*Gasp*
Eyes shot open, a sharp intake of breath echoing throughout the small, stone laden room. She realized that she was currently laying down on the ground, staring up at the ceiling. Muffled voices surrounded her senses, almost painfully so. The dull ringing in her ears, memories slowly returning to her.
A flash of red and amber passed by the front of her mind, jutting her back to reality. Her armored boots found the ground faster than those that were present could follow. Her eyes narrowed at them all, men draped in robes of white. The ringing in her ears stopped soon enough, allowing her to clearly hear what they were saying.
"Lady Sword Hero, please be calm. We mean you no harm." One said, holding his hands outward in a non-threatening pose. She ignored him for the sake of keeping the rest in view before taking in her surroundings.
A single room with what appeared to be a slowly fading summoning circle of unknown make. It was obvious what its function was due to her being here now. Scanning over the group, she focused on one.
"You." He looked between the others before pointing at himself.
"Me?"
"Yes, you. Where am I? Speak now, I have little patience at this moment." Her voice washed over them, prompting fast reaction. Their reactions were of awe and anxiety. Such a small woman having such a commanding aura surrounding her. It was almost too much.
"Of course, Lady Sword Hero." They all bowed before her, their movements were precise, as if practiced daily in preparation. Or constant worship. The idea of her status being worshipped to such a degree wasn't well liked among the masses.
"Do not call me that. I am no hero." The fact they called her a hero was enough to grate on her nerves. Her time of rule may be over, but her pride as a knight and king were still ingrained in her heart and soul.
They were still kneeling.
"Stand up now. I wish to speak to your lord. Take me to him." They didn't hesitate to rise to their feet before directing her to the door that led out. As they guided her through, she realized that they were in a lower level. The staircase was spiraled, as if going up a tower instead of coming up from the dungeons.
The window that allowed her to look out was… familiar. The pleasant green trees that dotted the entire city, countless homes of this city's people covered the majority of the area. No doubt thousands of people have made their home here.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Her gaze landed on the robed man, his short blonde hair seen easily, along with a circlet on his head. The rest kept their hoods up.
She nodded, "It reminds me of my own home. A kingdom in its own right." His eyes widened slightly, a smile gracing his face. He nodded, before turning around and continued up the steps. The message wasn't lost on her. As much as the man probably wanted to continue talking, priorities took precedence.
At the top of the stairs stood too massive wooden doors. The mages that escorted her waved to the two guards that stood on either side to open them. Without even a word spoken between the two parties, communication was still powerful.
Excalibur hummed in her grasp, letting her know that it was still there. But it was a different hum, almost agitated, as if something was bothering it or something that didn't belong. A small buzzing in her hand, as if a small electric shock was passing through it. She paid it no heed, instead focusing on the long red carpet that led to the two thrones at the end.
Her enhanced vision allowed her to see an old man seated on the left throne, while the right was empty. His queen is missing, perhaps having passed on? No, even one as old as this one would have taken on another wife. The only thing that would make sense is that the queen is on an errand of negotiations with neighboring kingdoms.
The king would be the one to do this, as it was common practice but this land is unknown to her. She could already tell with how the mana in the air felt.
She came to a stop in front of the king, before placing Excalibur in front with her hands resting on the pommel.
"For what reason have you summoned me." Short and concise, she waited for a response. His expression turned to intrigue, his tired eyes gaining a small shine to them. The priest at his side looked at her, smiling. Her eyes narrowed, already knowing that smile wasn't genuine.
"Welcome Lady Sword Hero, I understand that you have many questions, and no small amount of demands, but I will make sure you are treated fairly and oblige what you may seek in this." He stood from his throne, before placing his hand across his chest.
"I am the king of Melromarc, Aultcray Melromarc XXXII." He sat back down, before holding his hand out in a positive gesture.
"May I have the pleasure of knowing your name, hero?" She remained impassive to the words that were spoken but chose to answer in turn. She could no longer say she was a king as it may cause undue tension in the throne room. The idea that these people summoned a king from another land would lead to thoughts of possible war for something like this.
"My name is Arturia Pendragon, knight of Camelot." Whispers were heard among those of noble lineage, however little there were in the throne room. Possibly due to this being a matter of private situations so the larger masses mustn't know right away. Negotiations were always made with as few people as possible to avoid assassination of any sort.
"Interesting. You are a knight of your kingdom?" Arturia inwardly grimaced at that, no small amount of sadness raced through her heart. Even if it was long ago, the scars of it never healed. She may have accepted what happened, but it still hurt.
"I was… my kingdom had fallen to rebellion. The king was killed by his own son… an illegitimate son, but one nonetheless. I had died… yet here I stand." Aultcray showed a face of sympathy before speaking.
"I am sorry I have cause you undue stress, Lady Sword Hero."
