Chapter 7

Queen Alicia was quite the surprising woman. Honestly, he didn't expect for her to sneak away from her group of knights so easily. 'I bet Celica had something to do with it.' He thought with a sigh. Honestly, he was a bit impressed by her willingness to break the rules to come and see her daughter.

Of course, he'd feel a bit better about it if he didn't know that Rumia had some major trust issues when it came to her mother, though he knew they were warranted. Though, he partially blamed himself for that. He hadn't seen the girl in years, and even when he did see her again, he hadn't been able to tell her about what happened during that time he saved her.

However, this was a good chance to undo all of that. He knew that the Queen wasn't here for him. He was just a washed up mage teaching kids in an academy now, or at least, that's what she should think of him. So, he would take this chance to make up for his mistake. After all, if he could see his own mother again, he would take the chance in a heartbeat.

The thing was, how was he going to do that without Rumia freezing up, while also not making a scene in front Her Majesty? Because, believe it or not, Shirou actually respected the queen quite a bit. He had the honor of protecting her and speaking with her multiple times over his career. 'If Saber had chosen to live as a woman, she likely would have looked and acted like Alicia.'

He shook his head, 'That's not important.' He activated his magic circuits, before sending magical energy into his eye of enchantment. He made a quick glance towards Rumia, seeing her look into his eyes for a moment, but that was all he needed. With that one glance, he was able to send some information into her brain.

Normally, his eye was meant to issue commands or simply hypnotize an opponent or target, but that didn't mean he couldn't also send information as well. It would be subtle, but Rumia would remember a conversation that the two never had, which would make this meeting go a little smoother. At least, he hoped it would.

"Shirou, it's been a long time, hasn't it? Around a year or so?" She asked, with Shirou rubbing the back of his nervously. 'Has it been that long? No, she's right.' He thought to himself. "I wish to apologize to you, Shirou." Shirou tilted his head with a small hum. "I realize that I've caused you much suffering for the sake of the country, or rather, for myself."

"Even after all of the tasks and missions foisted upon you, as well as the others, I wasn't able to do much for all of you afterwards. After seeing how much you were smiling earlier, I realize that I must have really caused you a lot of pain, and for that, I must apologize, I never wished to burden you like that." She finished, looking at him with a sad expression.

Shirou couldn't help but have a wry smile appear on his face. "There's no need for you to apologize, milady. You've done more than enough for me, and my actions were my own. If I could help you in achieving your ideals, then I was more than happy to assist you. It's not like I didn't know what I was getting into." He replied, as he really only joined to help Glenn, and Luvia joined to watch over him.

Really, he didn't wish to cause the Queen to worry. To his surprise, the Queen stepped forward and took his hand and held it up to her chest. "If there is ever anything that you need help with in the future, then feel free to come to me, Shirou. You undervalue yourself greatly, Shirou, and I doubt I'll ever be able to repay you for all that you've done for me."

Shirou couldn't help some redness appearing on his cheeks from her actions. Not to mention, he never knew the Queen to be so open and forceful. He also didn't understand why she valued him so greatly. "I-I understand, Queen Alicia, I'll be sure to do that." He responded, though he couldn't help but be a bit flustered.

He then noticed her looking at him with a rather strange expression. "We aren't at court, nor are you an imperial court mage, just Alicia is fine, Shirou." Her expression was quite serious, which caught him off guard, in fact, her eyes were kind of scaring him.

Shirou flashed her a small smile, "I-I see, then, I'll be sure to call on you if I ever need help, Alicia." The moment afterwards, he then noticed her expression change back, with her demure smile also returning. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, but was there a reason why you sought us out, Qu...Alicia?"

He saw her eyes slightly widen, before she finally let go of his hand, though Shirou noticed something when she did. It was the necklace around her neck. He didn't need his mystic eye to tell what was going on with it. 'A cursed necklace? Worse, it's a conditional curse.' He knew they likely didn't count on someone like him, who could identify such things with a glance.

That wasn't counting the fact that he also knew that she always wore a golden locket necklace, rather than the gaudy necklace she had on now. 'Tch, it's not even a real jewel. How pathetic. It seems Her Majesty's protectors have lowered in quality.' "That's right, I apologize, I lost focus for a moment. I actually came here for another reason." She replied to him.

