The past week had been the greatest of Morgan's two thousand year life. Shirou had moved into her cottage, Morgan unable to resist having his presence by his side. She told herself that it was only to hurt Artoria, only to maximize her pain. She even told herself that her returning his affections and doing everything to make him happy was just to make her sister hurt more from the tower she had willingly imprisoned herself in. It was probably a lie, but it was how she had justified this week of bliss.
But all things had to end, as one from the inner sea of the planet, Morgan carried many responsibilities to the planet, and she had neglected those for the man she… loved was playing with. For the last week, they had not left each other's sight for longer than five minutes. Every day she had eaten nothing but his food, and his dishes had gotten better each time somehow. She had even taken to helping him with small parts of preparation, and Shirou had been happy to explain all of his decisions and discuss the process with her curious mind.
They chased each other in the forest, and when he had caught her he had her he tackled her to the ground and fucked her like an animal. They had bathed in the river and he had thrust up into her with her legs around his waist and only their heads not submerged. On the way home, he had pressed her up against the window of her cottage and taken her in another way with her breasts pressed against the glass. Most mornings he woke her with oral, and the only exception was when she had awoken first and chosen to return the favor. They had fucked on every inch of the property barring her workshop, up against walls, on the bed, the table, and even on the roof. It was as if they were newlyweds, unable to get enough of each other. It had to end.
Today, Morgan had been the first to awaken, and she had denied her very lingering desire to take his slightly erect cock into her mouth. She had actually gotten dressed for the first time since meeting Shirou and locked herself in her workshop behind a number of bounded fields. She would not be speaking to her lover today, nor allowing herself to be distracted by his food. She had things that had to be completed, debts to the planet that piled up through her neglect. She would not fail Britain as her sister had.
So here she was, hard at work trying to create and multiply true ether to heal some of the damage that humans had managed to do to the planet. She could not save Gaia, but she would at least save a portion of the earth- her portion, Britain. Creating pure ether was not supposed to be possible without true magic, so all Morgan could do at this point was try to multiply the little that remained and re-distribute it to Britain. One island would be saved. It was difficult work on the best of days… and impossible work when she was so distracted by her stupid annoying handsome bedfellow the kind and good Shirou Emiya. She had never hated anyone more. And she had never loved anyone more. She had been at this for hours and made so little progress.
A knock sounded on the door, jolting Morgan from her reverie. "You in there, Viviane?" The baritone voice of Shirou called out and her heart fluttered in her chest. She clenched her hands into fists and took a deep breath.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to spend the day with you today, Shirou," Morgan apologized softly. "I have business I have to take care of in my workshop."
"Alright," Shirou agreed immediately. Morgan wished that he would curse her out or run away. That he would simply rip the bandaid off now. Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately for her, Shirou had other plans. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"No!" Viviane's voice was distant, almost panicked? He had known she had a workshop, but he didn't remember Saber being all that interested in magecraft or having what he could only assume was research she needed to do… Shirou shrugged to himself, he didn't remember a lot of things about Saber, even after reuniting with her, and everything he learned about her was better than he had imagined.
He liked the thought of her in a pointed witch hat with long robes and wide rimmed glasses that sultry blue eyes peered over. She was so studious and intelligent, far beyond him, and the little he had remembered of Saber. The look in her eyes filled with understanding about every word that Shirou said, the way she instantly grasped what Shirou was talking about in the kitchen, even when she had no culinary experience. There was no doubt that Viviane was a genius who no doubt excelled in magecraft, if she was actually interested in it enough to spend an entire day on it. Anything she was interested in, she would find a way to excel in. That was just who Viviane was.
"I'll just bring you breakfast then," Shirou promised.
"You can't come in!" Viviane squealed. "Things are uh… very volatile! Yes! I will just skip eating today!"
Shirou chuckled and waved his finger at the closed door. "You're not skipping breakfast, Viviane," he scolded. "I'll just leave the food outside the door for you when you have a free moment." He didn't give her a chance to deny him before retreating into the kitchen.
Sure enough, a half hour later there was a knock on the door and an announcement of food being ready. A part of Morgan wanted to ignore it out of stubbornness, but Shirou's food was too perfect to deny, not with the scent somehow penetrating her bounded fields and making her mouth water. She nervously cracked the door open and scanned the living room, half-expecting Shirou to be waiting to ambush her and drag her into more debauchery.
