An: The release of mockingbirds was surprisingly well, currently it has like 150 or so followers. For a single chapter 150 follows isn't bad for me.

As for this, releasing it a bit earlier than I'd planned, on a Thursday no less. Really only posting now cause I have to get surgery tomorrow, won't be able to do it then.

Funnily enough, this served as my unintentional catalyst for Lartoria in F/go (I got her in 12 rolls!) And fun fact, I rolled like 100 times for maid Salter, no dice.

Speaking of Saberfaces, and knowing I have no self control and recently got my day 150 reward (30sq) I rolled a bit for Mordred... AND I GOT HER! I got best tomboy! Easily one of my favorite saberfaces. You know I bought that Apocrypha skin.

CATALYSTS WORK!!

Too bad i already grailed Musashi (My GSSR), who's also a saber, so I didn't have need for another saber class, but she's an AOE. So she will find some use.

Anyways…

This orignal concept was suggested to me by a reader named 'midnightson41'.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Fate or any other anime I use in this story. They belong to their respective owners: Musashi Kishimoto and type moon…

5/11/23

King of Nothing

"is Tell me? Is this truly the world we live in? So filled with death and poverty for our people? They ransack our homes, take our property and kill our children. Tell me?… is there truly no end to this madness." A young girl asked desperately, as she looked off in the distance on the apex of the hilltop, seeing the burning ruins that lay before them.

The male who stood next to her, a young boy in his mid-teens, possessing spiked blonde hair, tanned skin and three whisker-like marks across his cheeks, looked at her bewildered.

Seeing her long, similar, blonde hair tied up in a bun. As well as her snow-white dress that reached down to her knees. She wore a heavy chest piece, as well as strong, sturdy, gauntlets across her hands.

He saw the sword that hung at her hip. The cruel machination of the great mage Merlin. The blade that changed Artoria Pendragon's life, as well as taking away her humanity,

But most of all, he saw those eyes.

Those green, piercing eyes. Orbs that he fell in love with, orbs that once held a semblance of joy and light so bright it could overtake any man's heart.

But now? They were a far cry from their former selves.

Naruto's voice clamored up.

He wanted to speak, wanted to refute her. He wanted to tell her it wasn't true.

But could he? Could he say what she said was wrong?

In the wake of the ruins, seeing the broken homes around them, and the dead bodies that lay before them. He realized he probably couldn't, not even if he tried.

For his throat had grown cold, silent, as no sound could escape the deep abyss.

He tried to open his mouth, but no words came out.

Artoria seemed to notice this, as she looked down, her golden bangs shadowing her eyes.

"I see…" she realized, Naruto's silence was more than telling.

Artoria's gauntlet-clad hands shook, as she gripped onto her sword tightly. And had her blade not been a magical sword, she likely would have crushed the handle within her palms.

But then she stopped, her pressure ceased, and Artoria revealed her face once more.

And what Naruto saw caused him to take a double take, as he stepped back in pure shock.

"I swear, I will become the king Britain requires, the perfect king that brings justice and peace to this land. This needless violence will cease, even if I have to sacrifice my very being to stop it," Artoria Pendragon swore, her resolve growing with every word.

But what Naruto saw wasn't that, what Naruto noticed was something he would never see again.

Her eyes.

Those brilliant green orbs that once sparked with life beared none. It was as if all emotion, every semblance of her former being… it was gone.

Those emerald green eyes seemed as if they were carved out of stone itself, and it unnerved him.

It hurt him so much to see them on her face.

So much so that he couldn't speak.

That day had been so long ago, and yet he still remembered every detail.

In the years passed since that event, he had come to know one feeling.

Regret.

He knew it well, he felt it within every fiber of his being. And that one day was the sole purpose of it.

If only his voice hadn't been so silent, if only he had spoken up, if only, if only…

So many 'what if's' played throughout his mind, and he thought of that day almost every morning and night since then.

Because on that mountain, in the midst of the burning rubble, had been the day that changed his life, as well as the life of Artoria.

