ye don't shut up that yap o' yours, I'm gonna give ye a real reason to yip! If ye hate the idea of people wreckin' how you live so much, then maybe ye best consider who ye be treatin' like dung!"
"It ain't that," Huw immediately argued. "It's 'im! He come in here with that cockamamie shit, demandin' we wait on 'im hand an' foot like the noble he be, an' expect us to actually do it? I don't care 'bout no lord, and I ain't 'is slave! I ain't gonna take this crap lyin' down, like you, Pawl! Go on, show 'im your belly, why don't ye? Wag your tail an' bark a bit, eh?"
Pawl's fist flew before the boy had even finished talking, but Shirou managed the catch the man's wrist, holding it effortlessly as he turned to carefully analyzed the Huw. Pawl was completely taken aback, but Shirou offered him no resistance when the man attempted to pull back his hand. Shirou gave Pawl a look, asking him silently to back off as he faced Huw head on.
"Lord –," Pawl attempted to say, obviously trying to plead the boy's case, but Shirou interrupted him quickly.
"I'm not a lord," he stated with finality. "I'm not nobility. I don't have any say in anything. I didn't come here with the intent to command you to obey my every desire, I came because I want to get to know you as you are. I don't mean to cause problems, and I came out into the village because I genuinely care about what's going on. But, if you have a problem, that's something you should say to me instead of taking it out on others."
Huw's face reddened ridiculously, showing his agitation. "Ye don't know anythin', ye miserable sod! Eos be ruined 'cause of ye! Go back up to that pretty, li'l castle o' yours and leave us good folk be! "
Shirou was prepared for another punch, but Huw just glared at him harder before turning and storming out of the shack. The redhead maintained a frown as he watched the teenager leave. He was glad Huw hadn't turned to violence against him, because that wouldn't have ended well. Had any guard noticed the possible altercation, Huw wouldn't have fared well at all. That wasn't forgetting the fact that if King Arthur had heard about it, they might both get into trouble – him for making things difficult, and Huw for daring to hit someone of some importance.
"Damn," Shirou muttered. "That's not how I'd wanted things to go."
"Lord –"
" 'Shirou'," he corrected firmly, turning back around. "I'm no dignitary. Just me."
Pawl looked understandably appalled at treating Shirou like an equal. No words came from his mouth for a moment, but then he finally closed his mouth and looked at Shirou with serious contemplation.
"Shirou," Pawl murmured. "Strange name fo' a lad."
Shirou just smiled at that comment before walking away and picking up a leather bag. "So, I wanted to thank you for that dish you made me. The king doesn't know I brought this out here, so this is just going to be our little secret."
Pawl and the burly man watched as he took out a couple of bread rolls and handed one to each of them. The larger man looked at the bread, not at all impressed. He peeled off a part and rolled in between his fingers, looking disgusted by the feel, while Pawl bounced it up into the air a couple of times, feeling the weight.
"Don't think ye cooked this right," he told Shirou. "It still be soft an' lightweight."
Pawl took a couple of sniffs. "An' it smell funny."
Shirou slowly smirked and put his hands on his hips. "Why don't you try it, huh?"
He watched the two men glance at one another before taking a bite, and took childish joy in their expression of complete and utter surprise. Pawl stared at the inside as he chewed slowly, and the larger man stopped eating entirely, unable to deal with the sensation.
"There be fruit in it!" Pawl exclaimed. "An' it taste like butter! I ain't never had somethin' like this befo'! From what heav'n ye be?"
Shirou just chuckled in reply, not bothering to give either one an answer. "I like figuring out new recipes and sharing them with others."
Pawl inspected the bread once more before turning to look at his friend. " 'Ey, Madog, what say ye?"
"I don't like it," he grumbled in a deep, rumbly voice. "It ain't right. Bread supposed to have some toughness to it, an' this feels like wool from a sheep. It ain't right."
The personal servant struggled some not to feel insulted, and was very glad Rin hadn't been there to hear that. After being aghast at the slight, she might've done something he would have regretted. For now, he just had to reel in his impulses and think of things from their side. If a person was only used to eating a specific thing a certain way, then, obviously, any other way would seem wrong. Shirou would just have to prove he was in the right.
He crossed his arms over his chest, wondering what to say without seeming rude or pushy. Pawl saved him by murmuring,
"She done said ye were different. This definitely be different."
"Who?" Shirou asked, eyebrows raising in curiosity.
"Eos, the vixen," Pawl replied with a slight smile. "Ripped us a new one, she did. Told us that if she had to come down again, she'd rip out our dicks and feed 'em to the pigs."
Shirou stared at them, horrified. "She what!"
"Aye, she a fiery one, that woman. Just like me mam and wifey," Pawl said with pride. "She also told us if we tried to poison ye again, she'd flay us alive. Ah, what a mighty fine woman."
Swallowing slowly, Shirou reconsidered what he knew about Eos, and was very, very determined to never piss her off. Now, he somewhat understood why Zago always tried to flee whenever she seemed irritated, and for half a second, he felt sorry for Gawain. Why did a guy like him marry her? Not that she wasn't amazing or anything, but...damn. And wait, so that crap he'd been given had been intentional? Seriously?
Madog tossed his bread back over to Shirou with a frown, though it was barely visible beneath his glorified bushy beard. His hairy, beefy arms crossed over chest as he peered at the redhead thoughtfully.
"Next time, bring somethin' we can eat, eh? Methinks we need be showin' ye what real food is – not that foo-foo whatever. I'll make ye a big pot o' me special."
Uh-oh, Shirou internally agonized, but only showed a smile on the outside. "Sounds...good."
Pawl gestured for Shirou to sit down on the ratty, dirty ground, which the latter did with only some slight hesitation. As Madog left the shack for some ingredients presumably, Pawl plopped on the ground, elbows propped on his knees as he leaned in near Shirou.
"Now, 'ow 'bout ye tell me 'ow a foreigner like ye got into that there castle? 'Ow ye know Eos? Ye ain't done nothin' wrong to the lass, 'ave ye? What ye do in that fancy place?"
Shirou was somewhat taken aback at all of the questioning, but when Madog came back holding who-knew-what and obviously showed signs he was listening in on their conversation, Shirou couldn't help but make a slight grin.
"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you," he began, remembering back to the day King Arthur's troops had swooped down upon Tryst. "So, it all started when the king found me basically wasting away in the remains of this town... He promised me a job and a new life."
"No!" Pawl protested. "I can 'ardly believe any o' that! Why you?"
Question of the century. Indeed, why him?
Shirou just shrugged and grinned.
Then, as Madog and Pawl listened on, he continued to talk about his journey to the castle, how he'd meet Eos and Zago, and some of the more...entertaining...characters who'd worked alongside him. The other two men listened with fascination to some of his awkward circumstances, calling him out at some points because, really, his life was just fucked up sometimes. He never told them of his time in the underground sewers, nor his jail time, or anything else that might put him in a precarious position if others were to know. Instead, Shirou concentrated more so on the amusing periods of his time in the castle, and really laid it on thick about how much the king had done for him.
When Madog finally produced something for him to eat after nearly an hour, Shirou took it gingerly, unsure of what to make of it. The first bite wasn't anything to shudder over, though it was a bit dry and could do with some seasoning. The salt that was there went well with the meat, whatever the hell it was.
