Knight of Avalon
Chapter-14
Artoria, Kay
Puck tackled Artoria out of the way, as the blade swung through the air, the force of the strike sending a gust of wind that blew Artoria's hat off.
"Gah!" Artoria grunted as Anice rushed to knock the attacker away with her shield, only for a powerful gust of wind to blast her into a house.
"He's here!" Jack spoke in alarm.
At that moment, Artoria got a good look at her attacker. They were in armor like a knight, except that armor was completely made of glowing wisps of wind that was latching and holding on to the knight. They even carried a blade with the same wind wrapped around it.
"...Avalon Le Fae…" The knight growled out in a reverberating voice.
Artoria's eyes widened.
"AAAAEEEESSSSSCCCCCC!" The knight roared out as he lunged at Artoria, his sword swinging down to separate her head from her body.
Puck created another fiery web that resisted the knight's blade, but it knocked him away as well as Artoria scrambled back.
Artoria fired bolts of mana at the knight, who simply charged at her, the bolts of mana being deflected by his armor.
Artoria gasped as she rolled away from the knight swinging his blade again. The blade's impact sent a shockwave that knocked Artoria back again.
From nearby, Da Vinci shot at the knight from her gauntlet, but they still could not penetrate the Knight's armor.
Puck jumped up with his knives and stabbed into the knight's shoulder, the armor resisting the knives before Puck ignited them and they somehow burned through the wind armor, melting the metal underneath and stabbing into the knight's back.
"GRAH!" The knight groaned and pulled Puck of his back, throwing him away before a bolt of mana from Artoria hit him in the helmet. Then, Anice came up and bashed him with her shield, knocking him towards the steps.
But neither of those attacks seemed to do anything, as the knight managed to land on his feet and dash towards Artoria. Artoria immediately used time magecraft on herself to be able to dodge the knight's subsequent slashes.
Artoria tried to make distance between the knight and herself by going invisible, but the knight managed to sense her and swung his sword in her direction. Artoria yelped and jumped back, falling to the ground as the blade tore through the air where she just was.
"JACK!" Artoria called out.
"We need to leave!" Jack spoke in panic as light erupted from his pumpkin, blinding the knight for a moment.
Artoria took that chance to bind the knight in strings and shot a powerful bolt of mana to knock him away.
"Go! Go! Go!" Da Vinci spoke as Artoria rushed away from the palace, only to crash face-first into a barrier and fall back.
"Artoria, are you alright?" Anice asked as she helped Artoria up.
"There's a barrier of wind here! He's trapped us!" Puck spoke.
"What? But he's never done this to his other victims?" Jack spoke in confusion.
"...He wants me…" Artoria spoke getting up.
Anice tilted her head.
"He screamed out Aesc's name with hatred…and I could feel that hatred directed at me." Artoria spoke.
"So we have no choice but to fight…" Da Vinci spoke.
"...It's a terrible idea, but we have no choice." Jack spoke.
"But how do we take him out?" Artoria asked.
"I…don't know. No one has ever defeated the knight before."
"Puck…your knives can get through his armor?" Artoria asked. "Then work on getting through his armor. The rest of us just have to keep him occupied."
"...We can use Arawn's curse to take him out if the armor is penetrated."
Jack looked at Puck.
"Arawn's Curse?!" He spoke in concern as he looked at Artoria.
"How much have you used the curse?"
"Um…two times?"
"Sir Puck, Lady Artoria does not have proper control over combining the curse with her magic yet. Are you sure she should be doing this?"
Artoria gulped. She didn't want that horrible feeling again, of that something wriggling within her body. It was terrible
"If I don't use it, I won't be able to control it like you said. Better I take whatever opportunities I can." Artoria spoke as Jack looked at her one last time before nodding to Puck.
"Ok, here he comes!" Puck spoke as the knight charged at Artorian with a loud yell, only to be blocked by anice with her shield. Da Vinci fired off her gauntlet, which knocked the knight back as the group charged at him.
Jack blinded him with his light just as Anice slid under him and knocked him into the air with her shield.
"Alright, Artoria, hit it!" Puck spoke.
"What do you-WOAH?!" Artoria found herself launched into the air as she headed towards the knight.
"Oh! Take this!" Artoria yelled as she spun around, charging her leg with mana as it glowed with a golden light before slamming it against the knight's chestplate, sending him to the ground.