And just like then, he had always stayed silent, never telling her of his true thoughts and feelings.

That's what he regretted the most.

As he stared off in the distance, he could idly hear the soft reverberation of gallops getting louder and louder.

And as Naruto slightly turned his head, he was met with a familiar sight in his peripheral vision, his blonde friend riding upon her noble steed.

A white horse, decked in silver platting, armor similar to her own. How many times had he seen her ride upon Dun Stallion? How many battles had he ridden alongside her? After all these years, he had lost track.

In the time since that day, Artoria's appearance hadn't changed much. Courtesy of the sacred swords and sheaths the king had wielded in the past, she still retained her 15-year-old appearance.

The only thing that really changed was her attire, as she now wore a blue battle skirt under a set of silver armor, as a similarly blue colored cloak with a white fur lining hung over her shoulders.

Her golden crown that she usually held over her head was nowhere to be seen. Likely having been forgotten in her haste to leave.

Artoria still looked the same to him.

But then again, appearance hadn't changed much in the decades, either. Merlin-sensei had told him that it was his unique physiology, his powerful life force, that had stopped him from aging as well. And like the old and wise mage, he still retained his youthful appearance.

Choosing to wear a simple brown cloak over some light black armor.

"Hello, Artoria," he greeted, not bothering to turn towards her, as he looked on over the hilltop they rested upon.

Artoria stopped in her tracks, stopping her horse in its place once she got close enough to her fellow blonde.

"Naruto, what do you think you're doing?" Artoria questioned, as she got off of Dun Stallion, running up to her fellow blonde.

"You know exactly why I am here, Artoria," he told her, as he finally turned to see her face.

And despite his best hopes, he still saw wha t lay before him.

In the many years since that day, Artoria still held those same eyes, still held that same emotionless expression on her face. Like emerald orbs carved from the very stone itself.

It sickened him to his very core, because he knew that every time he looked at her, he would realize that the Artoria he once knew was gone.

Naruto could tell that she was frowning, or she would have, had she still not tried to keep that emotionless expression.

He could quite face her, as he turned around once again, seeing the rubble that lay before them. It hadn't changed much in the years since passed.

Sure, the bodies had been cleaned up, having been buried and had their individual ceremonies, but the destruction still remained.

The town that once stood here was gone, abandoned to the wind as nature once again overtook it. He could see many trees and vines forming, as well as the grass growing overgrown.

It was a far cry from its former self, a village that once sparkled with human life had none to be seen.

Artoria seemed to notice this as well, as she too was hit with waves of nostalgia.

Of the day she looked towards, and although that day had been filled with much of her sorrow. She still held it in high regard.

A silence had overtaken them, both being enraptured by memories of long ago.

But it was Naruto who broke the silence. "Artoria, do you remember what you said to me that day?" He asked.

His king nodded, "Of course I do."

How could she not? That had been where she made the very vow that she held to this day. It had been the vow that started it all.

Had she not held it, Artoria knew she wouldn't have become the person she was today. She wouldn't have become the king of Camelot, wouldn't have formed the knights of the round table, wouldn't have pushed the Saxons out of Britain itself, she knew that.

"Well I do too…" he told her, "it is one of my biggest regrets," Naruto said honestly.

Artoria's eyes nearly widened in surprise, although Naruto didn't see it.

"But why?" She questioned.

And as Naruto turned to face her, she saw the utter pain within his eyes.

Naruto was the best among them, the one who always tried to be the optimist, to look towards a better future, and to always make her laugh when she needed it. To see him in such pain, the feelings he had hidden away all these years, well… it hurt her too, although she didn't show it.

He gave her a bigger smile, one that didn't reach his eyes. "Because it was the day that took you from me, Artoria," he told her honestly.

His words shook Artoria to her very core.

"You were my best friend, the only person I could talk to about it all. Sure, when Merlin took me in it relieved me of some of that pain, but with you, it felt as if it wasn't there." He told her. "But now, I can tell, the Artoria I once knew has long since been gone." Naruto finished.