"What's this?" he'd asked, receiving the answer: goose.
Goose? Truthfully, he'd never even considered cooking with goose, and hadn't really worked with it before. He'd had foie gras before, but stuff like that was probably a bit too fancy for his tastes, and he really didn't want to know what the king would have to say about eating livened up liver. Still, the prospect of working with a different kind of animal meat excited him.
"Today, I learned," he muttered to himself as he finally walked out of the old shack a couple of hours after finishing his stew. Pawl and Madog, well, mostly Pawl, had regaled him with stories about their lives as commoners. Their lives didn't seem too much different than his had been in Tryst, but Shirou soon realized that living under the shadow of a king was both a blessing and curse. While he'd already known about the topic of safety, Shirou hadn't quite known the impact of taxes and levies, as it were. Though money was a concept that hadn't quite made it over the canal to Britain yet, losing livestock or produce really put the people in a bind. He hadn't considered where his goods came from and had just assumed people were being paid their dues.
"I might need to find another avenue to getting my ingredients," Shirou murmured as he waved farewell to his new acquaintances (friends?) and started walking down the dirt road even as he saw the low sun in the distance. Luckily, the king would be in a meeting until late, so he had a bit of time to spare.
The hair on the back of his neck slowly began to rise and he immediately slid his gaze over to find Huw staring at him alongside a few other young men.
Wow, talk about creepy, Shirou thought to himself. He waved a hand in their general direction, but only received glares in return. A frown overtaking his smile, the redhead turned away, his own eyes narrowed.
"Well, so long as they don't do anything, then I guess I don't really care..."
King Arthur looked at him expectantly and Shirou had to ponder on it for a bit.
"Actually, all things and done," he started, "this time wasn't half-bad. Except for the little blip on the radar, the people were good to me. I didn't really talk to anyone but Pawl and Madog, though, so I can't speak for anyone else, but those two were nice enough."
"Pawl and Madog?" she inquired. "Your two new friends, I take it?"
"Well, I wouldn't call them friends, but I hope they might turn into that someday," Shirou replied gently.
"Hmm," the king hummed. "I am pleased to hear your experience turned for the better. But, what is this 'blip on the radar' matter you spoke of?"
Shirou met her gaze before looking away as he rubbed the back of his neck. "There's this kid... I'm not sure what his deal is, but, so long as he doesn't cause any problems with me, I don't really care, I guess."
Her green eyes narrowed slightly, her hand rising to hide her mouth as she thought silently.
"Need I assign you a detail to ensure your safety?"
"What? Nah," he told her absentmindedly, starting when he noticed her raise an eyebrow at his vocabulary. "Uh, no, I mean, no sir. I'm fine, thank you."
"Very well, then," she sighed, more so at his lack of awareness than anything else. Then, she cracked somewhat of a smile. "Keep me posted, won't you?"
He grinned back cheerfully. "Will do! I've got to think of what to make you for your next bentou!"
King Arthur's smile promptly fell away and she stood, as if that would make her case any better. "No, you needn't concern yourself with –"
"I'll make one with you holding Excalibur!"
"That's not entirely necessary, I assure –"
"I'm so excited!" he finally told her, fists clenched as he thought of what he'd need to create the picture in his mind.
At that outburst, King Arthur found her protests dying off – she couldn't maintain them when she saw how taken he was by the idea. Though seeing food art of, well, herself, was rather disorienting, she couldn't deny how good a feeling it was to see him so moved to create something. She would just have to...deal.
"Blasphemy! What be the point to all this?"
"It's called 'tenderization' and is basically one of the fundamentals of handling meat."
Pawl seemed as if he wanted to tear his hair out. "Why should I be beatin' me meat? It all tastes the same!"
Shirou stared at him with an aghast expression. "No, it doesn't taste the same. Tenderizing it helps bring out its natural properties and makes for a better tasting, more flavorful concoction. It will take whatever other flavors are put together with it and naturally absorb them."
Pawl and Madog shared a dubious look between themselves while Huw sulked in a corner, watching on grumpily. Shirou gave him a side glance, still unsure of what to do about the kid. It had been a few weeks now since they'd first met, and Shirou was making absolutely zero headway in that department. The fact of the matter was that Huw didn't really do anything other than pass acidic glares and make asinine comments, so there wasn't much for Shirou to do. He'd just have to keep wearing the brat down.
Huw met his gaze and sneered before rising and stalking out of the shack. Shirou watched him go, golden-brown eyes narrowed as he held back his frustration.
"Ye full o' horse dung, Shirou," Madog grumbled. "Meat be meat. This green stuff ain't gon' change that none."
Shirou came back to reality with a jolt, before growling deep in his throat. He snatched away the steak out of Madog's large hand, muttering, "Give me that. And it's called 'basil', not 'green stuff'."
And I'm really starting to run out. Where am I going to find more? I might have enough for a month more, maybe.
"Can ye even cook?" Pawl asked, an eyebrow raised. "Ye always be comin' here, acting all high and mighty. Lord."
Shirou glared in rebuttal at the title before smirking. "Didn't I tell you? I'm a cook in the castle. Used to work in the kitchens."
Pawl rolled his eyes and shrugged his shoulders. "So ye worked in the kitchens. Don't make ye no better than us people out here."
Shirou's knife cut through the steak as the redhead continued to smile. "Then, a month ago, I was promoted to His Majesty's personal servant and cook all his meals for him."
The slack-jawed expression on the two men's faces nearly made him burst out laughing. He settled for pushing a couple of cooked steak cubes into their mouths.
A couple of hours later, Shirou passed along his farewells – it had been a few weeks, but he had been concentrating most of energy on making a couple of friends as foundation for whatever other activities he wanted to pursue in the future. But, today, he was intent on finally exploring a bit more. Madog had told him to head deeper into the district, farther away from the main road if he wanted a better experience for himself.
Walking along the road, he passed by several people along the way, each one who knew nothing of him staring as they passed. The ones he'd seen off and on gave him shaky smiles, which he returned with pleasure. One young girl offered him a somewhat wilted flower, and he noticed the child's mother paling from where she stood a couple of meters away. Shirou accepted the flower with a soft smile, gently patting her head and offering the mother a, hopefully, reassuring smile as well. The mother didn't seem to calm down even after her daughter returned to her, but she did bow her head slightly in greeting.
Considering that people wouldn't even make eye contact with him before, this felt like he'd made some progress. And honestly? It felt good. Still awkward, but...good.
Shirou mentally calculated the direction he was going, scaling a map in his mind for later contemplation. He was so busy looking around at the rundown décor of everything that he didn't notice the mangy dog until he practically tripped over it.
"Shit..." he cursed when the dog whipped around to glare at him.
The dog's fur was matted and shedding at various points. Its reddened eyes looked straight at him, even as Shirou could see it was tired and worn out. The dog bared its yellow teeth, and they seemed to be lot bigger than he recalled ever seeing on a dog. Its pointy ears stood tall until it growled dangerously, bending low to the ground. He could see its muscles coiling and tremoring at its perceived threat.
"Whoa, there," he said, his hands in front of him as if to calm the dog down. He was all too aware of several people staring at the spectacle, but Shirou tried to focus solely on the angered mutt. He leaned down as if to pet it when it snapped at him, and he whipped his hand back.