Morgan sighed half in relief and half in disappointment when the room was indeed empty, and she could only hear Shirou faintly humming outside. Her disappointment was forgotten when she saw the feast Shirou had laid out for her… maybe it was good to take a slight break occasionally.
Morgan growled as she stared at the empty circle in front of her, still completely devoid of ether. An entire day avoiding Shirou, and an entire day of getting nowhere in her mission to save Britain. She should choose to sequester herself from him everyday until she found her breakthrough… just as she had been doing for the last one hundred years before he arrived. Alone in her workshop, conducting research. And she would likely still get nowhere… but she had to try.
A knock sounded on her door causing Morgan to look up. "Dinner is ready," Shirou proclaimed.
"Wait!" Morgan called out without thinking about it. "You can come in this time…" She wasn't sure why she had said that… it wasn't that she actually wanted him to cheer her up, and it wasn't that she was giving up.
"Do you want me to destroy the bounded field or…?"
"Sorry!" She went to pull down the bounded field before hesitating. "Actually… why don't you destroy it?" She challenged him, offended by his offer. It was not like she couldn't replace the defense with some effort… and she didn't need the defensive barrier in a land with only two people free to roam. It was also simply impossible for a mage as simple as Shirou Emiya to take down the magecraft of Morgan le…. and the field was already down!? She couldn't have even done that to an identical defense as quickly as he had!
Shirou pushed the door open, carrying a plate full of food and naked as usual. His expression was already warm, softened upon seeing her disheveled state, and he took great efforts to ignore how cute Viviane looked with glasses to focus on her well being. "Tough day?" he asked gently as he sat down across from her.
"You don't know the half of it," Morgan grumbled, still very put out at her lack of success and more so, how effortlessly Shirou had managed to dismantle her bounded field. Honestly, she had spent hours setting those up and he hadn't just pulled down the one on the door barring him entrance but all of them! How was that even possible to do so quickly! He had broken every rule of magecraft in one move! And Shirou wasn't that talented from what she had seen of her beloved!
"Well maybe this will cheer you up; I had been trying to figure out how to create something similar to a hamburger… since I thought I remembered it as one of Saber's favorite foods, but without cows it was kind of impossible… but I finally did it today! I found the right combination of ingredients to recreate the texture and feel of meat! I actually think it should taste better than any hamburger you had last time!"
"You didn't give me a fork?" Morgan questioned, as she looked at the food with an eager grin. "It didn't look like anything special, but even if Shirou had claimed it tasted horrible, she knew it would taste like the bread of heaven to her. All of his food was that good.
Shirou chuckled at her question. "You don't eat this with a fork, it's finger food. Just pick it up and take a bite." He proceeded to demonstrate by picking up his burger in one hand… Morgan could only stare at the grease coating his fingers in a mix of disgust and fascination. He noticed her gaze and laughed. "It's American," he said in lieu of a real explanation.
Morgan scowled slightly, but picked up her own burger. She took a small bite hesitantly and moaned at the flavor. This was… perfect. It was messy and a bit gross… but the flavor was to die for. This was the greatest thing she had ever tasted… no wonder it was one of Artoria's favorite foods… it was her favorite too… it was objectively the best! At least when it was cooked by her darling Shirou, that is. She scarfed it down embarrassingly quick and picked up the second burger on a tray of them.
"Not to disturb you while you are eating, but do you want to talk about your day?" Shirou asked gently. "It's fine if you don't, but I'm here if you need an ear to rant at."
Morgan's face flushed as she slowed the pace of her eating at the reminder of her audience being him. "I…"
"Take your time," Shirou soothed her and somehow it actually helped.
"I can't do this Shirou," she whispered as tears escaped the corner of her eye… when was the last time she had really cried? "I have tried everything… and I have to make a choice. Do I spend every moment of every day for the rest of my life trying to save Britain from the foolishness my sister set in motion?" Do I abandon you to do so? "Do I continue to fight knowing it's probably in vain? Or do I give up and just enjoy a life of nothing that never produced anything?" With you.
"Is saving Britain important to you?" Shirou asked gently.
"Of course it is!" Morgan hissed. "I thought you knew that!"