As Artoria listened intently to his words, her head grew lower and lower. "I see…" she told him, her golden bangs shadowing her eyes.

But even then he still saw their effect, as her hand shook violently at her side, gripping on the very air around them.

"Don't you understand…" she started, her words so hollow, so broken, it nearly caused Naruto to step back.

"Understand what?" He questioned, but Artoria remained silent.

Until she didn't…

"Don't you understand all I've sacrificed," she roared, revealing her eyes to the world, the anger she felt nearly boring holes into Naruto's soul, as she sent a seething glare towards his friend.

"Of all the people, I thought you would understand," Artoria spat. "Britain is no longer in shambles, Camelot is stronger than ever, and the Saxons are no longer pillaging and killing the villages of this country!… I thought you would understand," she told him honestly, as she gripped onto her chest.

"I do understand," Naruto stated, "but all you have sacrificed–all we– have sacrificed, it hasn't amounted to nearly enough,"the blonde admitted.

"... that's why I'm leaving Camelot." He revealed, although he knew she already knew of his intentions.

But his words only caused her to glare even hard. "How could you, Naruto? Can't you see all we've accomplished?" She questioned.

"And what have we accomplished?!" Naruto roared back, opening his arms wide, gesturing to the ruins of the fallen village before them.

"When the British once feared invasion, they now fear the very government has sworn to protect them! Where the villagers once feared their crops being pillaged and their livelihoods being ruined, they now fear of dying of starvation every winter from lack of funds," he spat back, anger filling his voice.

And at that Artoria recoiled, a blow to her pride as king having been struck… but at the same time she couldn't deny it.

She had chosen this fate for her people.

Choosing to focus on the bodies of the people, rather than the lives of them. She only sent out her knights when she needed to, focusing on slaying the ever-increasing number of invaders, rather than the moral and connection of her people.

Naruto's eyes softened slightly, but he stood firm. "Tell me, Artoria, has all you've sacrificed amounted to this." He asked.

"You gave up your humanity to become king. Gave up your womanhood to appease the people. Gave up your very soul to ensure your kingdom could stand alone. Tell me, was it worth it?" He asked again.

"Of course it was!" Artoria roared back, how could she not say it had been worth it. She would sell herself to the devil to ensure her people lived. So why couldn't she say all she's sacrificed had been worth it.

Her people stood, lived where they would have not. Flourished in the walls of Camelot. Couldn't Naruto see that?

However, she did take a deep breath, her anger receding and her face molding itself into it's usually emotionless expression.

"If I'm not willing to say what I've sacrificed is worth the reward, then what was the point of sacrificing it at all?" Artoria asked coldly.

But even with her face seemingly etched in stone, Naruto could see behind it.

Behind all of Artoria controlled visage, he could tell… she was the same little girl, begging to find justification for her actions.

After all, if she were to ever admit that all she's given, all she's sacrificed, wasn't worth what she had gained… it would break her.

But despite it all, it bitterly pleased him to know that his old friend was still in there, deep down.

And yet, he knew he still had to press on.

"Artoria, can't you see that what you're doing— what you've done— will only lead to your destruction?" Naruto pleaded.

"The people you swore to protect won't understand you— don't understand you— and will rebel against you?" He begged, but even then Artoria wouldn't budge, her resolve in her people and ideology not beginning to waiver.

She narrowed her eyes, "Did Merlin inform you of this?" The manipulative fool. "Who will lead this rebellion you speak of?" Artoria questioned.

"I-I…" Naruto stuttered, before his voice clamped up. "I can't say," he sighed. He couldn't give Mordred away like that.

Being the one who practically raised the girl, being the only father figure she had in her life after Artoria had abandoned her, he couldn't give her up. When Merlin told him of their future fate, he felt conflicted, and had tried to convince Mordred to turn a different path. But the blonde tomboy had remained stubborn, using the same stubbornness she had gotten from her 'father.'

