I had been working on this one-shot for quite some months. It began when I asked a friend for a prompt, and she gave me stargazing. Then I started to try out various ideas. The perfectionist in me just refused to accept anything and while I don't think this is my best work, I do find it satisfactory enough to share.
PS: I am back from Japan. It was amazing, incredibly hot and yummy. If I had the chance to go back, I would surely do so.
The battle was over... for now... Artoria dragged her fatigue-ridden body across the field, her soaked dress clinging uncomfortably to her form. The weight of her armour and clothing seemed to have increased tenfold, and the King of Knights fought against her protesting muscles with every step.
It was merely the aftershock of the battle, she told herself. If she could just rest for a short while, her body would quickly recover. Yet she denied herself that luxury. Her gaze drifted towards the large phantasmal creature she had felled. Its corpse was slowly dispatched into the sky, like a flame giving out its final flicker. It was a sight both tragic and beautiful.
The fight had raged for hours, spanning across the forest, the plains and finally the waters. It was there, at the water's edge, where she managed to bring it to an end. She had no clear plan on where to head next, nor what she would do, but one thing was certain: she could not permit herself to rest. Perhaps, when she finally found what she was seeking, rest would be allowed.
Despite her exhaustion, she spotted the new threat from miles away. It was neither a phantasm, nor a demonic beast, but an abomination, ready to sink its claws into its next victim.
Artoria did not hesitate. She gripped her holy blade and moved to strike.
Just like the adversary before it, the creature fell to the King's blade. Again and again, she faced these monstrous foes. Each one screamed at her, their inhuman cries filled with accusations, venom, and despair. Until, at last, she felt nothing at all.
Do not rest.
Do not linger.
Move forward.
Strike before you are struck.
A king must not be human.
A king must not feel.
Like a bloody dance, her journey repeated over and over, until darkness swallowed her whole.
It seemed endless, but a tiny spark made the King of Knights, snapping her out of the trance. The chill breeze of the wind on her cheek stirred her senses. Had she awaken from a terrible nightmare? Since when had she been unconscious?
Her body was pristine, free from wounds or curses, but her weary mind made it difficult to orient herself. She moved, albeit slowly, unaware of the cushioning and blankets she had been lying on.
As she stepped outside the strange dwelling, Artoria flinched when the sudden light from outside stung her eyes. It was still night, but far from civilisation, the stars illuminated the sky, forming a path of light for the lost. Among those twinkling lights, she saw the last person she expected to meet.
"Have you had enough of chasing despair?" A male voice cut through the silence.
He was not clad in the gleaming golden armour he wore in battle, nor the attire of the present age. Free from the duty of battle, the man before her sat on a beautiful woven rug, dressed in a white robe that shamelessly exposed his well-built frame, tied with a colourful sash and overlaid with a red robe. His numerous pieces of golden jewellery, which he never failed to boast of, were still present, gleaming in the starlight. It was the garb of his era when he ruled over the city-states of humanity's earliest civilisation.
"Gilgamesh?" Her voice was laced with fatigue, too weary to carry any venom or emotion.
She couldn't comprehend why he was here, nor why she was here in the first place. The King of Heroes retrieved a drink from his treasury and glanced back at her over his shoulder.
"I invite you to join me, or not, if you prefer." The man told her, surprisingly generous. There was no trace of his usual demanding tone.
"What are you doing here?" The King of Knights asked.
He frowned. "What does it look like? I am enjoying the treasures my garden provides."
"Are you referring to stargazing?" she inquired.
"Call it as you might like," He replied, turning his attention back to the sky.
Artoria wondered if Gilgamesh had hit his head; he was acting uncharacteristically calm. There was no mockery, no demeaning tone, no insults, If not for his undiminished arrogance, she might have thought he'd been brainwashed or replaced. What had brought about this change?
Out of curiosity, she decided to join him. He had done nothing to provoke her, and perhaps, this might serve as a welcome distraction from the terrible nightmare or vision she had just endured.