Artoria fell and was caught by Anice, who set her to the ground.
Artoria grinned at her and the two shared a high-five.
"Heh, just like Aesc." Jack commented before Puck ran up and stabbed his knives into the knight's chestplate , getting past the wind and attempting to melt off the metal underneath…
HEEHEEHEEHEEHEE
"Oh not now…" Artoria groaned in annoyance as she turned around to see a bunch of bloody bones scampering towards them.
But before they could do so, they suddenly heard Puck's cry of alarm as the knight knocked him away.
"No! Artoria, Puck! Cast a protective spell!" He spoke as Puck and Artoria immediately did so, casting a barrier over everyone's bodies.
What's he talking about… Artoria could not finish her thought because a gust of wind exploded from the knight's body.
This one was on par with an explosion in its force, nearly blowing Artoria's eardrums out as it ripped the nearby blood bones apart, while also destroying nearby houses. The shockwave was felt across the ruined city. Even if the spells saved everyone from meeting the same fates as the bloody bones, the sheer force knocked everyone away.
Artoria's ears were ringing as she got up, noticing the knight who now had winds buffeting around him.
Something about this seems…familiar… Artoria thought.
But she had no time to ponder further, because the knight now dashed towards her at greater speeds.
Artoria suddenly felt herself getting pushed by the winds towards the knight's blade, only for Anice to tackle her out of the air before the knight could take her out.
Da Vinci shot at him a bunch of times, but the knight simply absorbed the bolts with his hand and sent them right back, hurtling at faster speeds. Da Vinci's eyes widened as she sat on her staff and flew away from the bolts, while the knight slammed his sword against the ground to send a pillar wind of hurtling towards Artoria and Anice.
Artoria jumped away from the pillar as Puck rushed at the knight again. Artoria summoned strings to hold him down, but the knight rolled away before throwing his sword at Artoria, was forced to sidestep it as it blew past her.
The knight then vanished and reappeared behind Puck, grabbing his leg and attempting to dash him against the ground. Puck shattered like glass as he hit the ground, appearing away as he threw knives at the knight.
Anice attempted to bash him with her shield, but the knight grabbed it, threw her to the ground and sent his fist hurtling right into her stomach.
Artoria gasped and sent her discs of light at the knight, who jumped high into the air to dodge them. The knight create a ball of wind in his hand and threw it at Artoria, knocking her back.
Artoria's head suddenly felt like it was being dipped in molten metal as it cracked against the stone steps, Artoria nearly blacking out from the impact as something fluid dripped down her head.
"Artoria!" Da Vinci cried out as Artoria's head began bleeding from the wound. She and Puck attempted to rush to her aid…
…But the knight immediately swung his blade to send a wave of wind that blasted Da Vinci and Puck away, Puck landing on his feet, while Da crashed into a window.
Puck threw a knife at the knight, who casually caught it and threw it away, straight into Da Vinci's side.
"Agh!" Da Vinci grunted in pain as Puck rushed to her side, leaving Artoria vulnerable to the knight.
The knight walked up to Artoria, his helmet staring down at her. Jack tried to stop him, but the knight backhanded him away.
"For the sake of all of Britain, the pilgrimage must never succeed. The forging process must not be completed." The knight spoke as Artoria looked at him in confusion.
"The Avalon Le Fae must never reach the star. The solution is…death." The knight spoke before raising his blade.
But as he brought it down, Anice came in front of Artoria, her legs trembling from the blow she took earlier as she pushed the knight back.
"Anice…don't…" Artoria spoke as Anice tried to bring the knight away from her. Anice kept pushing him back with her shield, ignoring the cuts the winds buffeting around the knight left on her exposed body parts.
Artoria tried to get up, stumbling and nearly falling down again, just as the knight pushed away Anice's shield and slammed his hilt against Anice's face.
Anice fell down, a purple bruise forming under her eye.
"NO!" Artoria screamed as she stretched her hand, which turned void-black as Artoria's fear drew the curse back into her magic.
The knight froze again above Anice, but was strangely resistant to it, forcing Artoria to use it more.
Artoria tried to toss him away, but at that point, she could not maintain it anymore as the rotting substance built up in her body. Artoria felt nauseous as she slapped her hand against her mouth, breaking the spell as Artoria vomited out more of the black substance.
As soon as he was out, the knight raised his foot and stamped straight down on Anice's arm, breaking it as Anice let out a loud scream of pain.