Shirou smiled gently and placed a hand on her knee. She shuddered at the contact. "If it is truly important to you, then you can't give up no matter what. If I had given up on you, or you gave up on me, we wouldn't be here together. We were told it was impossible… but here we are. Together. It doesn't matter if saving Britain is supposed to be impossible, you'll find a way."
His words were meant to be encouraging, but to Morgan there was not a more effective dagger to her heart. His not giving up had given him a mockery of the impossible dream. Morgan not Artoria was his fulfillment. It had lead to the worse fulfillment he could have imagined. What did that mean for her dream? Was Britain truly doomed? Why did it feel so painful to look at him after he said that?
Shirou frowned at the fear on her face. "Maybe there's something I can do to help? I'm not going to pretend to understand any advanced magecraft… but two heads are better than one?"
Morgan laughed bitterly. "I doubt that. Unless you mean to tell me that you have some way to create true ether out of nothingness."
Shirou frowned once more before his expression shifted to an uncharacteristic smirk. "I am the bone of my sword," he whispered. A second later, a somewhat simple greatsword rested across his lap. Morgan watched in idle curiosity, not expecting much, but curious what he thought he could do to help in an impossible task. He rose to his feet with the sword held in one hand.
Shirou lifted the sword above his head without explaining anything. "O sword, let thee be filled." The gem in the handle began to glow an orange light and the sword lit up in shades of blue.
Morgan's jaw dropped… what the fuck!? That…. That was… true ether! Shirou had just effortlessly procured it from nowhere! After one hundred years of research and experimentation… one conversation and Shirou had found a way to do as much if not more than she had. ONE CONVERSATION. Who the fuck was Artoria's former lover? And the man that Morgan loved?
Morgan gingerly rose to her feet, and Shirou offered the sword to her. She took it very carefully, as if afraid it would break and her salvation would be lost with one wrong move. "What… what is this?" She asked, feeling the hefty weight of the sword in her hand.
"Balmung, the sword of the Dragon Slayer Siegfried," Shirou was quick to answer. "It has a gem within it that stores true ether and can be called upon with that incantation I just used."
"Can…. Can the gem be removed?" Morgan asked in awe.
"No," Shirou shook his head and Morgan's hope was dashed. "My tracing isn't going to let me defy the design of the original- you would have to break the sword to remove the gem, and doing so would cause the sword to dematerialize… but the true ether can be released."
Morgan's eyes narrowed with excitement and a bit of skepticism. "How?"
"Swing the sword down and release it's true name - Balmung. I wouldn't recommend using it here though, it tends to be very destructive."
"And will the ether released remain when the projection fades?" The scholar in Morgan knew this was too good to be true. Of course, even if it wasn't, that was theoretically a more solvable problem than her current one, but there had to be a catch.
Shirou shrugged. "I haven't exactly tested it, but I know that other Noble Phantasms leave a huge discharge of magical energy when released, and that does not fade when they are dismissed… so I would assume so?"
"Do you know how much ether is in that gem? Can it be replenished?" Even at full capacity, a glance showed that the gem would at most hold enough magical energy to save 5% of Britain.
Shirou didn't say anything but just smirked at her. "Steel is my body and fire is my blood." A sword plunged into the ground in front of Morgan. Identical to the one in her hand, stuck in the wooden floor of their home. A second one appeared to the left, and another to the right. With loud thuds, swords embedded themselves in the floor of her workshop surrounding her in a circle… five… ten… twenty… thirty… Shirou just kept them coming. "Does that answer your question?"
"Dismiss them all right now," Morgan snarled as she stared at her savior.
Shirou looked confused but did as she asked and every sword- including the one she had been holding in her hand dematerialized into prana.
Morgan did not waste a second before leaping onto Shirou, her suddenly naked body pressing against his, the heat of their skin melding together as she claimed his mouth in a fiery kiss. She felt his shock, his body stiffening beneath hers, but she didn't relent, her passion driving her to seek more of his affection. Her hands roamed over his chest, her nails digging into his flesh as she felt the throb of his cock against her thigh. With a seductive smile, she pulled away, her eyes gleaming with desire.