She then turned and faced Rumia, who seemed shocked at seeing her. Though, there was also another emotion on her face that Shirou couldn't quite pin down. However, from how she looked at him, he could tell that she would be fine with speaking to her, at least, a bit. Shirou nodded his head towards her, before smiling. "Well, Alicia, I'll let you two have some time alone."

He could see Rumia react to his words with worry. He quickly took a few steps and leaned over. "Don't worry, I won't go far." He said, placing a hand on her head. "Give her a chance." He whispered, before walking away. Honestly, maybe he was meddling a bit, but he knew Alicia well enough to know that she cared about her daughter deeply.

In the meantime, he needed to trace something for the Queen, as he couldn't just destroy the necklace without finding out who it was that placed it there. 'If it's the Researchers of Divine Wisdom, then I'm not going to let them get away with attempting to harm her, or my students.' "Trace on." A ritual dagger then appeared in his hands, one that belonged to Medea of Colchis.

"Professor Luvia, do you know where Rumia and Professor Shirou are? They should have been back by now." Luvia hummed to her question. 'That's actually a good question. He only went for a walk during lunch, he should have been back by now. Though, if he's with Rumia...' She looked up towards the box where Celica was, seeing the Queen wasn't there.

'That sneaky adoptive mother of ours. Meaning that she's likely sought out Rumia and Sherou.' Luvia couldn't help the slight twitch her eye made. 'So, that's how it is.' Luvia simply smiled and let out a small laugh. "Oh, there's nothing to worry about. As long as Sherou's with her, she's probably the safest person in the city right now. Though, I understand your worries."

"I'll go check on him." The two girls heard a somewhat lazy voice state. Sistine looked over and saw the man named Glenn, who reminded her of a lazy version of Shirou with black hair in a ponytail. Luvia looked at him with a raised brow. "What's that look for? Weren't you going to do it anyway? Besides, you can't leave your class alone while Shirou's gone, better if I do it."

He then made his way towards the tunnel, with Luvia sighing. "Honestly, now I'm more worried than before." She said, with Sistine having a puzzled expression on her face.

"Uh, shouldn't that be the opposite reaction? I mean, Glenn's a capable mage like you and Shirou are, isn't he?" She asked, with Luvia letting another laugh.

"Oh, Glenn's skills aren't what I'm worried about, Sisti. No, what I'm worried about is the likelihood that Glenn and Sherou's bad luck will cause something to happen and they'll be dragged into all sorts of trouble." She answered with an amused smile.

"Is their luck really that bad?" Luvia looked at Sistine, only looking at her with a smile. 'If only you knew the half of it, Sistine.'

Athena flew down and landed on Shirou's arm. "You'll hold this for the Queen. When the time is right, find a way to get it to her and she'll know what to do with it, got it?" The owl then nodded, before Shirou placed Rule Breaker into its mouth, being careful not to let the blade touch her. 'Wouldn't want her to stop working because the blade touched her.'

Athena then flew away, with Robin appearing on his shoulder and chirping. "I see, I'll go and see her then." He said, before making his way back towards Rumia and the Queen. Though, there was something that bothered him. 'That necklace, if the goal was to kill the Queen, then why make it a conditional curse? The condition hasn't been activated, so I don't know what it is.'

'However, the curse is very much active. Whoever the culprit is, has to be close to the Queen. Though, that leads to other questions. I know we nearly wiped them out, so how are the Researchers able to have the resources to get someone close to her?' He let out a sigh. There were too many questions, yet, not enough answers.

Was it to much to ask for things to be peaceful? The dream was still there. Honestly, after Shirou quit being a imperial court mage, he thought he'd given up that life. Yet, it seemed that it was impossible for him to actually give it up. It was like he was being pulled back into it, without a care of what his say was in the matter.

He then noticed the Queen, standing alone with a somewhat sad smile on her face. 'I suppose that's better than a dejected face.' "Are you alright, milady?" He asked, seeing her slightly flinch. She turned and looked at him with the sad smile steel on her face.

"Of course, Shirou. I just realize that I may have been too hopeful in thinking that she would still see me as her mother, after all this time." Shirou could only let out a small sigh. He understood, at least somewhat. His relationship with Celica was somewhat similar at first.

"I wouldn't think too much of it, Alicia. For awhile she's been living with another family, who have been treating her like their own daughter. I'm sure her feelings are all twisted up too. I'm sure if you give it a bit of time, she'll come around. Trust me, I'm around her all the time and I've seen a thing or two." He said, holding up his hand and projecting two similar lockets.