The knight then looked at Artoria, and dashed towards her…
…Running her through with his sword.
Artoria's hand fell from her mouth as she spat out blood.
"NO!" Jack yelled.
Anice looked in horror as Artoria's shocked eyes looked at the knight's.
"Die, destroyer." The knight spoke as he ripped his sword out of Artoria's stomach, letting her fall to the ground.
At that moment, Puck jumped onto his shoulders, his hands fiery as he slammed it against the knight's helmet. For a moment, it seemed like he was going to melt the helmet, but the knight disappeared in a green flash, the wind barrier collapsing.
Da Vinci limped over as Anice ran over to Artoria, who stared up at the sky. She lifted Artoria's head and laid it on her lap.
I need Kay… Artoria thought.
"Kay…" She spoke, unaware the knight was gone.
"Help…"
Artoria did not notice one of her command spells glow as her vision faded to darkness.
"Little sister…?" Kay spoke quietly.
The city was silent for moments, before Kay rushed to Anice.
"What happened?!" He spoke.
"We got into a fight against a strong knight. We tried to take him out, but the knight was too strong and he…" Puck trailed off as Kay stared at Artoria's gaping wound.
Kay's hand stretched out to wipe off a trail of blood from the wound, staring at it blankly before his hand ignited.
"Kay…" Da Vinci spoke as Kay's face shifted into an angry scowl.
"Where is he?" He spoke.
"Kay…"
"WHERE IS HE?!" Kay bellowed getting up and unsheathing his sword.
"Kay, calm down!" Puck spoke jumping in front of him.
"Tell me where he is, Puck." Kay spoke, his voice turning ice cold.
"We are in no shape to fight!"
"Then I'll go alone."
"You can't. I don't know where I've sent him!"
Kay's grip on his sword tightened as he looked at Artoria.
"Can you heal her?"
"I can. Don't worry." Puck spoke as Kay continued staring on.
Puck rushed to Artoria as Kay continued looking on, his face blank.
…I shouldn't have let her go alone. Kay thought as his anger slowly turned into guilt.
"I should have been there with you, sister…I should have been there…"
"Welcome back, leech." Murian spoke as Baobhan Sith stood in the cage in Murian's throne room.
"Hello, Lady Murian."
"Where are the rest of the group?" Murian asked.
"Some odd fairy came and took them back to Sheffield." Sith spoke.
"What a shame. I was hoping to see their faces when they brought back their prize to me…"
Sith smirked. While they were walking to the forest of Dean, the slave mentioned something very interesting to her.
They may have won. But at least I'll get the last laugh on Murian. Sith thought.
"Actually, we found him in the Forest of Dean." Sith spoke.
"Really? Well, good job, leech. Now if you don't mind…I am noticing a lack of his presence?" Murian asked raising an eyebrow.
"Hmph. You won't be getting him." Sith spoke as Murian continued smiling.
"And…why is that?"
"Because you tasked us with finding your target, not bringing him back to you. And I just told you we found him."
Murian's smile lessened as her façade slipped a bit.
"Does Sir Kay not want to save his sister?"
"Well, that's their problem, not mine. You forced me into this errand, and I have completed it. I think Lord Woodwose and Mother would be proud."
Murian's nostrils flared. "You are not thinking of running away, are you?"
"Running away? Do you think I'm like that pig, that I will run away scared. Of course not! You should realise that you can do as little to me as I can to you."
"...What."
"You are right. Camelot has little power here, but you are delusional if you think mother is that powerless to let you harm me."
Sith continued smiling.
"So, if you want to take out your anger on me, then perhaps one of Mother's spears will find its way to Gloucester."
"..."
"And you know that's not an empty threat."
Murian stared at her before snorting. "I can't believe that old mutt is actually having an impact on you."
"No, you can thank the pig's slave for that. If I can't engage in violence in your city, I can at least have fun wiping that smug smirk off your revolting visage and expose the paranoid little bug."
"What did you say?"
"What everyone in your city should have said a long time ago." Sith spoke before mock gasping.
"Oh, would you look at the time! I need to get back to Camelot! Mother is going to decide what to do with the problem of Sheffield, so I must go!" Sith spoke.
"But Lady Murian…thank you for hosting me in Gloucester. I enjoyed my time here with the shops and the auction…" Sith spoke, doing a courteous bow after the verbal lashing she dished out to Murian.