Eyes widening when he saw a few more flea-bitten mongrels slink into view as the first one moved closer to its prey – namely, him. Shirou shuffled a couple of steps back and wince when he heard the surprised yip of yet another dog. Taking a deep breath when the first dog seemed to grow irate, he whipped his gaze around to look back at the one he'd stepped on. It was on the smaller side, making Shirou suck in a breath.
A puppy? Doesn't even look a year old.
Shirou didn't even bother to try to do something about the situation and instead, unashamedly, bolted down the dirt path. He heard one dog raise up a cry and the sound of them following after him. He raced past one person after another, each one darting out of his way and staring openmouthed at the havoc chasing after him. As he raced past a couple of kids, they screamed out upon seeing the charging dogs, effectively spooking the mutts for just long enough for Shirou to duck into an alley and out of their sight. The alley was overshadowed by several houses all the way down, enough that it was too dark for anyone to see anything incriminating.
Coming to a sliding stop, Shirou spun around, ready to trace something that he could use to beat the dogs off. Just as his prana gathered within his hands and formed an unrecognizable object, Shirou jumped backwards to give himself a bit more distance as the first dog came ripping around the corner. He readied his traced baton and while inwardly cursing himself for causing this kind of mayhem, swung it in an upwards arc, catching the first beast under its front leg.
The dog made a high-pitched whimper of pain, but Shirou could tell he hadn't done any real damage. The dog would be fine, and would hopefully be deterred from following the personal servant any more than that.
His golden-brown eyes instead focused on the other dogs that came barreling into the alley at him, their mouths open wide as froth spat out. Clucking his tongue, Shirou quickly analyzed the best and most merciful way to take the dogs down, his baton set and ready. He stepped forward smoothly and slapped the weapon against one mongrel before letting the ricocheted force swing his arm back into yet another. Each dog hit the ground hard, stunned from his blow and too surprised to rise quickly again.
"What ye be doin'?" came a cry behind him, and Shirou cast his gaze back to see a young woman stare at him with fear and dismay, a bag of bread in the crook of her arm.
Shirou gave her a cursory glance before refocusing on the situation at hand the moment he heard a deep, menacing growl. He looked down at his baton, back at the girl, and then at the dogs ready to tear him a new one. Then, he realized that it might not have been a good idea to cause such a scene and that if the king found out, she'd be pissed. Rolling his eyes, Shirou took one step back, then another, and another after that before progressing into a run as he grabbed the girl's hand and ran down the alley with her in tow.
"What ye be doin'?" she shouted. "Who are ye? I'll call the guards!"
"I'll call them myself!" he promised. "But did you see those dogs back there? They're out for blood!"
"Maybe if ye hadn't beaten them half to death –"
"Less complaining, more running!" Shirou chastised.
Shirou dragged her after him before noticing the bread she still held onto so religiously. He bit his lip for the slightest second, finally coming to a decision and stopping in place. She stumbled into him, eyes fiery with indignation until he stole a loaf of bread from her – then she was both aghast and furious alike.
"What ye be doin'!" she cried out with disbelief.
"Sorry, just –" he tried to reason, but gave up and just threw the food item at the frothing dogs.
It bounced across the ground like a rock – that's how hard it was – and the dogs looked at it with confusion. That was good enough for him. Shirou grabbed the girl's hand again and flew down the path just as one dog perked up, realizing its prey was running away. Shirou didn't even bother looking back, so intent on getting away to relative "safety". Only the moment his feet crossed onto the cobbled main road did he finally stop running, his chest heaving a bit. He hadn't a good bit of exercise for some time, but he had to say that it felt good to run as if his life were on the line. Well, his hadn't been, but taking hers into consideration is what made skedaddle so fast.
"How dare ye!" the young woman screamed at him, making Shirou wince.
"I'm sorry," he apologized sincerely. "If we hadn't run away, those dogs would've hurt you."
Her pale green eyes widened slightly before narrowing. "Obviously! I be talkin' 'bout takin' me fam's livelihood an' throwin' it to the dogs! Literally!"
Shirou sighed and placed his hands on hips. "I know. I shouldn't have. That was wrong of me. But I promise to bake you another in exchange, I swe–"
His sentence cut out when her hand slapped across his face. It didn't necessarily hurt, per se, but it was enough to throw his head to the side. Shirou lamented inwardly as he placed his hand against his heated cheek. Rin and Taiga would've been proud of this girl, but why did it always come at the cost of his physical health?
Honestly, he could've avoided the blow easily, but this was hardly the first time he'd pissed off a woman and had it taken out on him with physical abuse, and it was usually better for them to get the anger out of their system before it boiled into a bigger rage. Shirou kept cupping his face as he grimaced.
"I said I was sorry," he grumbled more to himself than her.
She looked less than appeased. "Me da and ma slaved to make that to pay our dues, an' ye just tossed it to the dogs. Then ye say you'll just...bake another? Like it be that easy? Who do ye think ye are? We don't be needin' your charity, ye hear me?"
Shirou took a hard look at her, frowning when he realized she was sincerely offended, thinking that he was trying to bribe her with anything less than her family had strove to make. He could understand how she felt and he let out a deeper sigh. She was completely right – he wouldn't have liked it had anyone messed thrown out something he'd made and whimsically promised to make something they thought to be of similar quality. On the contrary, he'd be a little pissed off. If there was anything Shirou prided himself in, it was definitely and most certainly his cooking. He shouldn't have spoken of it so lightly. He opened his mouth to apologize with all the sincerity he was capable of.
"You there! What is the commotion all about?"
Both the girl and Shirou turned to see a couple of guards making their way over, their expressions hardened with annoyance. Groaning inwardly as the marched up, Shirou wished the road would just suck him down and out of this situation. The girl pointed her free arm at Shirou, obviously intent on ratting him out, but the guards ignored her in favor of him.
"My Lord! Has something happened?"
The girl stared at the guard who'd spoken for a moment before her widened eyes turned slowly towards him. Shirou actually did let out a groan when she mouthed the word, 'lord'.
"No," he told them in a clear voice, feigning authority. "Nothing, it's fine."
Go away.
"I saw 'er hit 'im!" declared the second guard, and Shirou nearly glared at him for making the situation sound more complicated.
"That right?" asked the first guard to the girl who looked as if she'd stepped into an alternate reality. "Did you hit His Majesty's Personal Servant?"
Shirou knew the instant the gravity of the situation had slammed into her as her face slowly but surely drained of color. The fingers wrapped around her bag of bread tightened as they started to tremble almost violently. Her pale green eyes looked first towards his own before trailing down and seeing the embroidered initials on his chest. Shirou immediately realized that she was petrified, absolutely terrified that she would be killed for her actions. The scenario gripped at him and he stepped in front of her to face the two guards.
"It's fine. I asked her to because I did something stupid."
"My Lord, she needs to be punished for her slight against you," the first guard reasoned.
"The only slight here," Shirou told them as he diverted the conversation at hand, "is that you guards aren't taking care of those dogs in the western sector. They're rabid and cause disease – a lot of people could get hurt because they're running around uninhibited. What's His Majesty going to say when I tell him that I nearly got killed by a pack of them?"
Both soldiers froze from his chiding and looked at one another. The first guard muttered something to the other one, with the latter dashing away soon after. The former then bowed to Shirou.