The Queen looked at them with a surprised expression. "I know she wears hers all the time. I'm sure she knows, just as I do, that you also used to wear yours." The Queen had a sad expression as she lifted her hand up to the necklace on her neck. "Besides, I'll speak with her, since a professor's job is to help his students." He said with a small chuckle.

She finally had a small smile on her face at his words, which is what he was hoping for. "I see, then just as before, I leave it in your hands, Shirou." She said before making her way past him, before stopping. "If I could ask one more thing of you, as her mother, it'd be to protect and watch over her."

Shirou nodded, before taking her hand and placing a piece of paper in it, before closing it. "I will do so, with all of my power." The Queen's eyes widened for a moment, before she smiled at him. Of course, he didn't know that he reminded her of when she asked him to save Rumia before.

"Thank you, Shirou. I'll be heading back now." She replied, with Shirou bowing his head as she walked away. 'Now, I just need to talk with Rumia and I'll be able to head back to the class.' He thought to himself.

After walking for a bit, he saw a surprising pair. Namely, Glenn was standing besides Rumia. "I'm guessing Luvia sent you to find me?" He asked, seeing Glenn notice him.

"No way, I actually volunteered. If I didn't, Sara would had me trying to help your students out during the games." He said with a laugh.

"I see, so Sara still hasn't managed to beat that laziness out of you yet, huh." Shirou replied, looking at Rumia, though she seemed to be in a better mood than he thought. 'I'm guessing Glenn was able to talk to her before I got here.'

"Not for lack of trying, I'll tell you that much." Glenn then looked at him with a small smirk on his face. "You know, Shirou, didn't Luvia have problems with you being alone with the Queen? I'm not sure if she'll be happy when she finds out that you've been speaking with her in private."

Naturally, that got Rumia's attention, especially when Shirou slightly winced. "Really? Why is that, professor?" She asked him with an interested tone.

Shirou could only let out a sigh. "Oh, personal reasons mainly. Believe it or not, I used to be a bodyguard for the Queen on a handful of occasions. Though, Luvia seems to insist that there was a bigger reason behind it, even though I was just doing my job." He said while rubbing the back of his head.

His reply actually got a small laugh from Rumia, before she stopped and looked at him with a somewhat sad smile. "So, you know her majesty pretty well?" Shirou let out a small hum at her question.

"I wouldn't say I know her that well." 'That's a lie, but I'd rather not say that to her.' "But I know enough. If you'd like to know, I wouldn't mind telling you about her sometime. I'm sure you'd find it quite enlightening. Especially the her without the mask of a ruler." He added.

Rumia looked at him inquisitively. "A mask?" She asked, obviously mot understanding. Glenn let out a sign, as he looked at Shirou, who only nodded.

"Sometimes, Rumia, people in power, or people with jobs to do, put on a mask to close themselves off to emotion. For if that ,we mask slipped, then they would break down from all the pain in that moment. Kings and Queens often have that." He said, remembering the dreams of Saber.

"Just know, that the Queen is very much a human, as well as a mother. Though, she is also a Queen. When those two lives come together, and a decision is to be made, there is no greater pain that comes from it, no matter which decision is made." He said, placing a hand on her head.

"I'm your teacher, so I'll be there by your side when the time comes. Because, it's my job to help guide you." As he spoke, Glenn reacted to something. "No matter what happens from here on, remember, I'm always on your side." For a moment, Rumia's eyes widened.

They were nearly the same words she had heard a long time ago. She then saw a group of knights approaching, with Shirou smiling at her, as he turned around to face the knights, with Glenn stepping over to make a wall between them.

"Glenn, Alicia's last words to me were, to watch over and protect her daughter. It was not an order, so…"

"Save it, we're in this together. Luvia and Sara can watch over the kids in the meantime." He replied, cutting off Shirou. The two simply let out a small chuckle. His eyes then narrowed. "Only six? That's a bit insulting."

"Well, they probably didn't know we'd be here. If anything, it's overkill. I have an idea why they're here, I'll explain after we get out of here." Shirou replied, looking at Rumia. "Don't do anything rash. Whatever's going on, there's someone pulling the strings." He said, getting her to nod.

"That's far enough gentlemen." Shirou said, placing a hand on Caliburn. The guards each stopped, with them replying in a similar a manner. They looked between Shirou and Glenn, focusing on Rumia.

"You, are you Rumia Tingel?" One of them asked, with Shirou's eyes narrowing.