"Shall I take your leave?"
"...Yes." Murian grit out as Sith giggled before a water mirror opened behind her.
Mother's spear, the slave's silver tongue has infected me. I really need to go to George… Sith thought as she stepped through to Darlington, intending to talk to George before she went to Camelot.
Da Vinci, Helga, Puck, Habetrot and the Silent Knight sat in Artoria's room. Helga's new found friend.
"Kay's still with Artoria?" Habetrot asked.
"Of course he is. He's been worried sick ever since we came back. I can't blame him, however." Helga spoke.
"What about Anice?"
"She's resting. Boggart's also been worried sick
"Well, Cornwall was a disaster." Da Vinci spoke as The other four looked at her.
"Ritsuka's hugr had been converted into a rune and placed in the lost city to lure us into a trap." Puck spoke as the rune Ritsuka's hugr floated in the air.
"Hm, I assume its only the minni component of her hugr that's here. The Óð must still be present in her mind, otherwise she would be akin to a mindless creature." Helga spoke.
"Whoever has done this must be having a clear understanding of the soul, or at least how we scandinavians understand the soul. Otherwise, they wouldn't have realised the division between the Óð and the Minni."
"So, what are you saying…"
"Someone well versed in Scandinavian magecraft did this." Helga spoke. "Gloucester was better. We managed to get to the child of prophecy, and we learnt where Ritsuka is."
Da Vinci tilted her head.
"Camelot."
"...Oh no." Da Vinci spoke, realising the implications of that statement.
"She's most likely Morgan's prisoner now." Puck spoke crossing his arms.
"So, we're probably not getting to Ritsuka in near future, then." Habetrot spoke.
"But on the bright side, this should make things easier for us." Helga spoke.
"How?"
"From what I understand, the Nameless Woods essentially scatters memories to wipe them clean, and the process of remembrance through violent shock often stitches them together. Whoever placed the trap did half of the work for us. Meaning, we can simply stick this rune into Ritsuka, and with Mash being nearby, it should automatically restore her memories."
"That's a relief." Da Vinci spoke before looking out the window at the boar of the rifts sleeping in a stable.
"Also, that's an interesting creature you found."
"Taming the Boar of the rifts…that's an impressive feat." Puck noted.
"But that does not look like a boar at all." Da Vinci noted.
"It doesn't."
"It looks more like a prehistoric reptile." Da Vinci spoke.
"You know what it is?"
"Sorry, I haven't brushed up my knowledge on our planet in prehistoric times so right now I can't give you the exact details of this creature. But things like these lived on the planet millions of years ago."
Helga leaned forward. "Really? Millions of years?"
"Long before humanity existed."
"Wow…"
"Anything else about this creature?"
"It did mention me managing to speak to it even though I do not have Malla."
"Malla?" Da Vinci spoke. "Did you just say Malla?"
"What's this Malla?" Helga asked.
"They are essentially alien bacterial organisms that came with the asteroid that struck our planet 66 million years ago." Da Vinci spoke.
"The Malla integrated itself with the environment of the American continents where they had landed, and eventually turned creatures into the gods of the Aztecs and other Mesoamerican civilisation."
"...But for a non-human creature to have it and know of Malla…" Da Vinci spoke.
"Could it be…?" She spoke in realisation as she looked at the creature once again.
She smiled back at Helga. "Thanks for bringing her. She's really important for us."
Helga smiled back. "Its nothing…but you are not planning any experiments, are you?"
"No. If my theory is true…" Da Vinci looked at the creature.
"I think we may have found a potential resident of the next lostbelt."
At that moment, someone tumbled out of the ceiling and landed into the room, scaring everyone.
"...You couldn't have dropped me at a better angle?" Everyone noticed a familiar figure groaning on the ground.
"Oh! You must be…Senji Muramasa!" Helga spoke helping Muramasa from the ground.
"Yeah, yeah…and you're the folks from Chaldea, I know." Muramasa spoke getting up.
"So, is this the place?"
Artoria found herself in a slightly different dream than usual. Instead of her doppelganger, she was now looking at Kay, walking through a city very different from the cities of Britain, with some ruined houses that were inhabited by people. He was wearing weird scale armor and a iron helmet, along with spears slung on his back with a red cloak going down his shoulders.