"We will perform a sweep of the western sector immediately... Uh, My Lord, do you mean the entire western sector? Both the northern and southern sides?"
Shirou leveled his gaze at the man, one eyebrow raised.
"So, are you telling me you want a plague breaking out near His Majesty's castle thanks to those beasts? Yeah, both sides!"
"Yes, of course My Lord! Consider it done!"
"I'll be sure to inform His Majesty of your dutiful service," Shirou replied in monotone. The guard bowed again before rushing away and out of sight. Shirou glared at his backside before slumping his shoulders as the danger was averted.
Turning back to look at his acquaintance, he found her on the ground, her head pressed hard against the cobbled road. Her entire frame was trembling and her bag of bread went unnoticed. Shirou felt a twinge in his chest and gritted his teeth as he bent down and gently pulled her back up by the arms. It took some time before she would stand fully on her own, and he used a finger to tilt her head back to look up at him. Tears ran down her face, her eyes wide with abject terror. Shirou felt a wave of revulsion run through him as the thought that a mere title could cause so much unwarranted distress. It was as if he held her life in his hands, and it really didn't feel good to him.
Shirou noticed another crowd had gathered around him, and he found himself glaring at all of the onlookers. Silently reaching down to pick up her bag of bread, he held it in his arms tightly before taking hold of her hand.
"Come on," he murmured. "I'll take you home."
He'd be late getting back to the castle, but he felt this was somewhat important, and he'd explain as much to the king if she happened to get irritated over the matter. She'd probably be more concerned than annoyed though – he was never late with her meals. Ever.
"I slapped ye, I mean, you," she whispered through her tears as he pulled her along. "I hit a lord. I'm so sorry, me, uh, My Lord. I'm so sorry. I should've never... I'm so sorry. I beg o' ye, you, your forgiveness..."
Shirou stayed quiet as she started to apologize over and over again. She continued for the next straight ten minutes before he'd finally had it. As he heard the sounds of yelping dogs in the distance, much to his disgust, Shirou finally pushed her into an area that didn't yield as much foot traffic. He set the bag down before sitting down himself and patting the ground next to him for her to join. She trembled ridiculously as she slowly, slowly, sat beside him.
"Hey," Shirou whispered to her, catching her attention immediately. "It's okay. I'm not mad."
"I-I hit ye, you. I'm..."
"Yeah, and pretty hard, too. Damn," he tried to joke, rubbing his cheek for dramatic effect. "Girls are scary creatures."
She just stared at him before lowering her gaze docilly. Shirou felt a one-ton rock of guilt crush him down.
"Hey," he tried again. "What's your name?"
There was a pause as she swallowed and wiped her nose. Looking completely miserable, she murmured, "Lodes, My Lord."
"That's a beautiful name," Shirou told her, and he fully meant it. "Mine is Shirou. I'm glad I got to meet you."
Lodes looked up with some trepidation. "M-My Lord?"
"Uh-uh," Shirou corrected with a grin. "It's Shirou. And guess what, only the people I like get to call me that."
He saw that some of her trembling had gone away as they talked just to one another. "People you like?"
"Yep," he replied with a nod. "Besides, I don't get to meet many girls like you. English women are so fiery, did you know that?"
Color began to return to her face as her cheeks reddened a bit. "I-I'm sorry. I was... I was so mad... And then I..."
"Nope!" he told her so quickly that she jolted back. "No more apologies. I apologized, you apologized. We're good now. No harm done."
The panic drained from Lodes' face. "H-How can I make this up to you, My, I mean, Shirou?" She stumbled mid-sentence when he glared at her.
"Hmmmm," he hummed to himself. "I don't get out of the castle much, so I don't really know anyone. I could use some friends. Ah, I know. I nominate you to be my friend."
"Me?" she squeaked. "But, a friend o' a lord...?"
Shirou only smiled at her softly. Lodes looked at him, her eyes searching his face for any hint of jest or insincerity, and her cheeks flushed more as she looked downwards.
"I-I would like that," she whispered, her hands clasping. Shirou grinned at her.
"Good," he said with some finality. "Friends for life."
He was happy to see the small smile on her face as she looked back up at him. With that said, Shirou stood up and reached out a hand to help her up. Lodes looked at the hand, and after a moment of hesitation, lightly placed hers in his. Shirou pulled her to her feet before picking up the bag of bread and holding it out to her. She took it graciously and looked happy until her expression darkened.
"What if those soldiers recognize me?" she asked worriedly.
"Oh man," Shirou complained. "Those guys are a real pain. Don't worry – I'll be back to visit you. That's what friends do, after all, right?"
Lodes couldn't stop the smile that threatened to spill across her face. "Th-Then, ye had best come around a lot."
"An invite! Awesome!" Shirou cheered. "I'll take it!"
His dramatics finally made laughter bubble out of her as she tried to grasp for some control over herself, Shirou just smiled again. It was unfortunate that he had put her in this kind of position, but he was glad that he could do something about it, more or less. She seemed...better than before, but he'd have to visit her a lot more to seal the deal, and that was fine. He was more than willing to see her again, if at all possible.
"Let me take you home," Shirou said gently. "I need to know where I have to go so I can visit again."
"Okay, uh, jus' follo' me," she directed him, her hand still in his.
Hopefully the king wouldn't be too mad at him.
Shirou prayed to whatever god existed that he survived this encounter unscathed, for the most part. His muscles tightened as he pushed his shoulders back while King Arthur frowned at him from behind her hand – and he knew she was frowning, even if nothing was blatantly written on her face. She made as if to speak before shaking her head a tinge and looking away from him.
"Let me see if I can aptly summarize your latest particular fiasco," she began, causing him to wince. "According to reports, you caused some mayhem within the guard by essentially telling my guards – and I assume we are on the same page that I command them, not you? – that they should deal with...dogs. Nothing so eventful as murder or anything else that would cause pause, but...dogs. Explain."
If Shirou had known what kind of day this would turn out to be, he might've just lounged around some with Zago instead. But, had he done that, he wouldn't have met Lodes. It was basically worth it, he guessed.
"As I was leaving Pawl and Madog's place, the same one I've been going to for the past few weeks or so, I more or less ran into a rabid dog. I think I caught it off guard and made it angry. Maybe I was in its territory – I don't know. But then, more came, and –"
He fell silent for a bit. "I should've handled it better. But I came across the girl, and the first thought on my mind was to get her out of danger. I dragged her towards the main road where I knew we'd be safer, but I also threw one of her loaves of bread at the dogs as a distraction. She was mad, and didn't know who I was and slapped me. That prompted the guards to come over, and I made them go dog-hunting instead because I didn't want her to get in trouble for something that was my fault in the first place. And... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you any problems."
Shirou felt her eyes on him, studying him carefully.
"Is that absolutely what took place, Shirou?"
He looked up at her serious expression, as if she would strike him down were he to tell a single lie. He couldn't deny that he loved seeing this side of her at times, even if she scared the bejesus out of him at the same time.
"Yes," he replied, any hint of humor gone from his voice.
She narrowed her eyes at him, her fingertip tapping against the desktop in a slow rhythm as she thought things through in her head. After what seemed like forever, King Arthur let out a long sigh and rubbed her face with a hand.