"Viviane," Shirou managed to murmur, his voice thick with lust, as she positioned herself above him. She took his length in her hand, stroking it gently before guiding it to her entrance. The moment he was inside her, she threw her head back and let out a moan that echoed through the chamber. The feeling of her wet warmth enveloping him was overwhelming, and Shirou's eyes rolled back in his head as she began to ride him with the intensity of a storm.
Viviane's breasts bounced with every thrust, and she took his hands, placing them on them, urging him to squeeze and knead them to her liking. Shirou could do nothing but obey, his mind a whirlwind of pleasure as she set the pace, her hips moving in a dance that seemed to have been choreographed by the gods themselves. He watched her face, the way her eyes would squeeze shut with each downward motion, the way her lips parted to release gasps of ecstasy. Her long, platinum hair fell around her like a curtain, obscuring everything but her pale, porcelain skin and those piercing blue eyes that seemed to see into the very depths of his soul.
"Oh, Shirou," she moaned, her voice a siren's call that only served to drive him to thrust up faster. "I love you. I'm going to stay with you forever and ever." She finally had her excuse to keep him around. He could let her save the planet... she had to have him. She had to love him in every possible way… not her own benefit… but for the planet. She was being selfless in loving him… definitely.
Shirou, lost in the passionate haze, murmured sweet words of love in response, his voice a gentle caress against her ear. "Viviane," he whispered, his hands roaming over her hips, "you're everything to me. I never knew love could be so... so perfect."
Morgan's heart swelled at his words, her own climax approaching like a crescendo of symphonic pleasure. "And I love you," she panted, her hips moving in a frenzied dance of desire. "I love you! I love you! I love you!"
She felt his body tighten beneath her, his own release drawing near. She didn't want it to end, not yet. She leaned down, her breasts pressing against his chest, and kissed him fiercely, her tongue exploring every corner of his mouth as if it were her first kiss and she wanted to remember every sensation for all eternity. In a way it was, this was the first kiss where she allowed herself to admit that she loved him… it felt different.
Shirou's hands tightened on her hips, urging her on, his breath hitching in his throat. "Viviane," he groaned, "don't stop."
But Morgan had other plans. With a smirk, she leaned back and slowed her pace, watching him with hooded eyes as she teased the edge of her own orgasm. "No," she whispered, "not yet, my love. I want to draw this out."
Their eyes locked, a silent battle of wills and passion, until finally, she felt his body tense and he shouted her name, his release spilling into her in hot, thick waves. But she wasn't done yet. She continued to ride him, her eyes never leaving his, as she whispered how much she loved him. His eyes rolled back in his head, and she knew she had him exactly where she wanted. His penis never lost any of its vigor even as he filled her.
Shirou's hands fell to her waist, his fingers digging into her skin as she brought him back from the brink of oblivion. "Vivi..." he gasped, his body shuddering beneath hers.
"Mm," she hummed, "you're so cute like this, under me." And she meant it. He was her perfect hero, her salvation in more ways than he could ever know. With a renewed vigor, she began to move again, her thighs tightening around his waist. She could feel herself approaching another peak, her body quivering with anticipation. It was the first time that Morgan had allowed herself to really take control and enjoy herself… It was the first time she was willing to admit how much she needed this.
Shirou's eyes snapped open, and he stared up at her with a mix of awe and love. "Viviane," he murmured, his voice low and intense, "you're so incredible. I love you."
And with that, she pushed herself over the edge, her body convulsing around his cock as she cried out his name. The pleasure was so intense it was almost painful, and she felt his erection pulse within her as he came again.
They stayed there for a moment, their bodies tangled together, their breaths mingling in the cool air of the workshop. Then, with a final, lingering kiss, Morgan pulled away and stood, her legs slightly wobbly from the exertion. "Thank you," she murmured, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, "for everything." The guilt made her want to scream… lying to the man she loved just so she could stay with him… she had to make the choice… but it hurt.
Shirou looked up at her, his eyes filled with love and concern. "What's wrong?" he asked, reaching out a hand to help her up.
"Nothing," she smiled, her voice light, "everything is perfect." It was only mostly true.
The last two weeks had not been without a dull moment. Since that first day where he had shown her Balmung, they had made so much progress. They had established a routine now… the two of them working together to save the planet, starting with Britain… and as Shirou insisted, the people on it. They could be saved too. She shouldn't neglect them just because they turned their back on the planet… on Britain. Shirou would project the sword and fill it and when he unleashed the true ether, Morgan was always ready to redirect it to another storage vessel. Forget just saving Britain, they were going to manage to resuscitate the planet itself. Somehow.