She sat down and took the glass he offered, murmuring a faint "thank you."
Looking up, she understood what had captivated him. The sky was beautiful, with tiny stars twinkling faintly as if flowing through otherworldly hues of purple and blue. Even back in Britain, she had never seen a sky so mesmerizing and clear, nor had she ever taken the time to just observe it. One more regret she would carry with her.
"The heavens are the one thing immune to the passage of time. Irrespective of the past or future, the stars will always illuminate the night."
Artoria had not expected him to speak so suddenly. Her gaze shifted to Gilgamesh before she returned her attention to the stars. "They are the reach of humans, untouchable and unchanging. Even when one loses their light, another one will be born from its ashes."
She felt the King of Heroes' gaze on her but did not respond to it.
"Indeed. It is because they are untouchable that they possess beauty. However, no star can be replaced. Each is unique; its light cannot be replicated."
For a moment, their eyes met. Her piercing cold emeralds against his blazing rubies. It felt strange, having such a conversation with him, one that didn't stoke any animosity. The fog clouding her mind had mostly lifted, yet there was still a lingering blur.
"Their function remains the same," she said, "Even if it is not the same star, the change will go unnoticed. Such as in nature, a wolf may be unique in its own way, but to others, it might just be a reflection of another."
She too was replaceable—by someone wiser, stronger and far more capable. She was merely a vessel, serving her purpose until she was no longer needed.
The soft clink of a goblet hitting the ground was the only sound, before she suddenly found herself on her back, Gilgamesh leaning over her, his eyes piercing hers with an intensity she had never seen.
"Would they, really?" a cold chill ran down Artoria's spine at the tone in his voice. "Would an ancient star be considered the same as a newly formed one? Would their difference in intensity truly go unnoticed? Is there no distinction between a blue star, blazing with heat across the universe, and a red star, a mere flicker of light? Tell me, Saber do you genuinely believe there is no difference between the two?"
"I..." Her voice wavered. The answer might have been obvious to anyone else, yet she felt they were speaking about something far deeper. "Would you notice the difference, then?"
He leered at her, his lips curving upward slightly, eyes distant as though seeing something beyond the visible. "No, matter how long time passes." he said, leaning closer, his breath warm against her skin as his voice rang through the air, "I will always recognise my treasures."
A strange feeling bubbled up within her. Was it anger? Annoyance? Or something else entirely? She could not tell, but she did not like it. With all the force she could muster, she pushed the King of Heroes away and slowly rose her gaze locked with the dazzling sky. The tiny dots shone brightly, like fragments of a dream, and her eyes widened as a single ray of light cut through the darkness, vanishing almost as quickly as it appeared.
It was said that witnessing one could grant any wish... or desire one may have...
"Even the heavens are giving us a sign and yet you still refuse to yield, do you?"
The King of Knights locked eyes with the King of Heroes. He seemed entirely unperturbed by her defiance. The desire in his gaze remained a hunger that would slowly but inevitably devour her if she ever gave in to his desires.
Once more her eyes drifted to the celestial heavens, one last time before she decided it was time to leave. She could see them burning brightly, out of reach, yet constant, unchanging. And she realised how small she felt beneath them, like a shadow that the stars might never notice.
"I look forward to the next time you are in my company, Saber."
His voice broke the silence, halting her steps. She hesitated before replying "Perhaps..." She did not look back, nor did she need to.
Despite her wishes, fate had decreed that their paths would cross again. Sooner or later under favourable or unfavourable circumstances, they would meet. The spiral would continue, repeating itself endlessly. Until one of them gave in or the ceaseless battles finally came to an end.
And no matter how much she hoped, no Holy Grail nor wishing star could grand the one thing she desired most. It was up to her to carry her burdens, even in death, until she was finally released from this cruel curse called fate—a fate that, like the stars, seemed eternally fixed, yet ever so distant, and always just out of reach.