"Very well," she finally said almost listlessly. "I will take your word for it."
There was another pause and she looked back at him. "I can trust your word, can't I?"
Shirou looked back at her as if they'd reached a breaking point in their relationship before nodding earnestly. "I wouldn't lie to you."
She slowly nodded back, her green eyes showing a tiredness he really disliked seeing. "I want to trust you," the king murmured. "I will contend with the commander of the guard. I only ask that you don't cause me much more trouble, even though I realize this wasn't wholly your fault."
He didn't bothering saying anything in return as she stared into space for some time. Eventually, she sat up fully and looked down at her cooled meal. Without hesitation, she picked up her fork and knife and cut into her slice of steak.
"How was your day otherwise?" she asked in a muted tone.
"Not bad," he answered, never missing a beat. "No, actually, it was pretty good. I made a new friend and might have discovered some new recipes to work with. It's pretty fun going out there now."
"That's good."
Shirou fell silent, watching as the king calmly ate her meal. She never once looked at him, but seemed to be in her own world, thinking of something deeply in her head. He could tell she seemed a bit more stressed than usual, which was nothing out of the ordinary considering her job, and he felt pretty crappy about adding to her load. Looking around himself once, he lifted a hand to his mouth as he cleared his throat. She slowly directed her gaze over towards him, eyebrows raised.
He met her gaze head-on. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Confusion marred her features with a tinge of amusement. "I feel as if I've heard that phrase more from you in the past months than my entire life."
Shirou couldn't help chuckling. "I'm just grateful that you've helped me so much, even though it's obviously taking its toll on you. I'll be sure to create a magnificent lunch for you to enjoy. I wonder what I should make it look like this time..."
"No, no," she was quick to say. "You need not concern yourself on my account. I wouldn't wish you to focus on such things when you've more important matters to see to."
He almost smiled – he knew exactly how little she liked seeing her own face on the top of her lunch box, but it was ever entertaining for him. Grasping for every ounce of control he had, Shirou gave her an expression full of dismay.
"...You don't like my creations?"
King Arthur didn't answer immediately and only gave him as blank an expression as possible.
"...They're not of a high enough caliber?"
Shirou saw a sliver of guilt creep into her expression, though he only noticed because he thought himself rather good at reading her.
"I don't recall saying that," she muttered, turning away. "They're finely made, of course."
"Great!" he exclaimed. "I think I'll try to design Sir Kay's face into it as well, with the both of you smiling. That'll be a challenge, but should be worth it."
He took away her tray even as she stared at him with unmasked horror. Quickly bowing, he rushed from the room before she could find the words to tell him otherwise. And, in his wake, King Arthur stared some at the closed door as she reseated herself and then looked at her stacks of paper, giving a soft sigh.
After visiting with Pawl and Madog for a while and staying far, far away from the creeper Huw, Shirou took it upon himself to pay a visit to his newest buddy. It took some time for him to navigate the streets again, but before long, he was standing in front of a somewhat mediocre stand. The stand looked as shoddy as any other, but the smells wafting from it were wonderful. At least, they smelled a whole lot greater than the feces and dirty livestock crossing the street. Shirou had even noticed a couple of chickens just strolling across the dirt paths – that wasn't mentioning the goats, pigs, dogs, and whatever else he'd happened upon thus far.
He couldn't deny the interesting experience of spending so much time with all those animals, but the smell really was god-awful. Shirou could definitely say that visiting the bakery had to be the highlight of his day.
Approaching the stand with a smile on his face, he was pleased to note that Lodes knew who he was immediately. She hesitated at first, but a smile slowly grew across her face.
"Decided to show, did ye?" she asked somewhat playfully, although he could tell she was still concerned about any punishment that might directed her way.
Shirou just grinned before looking around. "So, you sell your wares here in the square?"
"Well, mo' a circle, really," Lodes corrected, almost automatically. "An' yes, that's right. Normally, me ma would help me, but with a wee bit on the way, Pa wants 'er restin' as much as possible."
"Another one?" Shirou inquired. "How many siblings do you have?"
Lodes held up a hand to ask him to wait as one person came by, holding up a bloodied package.
" 'Ow much can I get fo' this, Lodes?"
"What kind o' meat ye got there, Adda?"
"Cut from me own goat. She was getting' sickly and done gave me a few litters already, so I put 'er out o' 'er misery."
Lodes was all smiles. "Oh, she were a sweet one! That'd normally go fo' three, but ye always been good to us. Take a fourth, but keep it a secret from me pa, eh?"
The man named Adda let out a round of laughter. "He'd string me by me neck if I took too much. Give me three, and I'll go drop this off personally."
When Adda left and made his way down a dirt path, Lodes turned back to Shirou. "Sorry Lord, er, Shi...?"
"Shirou."
"Interesting name," she said with more hesitation than before.
He shrugged. "I get that a lot. Anyway, siblings?"
"Right," Lodes replied, a hand on her hip. "I be the oldest o' four so far. With the other one comin', that'll make it five. I quite liked bein' able to sleep through the night, though."
"Holy," Shirou muttered disbelievingly. "Four kids? And you're the oldest at what, fourteen?"
She gave him a frown full of irritation. "Sixteen springs, if you will. I am hardly a child. Fact, when I get married meself, I plan to have a few dirt rats of me own, ye see."
"Any prospects so far?"
When her gaze fell downward, Shirou instantly felt like a jerk. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and then cleared his throat, showing her the bag he'd brought. Lodes looked at it curiously with an eyebrow raised as if it might be some kind of bomb. When he entreated that she take it, she did so, warily. With the go-ahead from him, Lodes reached into the bag to pull out a freshly baked loaf of bread, although it looked nothing like any of the ones her family had cooked.
"Be this...bread?" she asked while turning it over in her hands.
Shirou shrugged. "I promised to pay you back for that one I, literally, threw to the dogs. The one you slapped me for, remember?"
Her cheeks flushed red at the memory, although he wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or anger. Lodes eyed the bread instead of looking back at him, inspecting it slowly.
"I ain't neve' seen a bread like this befo'. Ye sure ye cooked it right?"
"Positive," he answered dryly.
Breaking off a piece between her forefinger and thumb, she tested its elasticity before frowning at him, obviously unimpressed. "I don't think ye did."
"Ugh, just taste it first, at least."
Lodes wrinkled her nose, her brow furrowing as she stared at it with obvious distaste, but eventually did as asked. Her eyes widened incredibly as she chewed through it, but she adamantly refused to look over at him. She swallowed it softly, almost demurely, and didn't offer a word about its taste.
Shirou smirked, his arms crossing over his chest. "You loved it."
"It was positively disgusting," she muttered.
"Wha –" he sputtered, his pride taking a hit. Then, he eyed her a bit harder before seeing another tinge of rose across her face. "You liked it."
Lodes stomped on Shirou's foot, making him flinch back. He grunted out his pain and took a couple of steps away. Wincing as he looked remorsefully at his injured foot, he shook his head.
"You must've really liked it."
"It be too soft," she complained.
Shirou rolled his eyes. "You're still eating it. That was supposed to be big enough to share with your family."
Lodes sniffed before quickly smiling at a passerby and then taking yet another bite. "I would hardly allow me fam to eat somethin' this poorly cooked. Disgraceful."