There were some things that didn't go perfectly according to plan- while Shirou could project fifty copies of Balmung, he could fill them all with true ether without passing out and the projections dissolving. They had to go one at a time… and that was fine. They had an infinite supply after all and plenty of time. Unleashing the true ether once was also incredibly draining on Shirou, and he had to rest between each one. Those recovery times tended to be pretty short as it usually lead to Shirou and Morgan fucking in some form… mana transfers were a convenient excuse to indulge in what they both wanted more than anything. They were probably fucking more now that they spent the entire day working on saving with purpose, and both of them clearly enjoyed this more than just wandering around without purpose beyond each other. It was perfect.
For the first time in her life, Morgan could honestly say that she wanted to change nothing about her life. She was happy. She had the greatest man in the world by her side, bringing her pleasure in ways she had never imagined, and she had the ability to save Britain. As Shirou set a bowl in front of her, Morgan acknowledged that the fact that he was the greatest chef she had ever met, also helped a lot. She truly could not imagine a more perfect person than him. It was no longer about Artoria or justice… but Shirou Emiya, the man she loved more than she had thought possible. The man she loved as much as her precious Britain.
"So you obviously have a lot of swords," Morgan started the conversation over breakfast. "Surely, you have a favorite. Tell me about it."
"Yours," Shirou was quick to respond.
"No. Saber was your favorite person . Tell me about your favorite sword, don't consider your favorite wielder," she demanded with a scowl.
"That would be Kanshou and Bakuya then."
"Tell me about them," Morgan demanded eagerly, her full attention captivated by Shirou.
"They're the married swords of Gān Jiàng and Mò Yé. When her husband was ordered to forge an imperial sword, Mò Yé without telling her husband chose to throw herself into the furnace… and from the cost of her life, Gān Jiàng forged the married blades. Like the lovers they are modeled after, the two are fated to always be reunited. If I throw one sword, no matter how poor the technique or where I throw it, it will always be pulled back to the other. If one sword breaks, the other will follow. They are naturally attracted to each other and can not be apart… it's my favorite because it reminded me of you… of the impossible promise of us reuniting… and their tenacity to fight for it no matter what. Those swords are a reminder of who we are to each other… and what we were fighting to avoid."
His words might have been intended to be sweet, but to Morgan it was as if ice water had just been dumped over her head. "Shi… Shirou… can I ask you something?"
"Of course," he replied without hesitation.
"Can you show me them?" It couldn't be real. She refused to believe… it wasn't even worth considering. She had to be imagining things.
"While we eat breakfast?" Shirou questioned with a wide grin. "I'm glad you're excited but we should fini-"
"Now Shirou!" Morgan insisted. "I don't care about breakfast… this is important."
Shirou was more than a little confused, but he was never going to deny Viviane anything as simple as this. "Trace on." The married blades he had fought with for nearly his entire life appeared in his hands and a moment later he gently set them on the table for her inspection.
She picked one up slowly and hesitantly… was there something about these twin dao in particular disturbed her? But what? "Viviane… did these swords hurt you?" She didn't appear to hear him too busy inspecting the swords, pushing them together and apart repeatedly. So Shirou settled in to watch in silence, curious to see what had fascinated her so much. He had no doubts that she would tell him eventually… They hadn't kept a single secret from each other since the moment he had started helping her in her workshop. There was a lone tear rolling down her cheek.
She set the blades down on the table and Shirou dismissed them, clearly recognizing that she was done with them by the way she refused to look at them… or him and how she was nibbling on her lip. "Viviane, is there-?"
"I need you to give me Avalon!" Viviane blurted out, cutting him off. "Please Shirou," she begged.
Shirou frowned slightly… Avalon had been everything to him for his entire life… the only thing he had tying him to Saber in the years before he found Viviane… "Can I ask why?"
Viviane refused to meet his eyes. "I just… I need it… please?" She was crying more now, tears steadily running down her cheeks. Shirou wanted to reach across the table and wipe her tears away, but he refrained. She had already told him how he could help her, and it wasn't by holding her as she cried.