Around him, people wearing tunics chatted with each other in a foreign language she could only slightly understand, being a bit similar to Old Orknö.
Kay finally came upon a sort of harbour where ships were docking, standing next to a man unloading goods.
The man looked at him with a curious look.
"Eart þu fram Francland?" The man asked as Kay looked at him.
"Ego non dico anglici."
"Oh, þū ne spicst englisc? Sarig…" The man spoke before clearing his throat.
"Es tu de Gallia?"
"Ita vero. Parisius."
Artoria at this point was curious, so cast a little spell to understand what they were saying.
"Are you a soldier of King Clovis?" The man asked Kay.
"Yes. Where are those ships coming from?"
"Oh…they're coming from Francia as well. I don't need to tell you about what's going on with your king having converted to the Christian faith 3 years earlier."
"Hm, it has caused quite a stir amongst those who still worship the old gods." Kay replied.
"True. A shame he turned away from the great gods Woden and Thunor and decided to worship the single god of the christians. Our king Hengist is not like that, however. He will give us a better future on this island and with Thunor's blessing will strike down the Briton king Arthur!"
Artoria shivered as she heard her other self's name. Kay also stiffened slightly, but maintained his composure.
"I see. I hear there's been a stir recently here in Cantwareburh?"
"Ah, yes. People are saying one of the ships coming from Denmark was carrying a witch from the Northern Lands."
"Really?"
"Yes, they say it may be a practitioner of Seidr. Some even say she may be blessed by the goddess Frïg."
"And where is this witch?"
"She's not here in Cantwareburh. Stays in a house away from the city."
"I see, thank you." Kay replied.
"By the way, are you christian?" The man suddenly asked as Kay turned back and nodded warily.
The man's nose scrunched up as Kay bid him goodbye and walked off.
"I should get out of here before a Jute blows my cover." She heard Kay speak in a completely different language as he made his way through the streets.
Soon, he went out of the city walls and rode on a horse, following the directions the people gave him to come upon a hut on a hill.
Kay got down from his horse and walked towards it, unsheathing his sword.
"So, you've finally arrived, Britonnic brute?" Kay heard a voice before runes glowed near his feet, forcing him to his knees.
"Let me go, Jutish witch!" Kay snapped as Artoria noticed a familiar person walk in front of him.
"Helga?" Artoria spoke in confusion as Helga stood in front of Kay, having an arrogant smirk instead of a warms mile on her face.
"I'm not a Jute. I come from the Northern lands, like that Jute told you."
"How do you know that?"
Helga leaned down. "Because I can see the future…"
She then spread her arms.
"Welcome to my abode, Knight of Arthur."
And Artoria's dream ended there.
Kay stood in Boggart's infirmary, staring out the window as Artoria lay on a bed.
Suddenly, he heard Artoria stirring as he turned back.
"Sister?" He spoke softly before rushing to her side.
"Kay…?" Artoria croaked out as Kay took her hand between his palms, his worried face finally giving way to relief.
"You're awake…" Kay spoke, before wrapping Artoria in a hug.
"Oh, thank god." He spoke, a tear falling down his cheek as he clung onto his sister, afraid that any moment she would collapse and die.
"Kay, ow…" Artoria groaned as Kay let go, but still kept his hands on her shoulders as Artoria looked at him.
"Kay, your eyes…they're red."
Kay snorted.
"You gave me quite the scare, you idiot…" Kay spoke before looking down.
"I'm so sorry…I wasn't there for you when you needed me, Artoria."
Artoria stared at him.
"Kay…how are the others?"
"They're fine. We were just waiting for you to take up."
Artoria let out a sigh of relief, before her lips trembled as her grip on the blanket tightened.
"...I had him."
"Hm?"
"The knight. He had Anice. I-I stopped him for a moment…but I was too weak." Artoria spoke.
Oh, no. Not this again. Kay thought.
"Master, you have had only two attempts at the curse. You couldn't have stopped him with just that."
"...But its not just the curse. That knight…he wanted me dead. He was going after me. The others just got in his way, and…" Artoria looked down.
"And they got themselves harmed keeping me safe." She spoke dejectedly.
"Master, we are your companions. We are supposed to look out for each other."
"I-I know!" Artoria snapped. "But…I should have done something as well. All I could do was run away and lob useless spells from far away, as he got stabbed Da Vinci, backhanded Puck and broke Anice's arm. I couldn't do anything."