"I don't know who you're looking for, but this girl's name is Arturia Pendragon." Shirou quickly replied, getting surprised expressions, though they were skeptical. Each of them drew their sword.

"Don't lie to us, mage. That girl's appearance lines up with that of Rumia Tingel. If you attempt to hinder us further, you will also be tried for treason." Shirou's eye twitched, 'Treason? What the heck is going on? Are they trying to kill Rumia?'

To Shirou, the whole idea seemed like it didn't make any sense. From his research, amplifier's powers usually stopped working after their death. "Now, Rumia Tingel, you are being tried for treason, for attempting to assassinate the Queen."

Obviously, this made Rumia's eyes widen, as well as cause panic to set in. "Now, step outside, this matter doesn't concern outsiders. If you do not hand her over, you both will be tried for treason."

Glenn looked at Shirou for a moment, "Well, Shirou, what are you thinking?"

Shirou sighed, "Three each?" He said, getting Glenn to take a moment, before he nodded.

"A bit much, but I can handle that. Besides, these guys called us outsiders, it seems everyone's forgotten us." He said with a small, lazy smirk.

Shirou could only let out a small chuckle. Before he gripped the gripped Caliburn tighter. "You're right. So, why don't we remind them?" Shirou then drew Caliburn as Glenn knocked his fists together, activating the rune gloves he wore.

Elsewhere, two people watched as their former comrades began to dismantle the knights sent after them. "Hmm, it seems the two are a bit rusty, though I doubt they're going all out." Albert said, before deciding to catch them in the city.

"Shirou's sword. He doesn't use it a lot. Why does he have it now?" Re=L asked herself. She remembered that Shirou used to look at the sword sadly, though he was now using it freely. She wanted to know what changed in him.

"Perhaps, he's grown up since we've last seen him." Albert replied, with Re=L humming, before attempting to go forward. He quickly grabbed her ponytail, causing to stumble backwards.

"Why are you stopping me? They're both right there in front of us." She asked. Though Albert merely motioned towards a large party of guards making their way towards Shirou and Glenn.

"We'll cut them off in the city, it'll be easier that way." He replied, seeing Shirou and Glenn begin to escape with Rumia.

"Why am I the one carrying Rumia?" Glenn asked with a deadpan face.

"You're better at general magic than I am, plus I have long range magic bullets. It just works out better." Shirou replied, firing off a snap bullet towards the street. The two were currently running along rooftops, attempting to find a place to catch their breath.

The two finally dropped into an alley, where they were able to breathe. "What the heck, since when did they mobilize the entire guard for one girl? This is getting ridiculous." Glenn complained.

"Someone's targeting the Queen with a conditional curse. I'm guessing Rumia's life is the condition. Considering captain Zelos's personality, he'd definitely attempt to kill her without looking for other options. Luckily, I have countermeasures." Shirou said with a smirk.

"Figures you'd figure it out first." Glenn replied, wiping off some dirt.

"Don't sell yourself short, you'd have figured it out sooner or later. I just have a cheat in my eyes." Shirou replied, knowing how smart his brother was. Honestly, everything Shirou had been through, Glenn would have managed just as well. They were similar in many ways.

"What do we do now professor?" Rumia asked, fully trusting him.

Shirou sighed. "Glenn, call Celica and see if she has any advice. Athena is by the queen, so she has a curse destroying knife prepared, but I want to draw out the culprit. See what she says, then we'll go from there."

Glenn then began to contact their adoptive mother, as Shirou took a moment to think about the situatio, however, two familiar scents caught his attention. He looked towards the edge of the alley, seeing two figures.

He subconsciously traced Kanshou and Bakuya to his hands, before seeing the smaller shadow create two short swords in her hands as well. 'Wait a minute, is that…?" Before he could finish, the small figure ran forward, with Shirou smiling to himself.

'It's been a long time. Show me what you learned, Re=L.' He thought, before answering with a charge of his own.

Done, finished this one as quick as I could with a lot going on. Anyways, I want to say that this Shirou is a lot older and wiser than his younger self. Which is why I'm focusing on his words and him helping others. The coming chapters will have a lot of change in POV, since Re=L will join, and she's a big part of Shirou's life going forward. Didn't have much to say in this, so thanks for reading, I hope you all enjoyed. Thanks for the reviews and feedback, it really helps. Feel free to ask questions, I usually answer them. Now, I hope you all enjoy the rest of the day and, as always, until next time.