"How utterly rude of me, Your Highness," Shirou deadpanned as he rubbed his foot against the ground. "I'll be certain to make a good showing next time around."
She passed him a gentle smile which he found to be contradictory to her everyday personality. It was pleasant to see on her face and he found himself smiling right back.
Lodes quietly ate the rest of the loaf as the two of them stood at the stand, watching people walk by here and there. Not a great many people appeared in need of bread that day, or any other by what he could tell, and business was slow-going. Lodes didn't seem fazed any, though, so Shirou assumed this was par for the course, but still felt it was something of a shame. It had to be hard to make a living if no one was really interested in what you had to "sell", so to speak. He didn't really understand the trade system, either.
"I think me little brother would o' loved that," Lodes told Shirou quietly as the sun began to make its way down through the sky. "One o' them, anyway. Always gettin' into messes, makin' problems, but he loves tryin' new things. Unlike me an' me pa. Takes after Ma, methinks."
Shirou knew he didn't have much time left before he had to make his way back to the castle, but this was the first time someone had opened up to him about their family ever since Tryst, aside of Eos admitting it out of some kind of guilt. He couldn't deny that he was feeling a bit eager to make some tight connections to other people and spread out his network a bit. Sliding his hands into his pockets, – pockets he had fought hard to have in his breeches – he nodded slowly.
"Tell me about them," he encouraged her.
An expression of innocent happiness came over her, probably without her noticing whatsoever. She began to brighten up.
"Well, there's me ma and pa, an' they're great. Pa works the oven an' takes care o' the firin', and Ma helps get the materials together – the flour and stuff. Then, there's me – I'm the oldest, that is. Sometimes, when me ma ain't feelin' too good, then I'll help Pa with things, but I'm normally out there passin' off the wares. Then, I've got three younger brothers – Aron, Meical, an' Brice. Aron's eleven winters around, Meical's seven autumns, an' Brice was born three springs ago.
"Aron be a prat, really. Always actin' as if he knows better than me, but don't want to put forth any effort when I try to get him to do me job. A pain in the rear, if you ask me. Meical's still cute, but likes to pretend he be some dashin' knight. He falls on his face more often than he manages to his anythin' with a stick. An' as for Brice?"
Lodes fell silent for a moment, her face scrunched up into an odd expression. "...Brice is Brice."
"...Sounds difficult," Shirou commented after a short while, nodding his head at a passerby. "I only have an older... Well, actually, I guess I have two older sisters, and I only met the second one about seven years ago or so. It was a weird meeting."
"Lord willin', I sure hope to have another girl get born," she muttered. "I'm so tired o' seein' willies everywhere. Boys be so crude."
Then, as Shirou was chuckling at that, she looked him up and down. "I hope ye don't be runnin' 'round with your knickers off, eh?"
He burst out laughing while thinking of what King Arthur might say to that. "No way in hell. It's nice to be free and all, but I'm cool with clothes."
Bumping him on the shoulder, Lodes nodded her head up at him. "Well, ye plan to tell me 'bout these sisters o' yours?"
"Hah," he chuckled. "I couldn't begin to describe them. Taiga, my adopted sister... She's a pain. I mean, she means well and wants the best for me, but, she's a mess all the way around. Can't believe a woman like her became a teacher, but, eh, she's good at it. And Ilya?"
Tilting his head, Shirou then shrugged his shoulders. "Hah, Ilya's...Ilya. That's all I can say about that."
"Kind o' like to see Brice meet this Ilya o' yours," Lodes joked.
"She'd kill him," he said with a smile, not a hint of jest in his tone, but Lodes took it as a joke anyway.
The two of them looked at one another before bursting out laughing.
"Family, right?" he hedged, and she gave him a wink.
"Got to love 'em, eh?"
Their laughter came to an abrupt end once the bells starting ringing across the sector, signaling that evening had fallen. Shirou lost all sign of amusement, a frown coming across his face as he looked back at the castle.
"Damn," he murmured.
"Get on, then," Lodes told him. "I look forward to a better piece o' bread next we meet, hm?"
Shirou put a hand on her shoulder as a sign of greeting before jogging away down the dirt path.
He zigged and zagged around people making their way home for the night, but was too busy to pay much attention around him, his thoughts solely on getting to the castle in enough time to make dinner. He was just worried that he wouldn't make it back in time.
"Hold on, Your Majesty. So duck is basically the same as a chicken?"
"Raising geese and chicken go hand in hand, Shirou," King Arthur informed him. "There are plenty of geese around, it wouldn't make sense to have one be any more valuable than the other. Horses and cows are far rarer and more difficult to breed and raise, and thus when you intend to buy something of incredible value, those work as a better type of deposit. With a horse, I might possibly get armor, weaponry, food, and housing altogether. A chicken will grant me barely enough food, and a duck equates to just as much. A cow would get me three of the options, but there's also the possibility that it will feed a family, which gives it even higher value."
"What about pigs, then?" Shirou asked, still somewhat confused.
"If you need an order, I suppose it might go something like: chicken, goose, pig, cow, horse. That's for normal livestock, in this case. It is completely different if you also mean to refer to what can be caught in the wild. Wolf meat is absolutely disgusting, but the pelt, if of decent quality, might gain you some goods. Deer is also very important in that the hide, antlers, and meat can all be used in some manner. You need to consider what use can be gained from each part of the animal and that will form an appraisal of how valuable it is."
Shirou hadn't been prepared for a lecture when he'd posed the question of how the hell the trade system worked, but he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised. It was also something King Arthur appeared willing to instruct him over without any misgivings, and she seemed pleased that he was willing to learn at all. The system really didn't apply to him whatsoever because he didn't deal with transactions within the castle, but if he planned to keep visiting the village, it would be nice to know what he was talking about, at least.
Rubbing the back of his head, he tried to consider each part of her explanation, but it was so completely foreign to him that he'd probably need some more time to let it soak in. And, if the knowing look on her face were any indication, she hadn't expected him to understand from the get-go anyway.
"Right," Shirou muttered. "I'll...figure it out."
"Excellent," she retorted with that same knowing grin, and he knew that SHE knew it irked the living hell out of him.
"You're doing this on purpose, Your Majesty," Shirou complained irritably.
King Arthur shrugged one shoulder loftily. "Whyever would I do that to my most favorite servant?"
And suddenly, it clicked: "This is about your bentou boxes, isn't it?"
She gave him an inquisitive expression, something full of played innocence. "I am not nearly so petty."
"I'll stop," he grunted, kind of annoyed that she was taking away his fun. "I promise. I'll just make regular lunches."
"Wonderful," King Arthur replied, finally melting into a natural, soft smile. "But, enough of that. Tell me of your day, Shirou. It must have been something grand for you to have stayed so late."
At that, Shirou felt his frustration die away. "Your Majesty, today was...brilliant. I mean, I didn't do much other than talk to this one girl – the one I spoke to you about before, but it felt...normal. It felt like I'd never left home and was talking to one of my everyday friends about just normal things. There was no question of status, nothing about the harsh world we live in, but just... We were just talking, and it was great. I got to share stuff about people who mean a lot to me, and she told me about her family, too. I feel like it was the first day when everything felt right, you know?"
When he saw her look of contemplation, he flinched somewhat and ran over what he'd said in his head. He didn't notice the smile come across her face and when he looked up with some confusion, it was already gone.