"..." Kay couldn't say anything, because this was new to him.
His sister, his Artoria was already powerful when she started her journey. She just needed experience, and whenever she failed and blamed herself, Kay knew it was just her guilt talking. She wasn't weak like she told herself, she was just experiencing failure due to lack of experience.
But this Artoria…Kay had to admit, but his master actually was not very strong. With what Da Vinci told him, Artoria struggled badly.
She would have to get stronger.
"Kay…" Kay heard Artoria speak.
"Will you…teach me to fight?" Artoria asked as Kay looked at her.
"As in…with a sword?" Kay asked. Artoria nodded vigorously.
"I want to be able to defend myself if my spells don't work." She spoke as Kay stared at her.
Artoria wanted him to teach her. To make sure she could take care of herself.
She's taking steps towards making herself better. Kay thought. She was actively seeking to better herself.
"Kay!" A young Artoria spoke as a young Kay looked down at her.
"Teach me to use a sword!" She spoke as Ector laughed from the table.
"What? Now?"
"Yes!"
"But you're just a 6 year old little girl. You'll just end up whacking yourself in the face with it!"
"Kayyyy…" Artoria whined. "I want to learn to use a sword!"
"You're too young! Father!" Kay called out to Ector, pleading for help.
"You've grown up now, boy. You can make your own decisions."
"Father?!" Kay cried out in betrayal as Artoria jumped onto his shoulders.
"Oi! Get off me, you rat!"
"No! Not until you teach me!" Artoria spoke as Kay tried to pry his sister off him, but her grip was too strong.
"Teach me! Teach me! Teach me! Teach me! Teach me!"
"No!" Kay spoke as the two of them tumbled to the ground.
Ector's laughter got louder as the two siblings rolled around, Kay trying to get Artoria off him.
Finally, he was able to do so and got back up.
"Kay, teach me!"
"No, I won't!"
"You won't?" Artoria asked looking at Kay, her eyes wide and pleading.
"No."
"..." Kay huffed and crossed his arms…
…Before he noticed Artoria's eyes had watered up.
"Grk!" Kay immediately knelt down and hugged Artoria.
"Artoria, calm down." He spoke.
"Y-You're such a meanie…You won't even teach me…" Artoria spoke, on the verge of a tearful breakdown.
"She's still a kid, Kay. Be a little easy on her." Ector spoke as Kay looked at Artoria's watery eyes.
He really hated it when his sister cried. And when she did, he always tried his best to cheer her up.
"Ok, fine. I'll teach you, but please don't cry. I really hate it when you do that." Kay spoke gently as Artoria smiled.
"P-Promise?"
"Pinky promise."
Kay's mind went back to when his sister Artoria asked him to teach her. He was skeptical, because he didn't have that much faith in Artoria and worried she would get hurt. But Kay soon discovered it wouldn't take long for Artoria to surpass him because of her draconic heart.
And when Artoria became King Arthur, Kay started worrying less and less for her safety and focussed on sharing her burden in managing Camelot. And all that culminated into one single thing…
"Milord, are you sure?" Andrivete asked in concern, as Kay looked out of the window.
"She won't listen to me." He spoke. "I warned her about Mordred…I warned her about Lancelot…but she just wouldn't listen."
Andrivete frowned as Kay looked at her.
"How is Kelemon doing?"
"Exceptional. She has fully adapted to the Saxon court in Northumberland. She can even recite a lot of our old poems from heart. She's even think of writing a poem of her own."
"What's it about?"
"A great warrior king slaying a giant and a dragon."
Kay smiled. "Interesting. Well, Garanwyn here is fantasising about serving in the army of Northumberland."
"Kay…you're dodging the topic." Andrivete noted. "I know Mordred will not be a problem to us, but to your sister…"
"Artoria outgrew me a long time ago. She doesn't need me anymore." Kay spoke dejectedly.
"She'll handle herself."
"Are you sure?"
"...Yes." Kay spoke.
"Kay, please think about this. You know how much pain this will cause you and your sister."
Kay closed his eyes. "...But that pain won't matter to her." He spoke in slight anger.
"She'll feel it, but then she'd shove it away like she always does. I gave up trying to reason with her a long time ago. She's not a child, she can make her own decisions. But I can't take it anymore. She won't abandon her kingdom even if it is on the verge of collapse."