"Please do not call me that." Her abruptness surprised the king but didn't react adversely. Luckily it didn't, but it still led to him gaining a rather startled look.
"Pray tell, why? The sword you…" He stopped mid-sentence as he gazed at Excalibur that was still planted in the stone at her feet.
"That is not the Holy Sword. You were summoned, yet you do not hold what was described in the tomes and scriptures." It was evident that her standing among the others might have fallen slightly due to the difference in appearances over a sword. But there wasn't anything to worry for, there is no sword that could stand to be Excalibur's equal.
"Regardless of appearances, my blade will more than suffice for the journey ahead."
"Indeed…" He grew quiet for a time, allowing Arturia to gather what information she had on hand.
The last thing she remembered was… Shirou. Her last thoughts were of him as she passed, resting against that tree, accompanied by her last, loyal knight. This wasn't Avalon like she expected to be in after her death. Nothing that could possibly explain why she was here and not there.
Her body was obviously real, as if she never died in the first place… She may never see him again. It was obvious that this was a different place in the world. Somewhere far from Britain, but not in the time that she fought in the War. Where is this place?
"If you don't mind me asking, but where am I? This isn't a place I am familiar with."
The king returned to reality, almost flinching at the sudden voice.
"Ah, yes. The summoning is meant to bring heroes from another world to protect our homes from the Waves." She quirked an eyebrow.
"Waves?"
He nodded, "Yes. Waves. They are a series of events where portal from other worlds spill out monsters of all types, wreaking havoc among the land, destroying villages and killing my people. It is why, as the fourth in line for the summoning, we did what we could." Fourth in line? There were others that were summoned to this world? The fact that this was another world startled her enough, but kept level headed until she could properly process it.
"There are others that were summoned." He nodded.
"Yes. Four heroes are summoned, with each country summoning one of them. The Spear Hero, Bow Hero and the Shield Hero. All were summoned by our neighboring kingdoms to help protect each of them from the waves."
"In order for the world as a whole to be protected, one hero is summoned in each country."
"Yes. Only the heroes could gain the power to protect us. There are those in this world that are powerful, the Vassal Wielders, but the four Cardinal Heroes are truly capable of limitless growth."
Interesting. Her strength alone could already provide protection, but if what he said is true, she could stand to gain even more power, to become even stronger, to even possibly have the power to find…
Her thoughts became too excited and saddened altogether before she wiped away the emotions, returning clarity to her mind.
"If you are capable of seeing it, records tell of a marker at the corner of your vision, do you see it?"
Peripherals played a key part in finding it almost instantly and without meaning to, a transparent screen appeared in her vision. This must be it.
"Yes, I believe I have found it." She focused on what she knew so far from the Grail War. The statistics weren't entirely the same, instead of letter ranking, numbers took their place. More skills became apparent, with three bars on the side indicating… something. It is eligible to her, but not entirely.
One red, one green and one blue, all three bars indicated something.
"Good. In order for you to become acquainted with the system, I have made sure to prepare a room for your stay here until you are capable of venturing out into the world." With a wave of his hand, two maids appeared from the door the right. Their attire suggested that they had higher standing than the typical hand maiden found among the barracks.
They walked up to her before bowing. The two mirrored each other, pointing their hands in the direction of their origin point.
"Please come this way, my Lady." One of them said, before she looked to the king.
"I request a meeting with you tomorrow in your war room." He nodded, "Of course. I am not surprised you are aware of such a thing. Those summoned have an innate understanding of our world."
She shook her head, "No, I do not. I am unfamiliar with this world, nor have I experienced what you consider commonplace. It is why I intend to speak with you more on the matter tomorrow. Is that acceptable?"
"Yes, it is. Have a fitful rest, Lady Knight."
"Mm" Nodding before following the maids through the door.
Her room is well furnished with finer things than a typical room. Everything seems cleaner and better created than what she would find in Camelot. It was a big castle, but it was well decorated to mirror the image of the king.
But that was no longer the case here. Here, she was just another knight tasked with defending a kingdom not her own. The feeling of uncertainty coursed through her before stamping it out. This was quite possibly a new chance for a meaningful life, one not of burden and hardship that came with being king.
Arturia's pride as one would never fade. She would never go so far as to throw it away for the sake of her life. She would fight as a king, and she would die as one. But…
*Sigh*
Her eye spied a lone chair by the window before walking to it. The armored plates at her hips would prove to be in the way, but it didn't matter right now. She rested against the back of the chair, thinking of what happened before this.
"Shirou, I… love you."
What she was sure was real, still felt like a dream. The chance that it never happened became ever more prominent. She shook her head, ridding herself of these negative feelings. Her goal still remained, to find him again. The core inside of her pulsed with power, resonating with her state of determination.
"I will find you again. I promise."