"I'm happy to hear that, Shirou," the king said quietly, without any pretense. "It has been a difficult month for you, but it truly is wonderful to see that each adventure has come to be more gratifying for you. I want you to love Camelot as I see and experience it as I cannot."
Shirou didn't know what to say to that, but he what he did know was that he felt a sense of pride, a sense of justice in the king cheering for his success. It was humbling and he was glad to be experiencing it.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," he replied sincerely. "I know it's only going to get even better."
Every time he sat and ate with Pawl and Madog, they always managed to get into some escalated argument about his food, but this time, when he showed them how make a creamier soup using cow's milk, he didn't receive any backhanded retorts or complaints. In fact, they didn't really say much of anything as all he could hear was the sound of them slurping it down. That worked for him.
"I ain't never really drank milk befo'," Pawl murmured while looking back into the empty pot over the fire pit. "An' now I'm drinkin' it in me soup. I practically feel like royalty now. Be this how the nobles eat? I can't damn well imagine eatin' like this ev'ry day."
"Eh, technically, I'm not supposed to take stuff from the castle, but," Shirou whispered, looking around conspiratorially, "but I won't tell the king if you don't."
Madog let out a gruff huff. "Me lips be shut."
"Same here, mate," Pawl said eagerly. "I want me a piece o' that bread again in exchange."
"Ugh, you're killing me, Pawl," Shirou grumbled, acting agonized. "Fine, I'll make something for you."
"Goin' be visitin' that there girl friend of yours, eh?" asked Pawl, elbowing Shirou with a wink.
Shirou just stared at him uncomprehendingly. "Yeah, planned on it."
With a look outside, he stood up quickly. "And I'd better get to it before it gets too late, I guess. I've been talking to you guys way too much for one day."
"An obvious highlight of your day, boy," Pawl rebuked unashamedly.
"Yeah, whatever," Shirou told them as he waved good-bye.
He'd honestly hoped to get in a bit more time with Lodes than he would have, and he only hoped she hadn't packed up her stand for the day. It had been a few days since he'd last seen her, and he was eager to catch up on how her days had been and if she'd sold well. He even had prepared a few loaves so that her family might hopefully be able to eat some, too. With how she'd stuffed the last piece down her throat, maybe he should have doubled the amount, but who's to say she wouldn't be generous for once?
Eh, it didn't seem like her style.
The moment he reached her stand, disappointment came over him – he'd probably just missed her within the past half-hour or so, but that probably meant her family hadn't quite sat down for dinner just yet. At least, he hoped they hadn't. Even if so, Shirou would just drop off the bread and wish them a good evening.
Walking by the area near her house, he realized he didn't quite know which one it was, and ended up asking some passersby.
"An' who you be?" one woman asked him cautiously, a hand over her bust as if he were going to maul her or something.
"A friend," he explained easily. "I hang out with her in the square sometimes."
She still looked incredibly suspicious as she stared him up and down until a man came up to her and gave him a glance. Shirou looked back over at him, instantly recognizing him as the man who'd bought some bread with meat to trade.
" 'Ey, I remember ye," the man called out. "Ye be the one hanging 'bout 'round Lodes the other day."
The eyebrows of the woman shot up as the man solidified Shirou's explanation, and after paying him another cursory glance, she walked away without another word.
"Yeah," Shirou replied with relief. "I was looking around for Lodes. Have you seen her?"
"Hm," Adda said as he rubbed his beard. "I seen her close for the day, but you'd know if she got home. She an' her brothers always argue up a storm. If ye ain't used to it, it's somethin' incredible, to be sure, so doubt she's home yet. She probably done gone to the waste area to toss the inedible stuff."
Shirou nodded a couple of times. "Okay, well, maybe I can go help her. Could you tell me where it is?"
Adda scoffed at the redhead and pointed at his nose. "Jus' follo' your nose, boy, an' trust me, you'll fin' it."
That was a terrible piece of advice in that he had really hoped there wasn't a major source for the terrible smell wafting around this side of the city. Shirou breathed out a sigh before taking in a deep breath through his nose, resulting in doubling over and letting out a few coughs. He almost covered his nose again, but just tightened his fists and ground his teeth together.
"Think I found what direction it's in," he complained to himself. "Next complaint to the king: figure out what to do about this dump site."
Shirou moved down the roads quickly, following his nose and keeping an eye on the setting sun up above. He didn't have much time to devote to this, but he really did want to see Lodes at least once and had a feeling that if he didn't, she'd be pretty annoyed with him. Plus, what else was he supposed to do with all this bread? No way in hell he was going to eat it all.
The smell grew stronger and stronger as he closed in on the right area, and he found that there were way, way, way less people milling around except for those who were throwing garbage away. Shirou paced back and forth for a while, trying to figure out where she might be. Nowhere around was there any sign of bread, and he could tell which part of the mound was freshest.
"Maybe she hasn't gotten here, yet?" he wondered aloud.
The bells rang throughout the sector again and Shirou let out a sigh. He'd just have to go back without seeing her today, which was a real shame. Rubbing the back of his head, he was about to head back when he saw some upturned dirt. It shouldn't have bothered him because everything had dirt in this area, but it kept drawing his attention back to it. Shrugging his shoulders, Shirou walked over and felt across the ground before seeing some kind of liquid.
"What the hell?" he muttered to himself. "Is this...?"
His eyes narrowed as he thought things through. It could belong to anything – hell, there was a pig trotting its way across the dirt right in front of him.
"Damn, I've got a bad feeling for some reason."
He couldn't see much through the darkening area, but was quick to push prana towards his eyes, enacting Eagle Eye. The hazy parts in the darkness quickly sharpened as if it was broad daylight and he glanced around. In the area from where he'd originally come, he saw traces of something having been dragged through the dirt. Another spot had upturned dirt, with a hint of urine, and further down, he could see where there had been the outbreak of some kind of struggle, and the thought of someone getting hurt was strong enough to push Lodes right out of his mind.
Shirou set into motion, realizing he wasn't getting a good reading down on the ground. Making a quick glance at the thatching of a nearby roof, he knew it wouldn't be high enough, and he instead looked over at the large wall encasing the entire city, as well as the western gate. Knowing that not a single soul was looking at him, he pushed prana into his feet and raced across the ground, getting enough acceleration to boost him up the wall at least halfway as he quickly looked back down and around him.
He saw a woman pick up her son and kiss him. He saw a man embrace another with happiness. He saw a horse start to defecate and then he saw...
A coldness spread across Shirou's body as he fell back down towards the ground before rage swept through him with the force of a ten-ton hammer. With prana supporting his body, Shirou hit the ground rolling before getting back onto his feet and darting down one path. He heard the muffled cry and pushed his body harder, flying out into a closed off area and slamming his fist right into the jaw of a man, sending him flying into a pig sty.
The other men whipped their heads around to stare at him with disbelief as he glared back at all of them. He took in the four men holding someone in a spread-eagle position, with a fifth one holding hands over the person's mouth tightly. Shirou felt a sense of calm rage take control of him as he saw just who the person was being held down – he saw her reddened pale-green eyes looking imploringly at him, tears cascading down her face through all of the caked mud on her. Her clothing was ripped apart, each breast in one hand, and he saw bruises all over her.