"I have no future in Camelot now. I'll come to northumberland, and begin afresh at your court, my love."
Andrivete smiled. "My courtiers can't wait." She spoke planting a kiss on Kay's cheek as he walked off.
Andrivete's smile fell.
"I know how much you are hurting inside, Kay… After all that you've lost, this is something you can't simply brush aside."
He thought Artoria could handle herself as well. But…the world knows how everything ended.
Kay looked at his master once more.
"Master…promise me one thing."
"Yeah?"
"In case you need help, do not hesitate to call me. Do not put the burden of the prophecy solely on your shoulders."
Artoria nodded. "Okay."
"I'll get the others."
Much later, the entire group along with Muramasa stood in front of Boggart.
"It would have been good if you had brought back your friend from Cornwall. But you have done a splendid job bringing the one who nearly killed Morgan to our side…" Boggart spoke looking at Muramasa.
"You are willing to join us, no?"
Muramasa crossed his arms.
"Yeah."
Apparently, Muramasa was grateful to Höðr for getting him out of the pit, so he essentially agreed to join Artoria because of Höðr's wishes. Despite being an Apostle of the Alien God, as Da Vinci spoke, Muramasa said there was no conflict of interest between him and Artoria.
"Excellent. My spies in Norwich have reported that the High Queen shall soon take to the Gladstone terrace and announce to Britain what to do regarding us."
"She has to do that?" Artoria spoke.
"Indeed. It has been customary that whenever the High Queen wishes to engage in a major military operation, she has to inform the clan leaders doing so in the form of an address upon the Gladstone terrace from the Winter Palace where she addresses Camelot. While it has been termed as 'keeping communication clear between the Ashen Throne and the Lords of Britain', it is really just Morgan's ploy to draw attention towards her wiping out any dissidents and further cementing her power."
"And she wants to make an example out of Sheffield." Da Vinci spoke.
"Of course. Sheffield has seen many conflicts. It is a fortress that has been weathered by the flames of war and is still one of the best fortresses in Britain, right below the Imperial Capital of Camelot. If Morgan is able to put down Sheffield, it will send a clear message of the might of her forces. It might even demoralise the Round Table in Londinium as well as dissuade Cnoc Na Riabh and the Northern Fairies from making any moves."
"Sheffield will be very important to Morgan's image then. From what I remember, its been nearly 200 years since the Caterpillar war, and Morgan has made several changes to the army since then." Kay spoke.
"And Sheffield would be the perfect way to demonstrate the might of the forces of Morgan." Boggart spoke.
"So, it all hinges upon the upcoming battle." Artoria spoke.
"Indeed. If we lose, Britain will know that the High Queen is as powerful as ever and other forces might not be confident in striking against her. But if we win…"
"It will deal a significant blow to Morgan's reputation." Helga spoke.
"Exactly." Boggart spoke standing up, beckoning Artoria to come with him to a terrace, out to see Sheffield's population out in the streets, looking up at the castle.
"T-There's so many people…"
"If Morgan shall make her announcement from the Gladstone terrace, I shall do so as well."
"CITIZENS OF SHEFFIELD!" Boggart roared, his voice being amplified by magic as every fairy and human in sheffield heard their leader's voice.
"Our great city is no stranger to war. We have seen through almost every major conflict in Britain's history, from the Spring War to the Caterpillar War! Through all those conflicts, we have fought to preserve our city and have sacrificed the lives of thousands to be where we are today!"
"Now, however, we face our greatest challenge yet! In a few days, The High Queen shall announce her decision to crush our rebellion from the Gladstone Terrace! And she shall bring Camelot's might upon our walls!"
"In a few days, Sheffield shall see a sight it has seen for thousands of years. And the coming battle will be hard and bloody!"
"But do not fear! For we have powerful allies among us, those who have granted us significant strength! And most importantly, WE HAVE THE CHILD OF PROPHECY!"
Artoria felt dizzy at the roars that erupted from the crowd below.
"When we have Morgan's bane herself among our ranks, then victory certainly is possible! All we need to do is stand strong like we always have and push back against the enemy! All we need to do is prepare ourselves."
Boggart paused for a moment before taking a deep breath.
"I, BOGGART, THE FORMER LORD OF NORWICH AND CURRENT LORD OF SHEFFIELD, HEREBY DENOUNCE MY LOYALTY TO THE ASHEN THRONE! I SHALL NO LONGER SERVE THE TYRANNY OF MORGAN, AND INSTEAD FIGHT AGAINST IT!"