He could only hope to be able to convince Artoria to take a different path.

But his statement only caused Artoria to Narrow her eyes even more. "I see… so that's how it is."

Naruto nodded, "it is, and I'm sorry for that."

Before, he took another deep breath, looking her in the eyes as emerald green and cerulean blue orbs met.

"That's why I'm begging you— pleading with you— please, Artoria, change your ways, while there is still time left." Naruto asked, and had this been a different situation, he would have begged on his hands and knees.

And Artoria legitimately thought about his request, until finally her eyes grew cold and dark.

"I will not," she told him stubbornly, just like Mordred had done before her.

"I see," Naruto's own hand shook at his side, but he calmed himself, as his own eyes were shadowed within his bangs. "Then I can't bear to see you walk down your current path any longer," he told her, as he began walking down the mountain, passing by his longtime friend as he did so.

He could bear to see the future he knew would come to pass, it would break his heart.

After all… who wouldn't be heartbroken when the woman the love was plunging themselves to their own death.

Loved? He supposed he did, he always had, after all. Even after all these years he still did, from the moment he met her, from the moment she had pulled Caliburn from the stone… he had love Artoria Pendragon, from the bottom of his heart.

That was why he couldn't bear to see her live like this.

Artoria was going through her own thoughts, her voice growing cold, silent. As her longtime friend passed her by, for what she knew to be the last time.

What rebellion did he speak of? What had Merlin told him? And who was the one who would lead it?

She didn't know, but she knew she could allow it.

Surprisingly, she did find the strength to speak up.

"Naruto?" Artoria voiced, her resolve growing.

Naruto did manage to turn around, "Artoria—?" He managed to speak, before he was interrupted…

Squelch.

The sound of flesh being pierced could be heard on the hill top.

"So that's how it is…" Naruto questioned, as blood dripped along his mouth.

For had he looked down, he would have seen the king's gold and silver glad of Excalibur pierce his abdomen.

Artoria had stabbed him in the stomach.

"Yes, as king… I could not allow someone as powerful as you to be the downfall of Camelot," she told him, her decision having been made.

"Very well then…" he told her, as even more blood leaked out of his throat. But even still, he reached up to grasp her, as Artoria prepared for any last stitch effort.

But none came.

"I wished things could have ended differently…" he told her, grasping onto her cheek, wiping the tears welling up in her eye.

Tears?… yes, tears. For Artoria Pendragon was now crying.

"I do too…" she told him, twisting her handle, as she unsheathed her divine blade from his flesh, the light quickly leaving his eyes, as his body then went limp.

Naruto's body fell upon her own for support, and she caught him, uncaring of the blood that leaked onto her frame, staining her royal clothes.

She couldn't help herself, as she idly reached up, grasping onto his whiskered-cheek, similar to how he had done before.

Bringing her lips to meet his, feeling the warmth that she knew would soon leave his body.

"Farewell, my friend," she told him, ending the kiss.

It wasn't long before she rode off on Dun Stallion once more.

Leaving behind the then buried body of the only man she ever loved on the hilltop. Steeling her resolve and fixing her emotionless visage once more.

She didn't know if she made the right choice. But what she did know was…

Life was not easy for a King.

The End.

An: And so this story end in a tragedy... for now.

Once again, this orignal concept was suggested to me by a reader named 'midnightson41'. And with the help of 'Tendoo' we were able to draft up this and many other stories.

There will be prequels, and there will be sequels.

I have a lot more planned for this universe, as well as many others I've conjured up.

Be prepared for a lot more stuff to come. I have a lot of Naruto/Fate One-shots planned, typed out, or started. And over this summer I'll hopefully have more time to actually put some of them to paper. Work/schooling has been hectic.

If you have any suggestions for a one-shot I'd be happy to hear it.

Maybe I'll even type it out, who knows.

Expect a Kiara one-shot for my eventual roll for her in the near future.

Inspirations:

Midnightson41

'Replaced' by Jiraiya's dream