Shirou slowly turned his gaze to see the other man stand up from the mud, his nether regions there for all to see as he wiped mud and feces from himself. The man looked at Shirou and gave a sneer.
Huw.
"What," Shirou began quietly, "do you think you're doing?"
Not one of the men, no, boys bothered answering him, each one instead just standing up and cracking their knuckles. Shirou took in a deep breath before finally yelling,
"What the fuck do you think you're doing!"
OMAKE
Shirou chuckled to himself as he looked down at the bentou box. Honestly, he was probably pushing it a bit too far with this one, but whatever. She was a big girl, she could take a few hits thrown her way in the manner of food. Nothing lost, nothing gained, except a bit of fun on his part. Shirou lifted his fist to knock on King Arthur's door when he heard a hail come from down the corridor. Turning, he saw Kay walking down and giving the redhead a cheerful wave.
"Ah, Shirou, wasn't it? Bringing my dear brother his morning meal, I see!"
Shirou gave him a smile. "Good morning, Sir Kay."
Kay walked up calmly with something of a grin on his face. He brushed his ash-blond hair out of his eyes and then placed his hands on his hips. Clucking his tongue, he said, "Good, old Arthur has been avoiding a very important discussion with me, and I'm of a mind to corner him. What better time than when he's being fed? Perfect!"
At that, Shirou's smile wavered, and fell completely when he remember exactly what he'd designed for the lunchbox that morning. Looking up at Kay's wide, pearly-white smile, he gave a hesitant laugh and then felt a need to pray to some deity to get him past this.
"Knights first," Shirou said, stepping back to let Kay pass by. As soon as the man opened the door and bellowed loudly, the redhead muttered, "I'm so dead."
King Arthur already looked irritable when Shirou came inside, which didn't bode well for him. Kay turned to the other man.
"I've heard you make magical delights! There, set his breakfast in front of him while I have a look at this magnificent creation in this strange box of yours."
Shirou could feel himself break out into a sweat as he slowly turned to glance at the king and found her glaring back at him. As soon as he set her breakfast tray in front of her, Kay grabbed the box from his other hand. He looked pleadingly at the king, but she turned her gaze away and focused on the meal in front of her.
"Arthur, why is it you never think to share?" Kay complained as he plopped into a chair.
She scowled at her brother. "How is it you can never shut up?"
"A skill, dear brother."
"No wonder your swordsmanship lacks."
Kay put a hand to his chest, feigning at being insulted before looking over at Shirou. "You see how he treats me? I very much think Percival had the right idea – perhaps you would rather cook for me instead?"
When King Arthur turned a scalding glare on her brother, Kay stuck out his lip. "I was just jesting. Must you be so serious?"
"Look at the ridiculous box if that's your intent, and then get out," she muttered between bites.
"I shall, then!" Kay vowed vehemently before opening unknotting the sheet and opening the box.
Shirou felt his life flash before his very eyes when he saw Kay stare down at the food inside, all sign of amusement absent as he fell completely silent. In fact, he was so silent that King Arthur looked up from her meal, a touch of concern on her face.
"Kay, are you all right?"
Kay didn't say anything in return, prompting her to stand up and walk over to him while giving Shirou a strange look. The moment she got close, Kay swept into motion as he jumped to his feet and wrapped an arm around the king's neck, bringing her in close for a "brotherly" hug.
"Ah, but I knew you loved me, Arthur! What a kind gesture!"
She let out a sound of surprise, her hands immediately reaching to try and pry his arm away so she could breathe. Kay rubbed his face against hers lovingly and as her face reddened more and more, Shirou felt his life fade away. Her brother shoved the box almost right under her nose.
"Look how happy we are together!"
King Arthur, shocked out of her struggling, stared down at the scene of her and Kay rubbing cheeks, smiling gleefully.
Shirou inwardly said a prayer as he felt a spike of killing intent suddenly direct itself towards him. He tried to make a smile, but her green eyes bore into his as she mouthed one word:
"Run."
Additional Scene
Shirou stared at the fortified wooden door that would lead back down there. Percival, in a rare state of seriousness, looked over at him without a hint of mirth.
"I shouldn't be doing this," Percival murmured, looking around to make sure they weren't being watched. "I should have turned you away, but whatever is down there, I trust it's important to you. I can give you fifteen minutes, and no longer. The soldiers will be changing shifts soon, and people will wonder where I am."
Shirou was silent for a moment before finally murmuring, "Thank you, Percival. I know this is putting you in a bad position."
The brunet shrugged his shoulders. "The things we must do, my friend."
"Yeah," was Shirou's only reply before he pushed down on the lever to open the heavy door.
The first thing he noticed was darkness, only barely lit by the sconces running along the stairwell. Shirou heard the door close with a sense of finality and let out a short sigh. His feet pushed him forward, moving him in a downwards spiral to the first landing. He looked up at the cells lining the corridor and felt his shoulders slump even more, if possible. His steps echoing with each brush against the stone floor announced his presence to the current prisoners, all of which he ignored steadfastly. The soldiers on duty stared at him as he walked along to the very end of the corridor towards yet another set of stairs.
Another corridor greeted him and felt, yet again, like another walk of shame, but there was little to be done about that. It wasn't until he reached the end of that corridor that his burden seemed to weigh him down the most. Shirou hit the lowermost level with trepidation, but made his way through the darkness, regardless.
There weren't any prisoners down here – Camelot didn't have very many to keep behind bars, yet. That would more than likely change in the future, but for now, it felt empty. Normally, he would have preferred it this way, but now...
His feet stopped him in front of one cell in particular, and Shirou couldn't take his gaze away from the body lying still on the pieces of straw and dirt. The rats that moved about the body paid him no mind as they scurried around the corpse without any consideration for him.
Shirou lightly touched the bars of the cell before banging against them, kicking at the ground, shouting,
"Get away from him!"
The rats screeched and sped off, each hissing nastily at him, but he couldn't have cared less.
He hadn't been granted a key – that was beyond Percival's power without the king's permission. All Shirou could do was hug close to the bars, sliding to his knees as he stared at the man's cold, dead face.
"Meilyr..."
Shirou gritted his teeth, his hands tightening around the bars. "I didn't meant to... I tried to... I swear..."
He shook his head then. "No, I could've done better. There were ways – there are always ways. I should've come clean to the king about everything, but..."
He set his head against the bars, breathing in and out slowly. "Why did this have to happen? You didn't deserve this, Meilyr. Dai, that bastard..."
Lifting his gaze back up, he was ready to apologize again when he noticed the expression left on the man's face.
"He..." started Shirou, full of disbelief. "You're smiling...? D-Did you think I would come back for you all this time? Y-You don't look like you regretted a thing..."
Shirou closed his eyes tightly and slammed a fist against the ground before falling silent. Then slowly, he rose up to his feet, pushing back his shoulders as he looked over at the corpse again.
"This won't happen again," Shirou promised in barely little over a whisper. "Thank you for everything, Meilyr."
Shirou placed a hand gently against the bars in a form of a good-bye before turning away and walking back down through the corridor. His facial features were steeled and his eyes hard as he made his way up all of the stairs, until he finally pulled open the door leading into the castle.
Percival looked over at him, seeming a tinge concerned.
"All right there, Shirou?"
Shirou forced a small smile for his friend's sake.
"I will be."