"GIVE ME BLOOD, MY PEOPLE, AND I SHALL GIVE YOU FREEDOM! THIS SHALL BE THE DEFINING MOMENT OF SHEFFIELD'S HISTORY!"
"OUR VICTORY SHALL SHOW THOUSANDS THAT MORGAN IS NOT INVINCIBLE! SO THAT IS WHAT WE SHALL ACCEPT, AND NOTHING MORE!"
"LONG LIVE BOGGART!"
"LONG LIVE BOGGART!"
"LONG LIVE BOGGART!"
"Woah…" Artoria spoke looking down at the people chanting Boggart's name below.
"The time has come, Lady Artoria…"
"For the start of a rebellion." Boggart spoke looking at the sky.
"...And it shall all emerge from the fire and blood of the fields of Sheffield."
A/N: First of all, Merry Christmas everybody. It is 40 minutes past midnight so it is already Christmas day in my timezone.
Moving on from that, tt is time, folks. Now that we're past Gloucester-Cornwall, its time we headed into the Battle of Sheffield. Now I sort of messed a little bit with how command spells work, but we got a little emotionally disbalanced Kay. Anyways, apparently my dad won't let me carry my laptop on a vacation. So coming chapters will be after a few days.
But anyways, Artoria wants to branch out her skills. Since I spent the Gloucester portion focussing on Helga, I think it would be fair to give Kay a little bit of backstory as well. About the dream segments, don't take the Anglo-Saxon english sentences to be accurate. I did not have the time to properly look into the Jutish dialect of Old English, so I just went with the more well known version that comes later. So forgive me in case you think the old english here isn't accurate for the time period. Also forgive me if the latin isn't right. I am much better with Germanic languages.
But anyways, let's see how the battle of Sheffield goes down.
Hope you guys enjoyed and constructive criticism is appreciated!
Translations:
Eart þu fram Francland? : Are you from the land of the Franks (At this time, France is being ruled by King Clovis of the Merovingian dynasty of the Franks).
Ego non dico anglici. : I don't speak english (People in Clovis' kingdom could likely speak Latin. For the Britons, it was of course possible, as it had been less than a hundred years since Rome left Britain.)
Oh, þū ne spicst englisc? Sarig… : Oh, you don't speak english? Sorry... (English is a germanic language that was spoken by the Germanic tribes in Britain, although I cannot be sure if the Franks could also speak English)
Es tu de Gallia? : Are you from Gaul? (The dream segment is set in Cantwareburh, AKA Canterbury, which possibly was a trading center between the Jutish kingdom of Kent and Merovingian France due to the discovery of Frankish coinage. It is highly possible that Canterbury was heavily influenced by the Franks and thus could have had people who spoke Latin).
Ita vero. Parisius. : That's right. Paris. (While Tournai is still the capital of the Merovingians at this time, Paris was still quite an important city with how much time and money Clovis invested into its development. After his conversion to Catholic Christianity, Clovis had begun preparing to shift capitals from Tournai to Paris.)
Foot Notes:
Gladstone Terrace: A special terrace on the Winter Palace from where High Queen Morgan is able to address all of Britain. It was created along with the palace's construction.
Response to Reviews:
Dodo: If the Ragnarok you're talking about is what Helga saw in the memories of the beast, then no. Thats not an alternate Ragnarok where Surtr won (Because I don't like the portrayal of Surtr as a pure evil villain). But besides that, I did want to show the risk of seidr that the dangers völva had to face.
King0fP0wers: Welp, let's see what route Sith goes down.
Guest: Great job. You're right about that.
hnh0583513: Cool. I got Archer EMIYA on my first 10 pull. Although, my go to archer is now Super Orion. Hope you enjoy the story.
Darth Kyuubi Kurama: Thank you
ChinatsuSimp: Ah, the first mention of Hololive in my fanfics. But to be honest, I'm wasn't very interested in Hololive. Although, recently I've been getting dangerously close to falling down the rabbit hole because of FUWAMOCO.
Also, yeah, I've got a bit more of a bigger role for Boggart this story. And for the Silent Knight, you'll know later.
Seeking the Miraculous Dream: Yeah. I always depict fate like a delicate thing in stories. So, having just one person's presence change a lot of stuff is fun.