It would be like losing an arm… but he didn't need Avalon now that he had the real Viviane. She was here, he no longer needed to cling to the last remnant from before… and while Avalon had saved his life so many times in the past, there was no threat in Avalon that he needed protection from. "...Okay?"
Viviane's blue eyes snapped to him. "You'll do it," her voice was empty and hollow, her grief more apparent than before. "I… just get it over with."
Shirou frowned at the odd response, but had already given his word, and it was obvious that this was important to her. "I do, kind of need your help for that… if you're sure you want to do this. You have to call out to Avalon for me to project the actual version and not just a copy."
Morgan flinched but nodded. "Of course," she agreed immediately. She had to know, no matter how much she didn't want to.
And five minutes later, Morgan sat on the floor across from Shirou holding Avalon in her hands. The last time she had held it was when she had given Artoria Excalibur all of those years ago. It was as beautiful as she remembered and yet… she had never seen anything as hideous than the sight of it in her arms. It purred in her hands and she wanted to destroy it.
Shirou was slightly winded but put his hand on her knee to try to comfort her through… whatever she was going through. "That's Avalon… it was already yours… but take good care of it for me."
Morgan tried to smile at him but it didn't reach her eyes. His hand was on her knee and she didn't feel trails of fire where his hand had touched… her worst fear was confirmed… Just like those married swords, Avalon simply longed to be reunited with a Pendragon. It had called out to her, and her to it… and she had mistaken the call for love…
Shirou's hand reached out to caress her cheek gently, his thumb running under her eyes and brushing off her tears. "I'm here Viviane," was all he could say. He didn't have the first idea what was wrong, but he would promise his presence for as long as she wanted it.
Morgan leaned into his touch, desperate to feel something other than the slight warmth of his palm. She hated to see him like this… so hurt over her… so hurt because she realized the obvious, that this life was always a lie. That she couldn't have true happiness.
He removed his hand and crawled closer to her, crushing her in a bruising hug. "I'm here VIviane," Shirou repeated like an anthem. "I love you and will never leave you." His strong arms wrapped around her torso and it felt… nice. Not the sensation of his touch, but the sensation of being held… by Shirou.
He looked so broken… not because he was hurting… but because she was hurting… and she didn't know how to stop it. He had been there for her through everything since that day they met for the first time three weeks ago, never leaving her side, always supporting her. And she had lied to him. He had been fooled by her deceit. And she felt awful for it...
She leaned over, her eyes searching his, and she kissed him softly. It was a kiss filled with sorrow, with the weight of the truth she was hiding, but mostly filled with love. She didn't feel the same fire that she had before, the fire that had made her feel so alive when she kissed him, but she enjoyed it for the way his lips quirked up against her own... and the feeling of closeness that she felt being held with his tongue in her mouth.
His eyes lit up, his arms wrapping around her and pulling her closer, his hand sliding down her back, caressing the small of her back, and pressing her into him. It was like he was trying to become one with her, to erase the pain she felt. And she kissed him harder, her tongue slipping into his mouth, tasting him, memorizing him.
Morgan's body was no longer responding in the way it had before. Avalon had been a key to a door that had been locked for centuries, the key to feeling the passion that most felt. When he was without it, everything had lost its luster. Her body no longer responded with lust as it had, her mind no longer clouded with pleasure. And it changed nothing. It might not be lust, but she still wanted this more than she had ever wanted anything. Because it was Shirou.
They kissed with a slow, deliberate passion, their tongues dancing in a silent conversation of love and longing. Her breasts pressed against his chest, her hands roaming over his muscular back, tracing the scars she had once placed there. The room was filled with the sweet scent of their desire, a potent aphrodisiac that seemed to amplify every sensation. She watched his face, his expressions of pleasure, his gentle moans and gasps for air as she kissed him. It was in those moments she felt most alive, not from the touch itself, nor because of her sister, but because it was with him .
They made love slowly, with a tenderness that was a stark contrast to the fiery passion that usually drove them. It was a dance of love and understanding, each movement a silent declaration of their feelings. Morgan's legs wrapped around him, her heels digging into his back, urging him deeper, feeling his warmth and strength as he filled her. She hardly felt pleasure at the sensation of his penis rubbing against her walls... it was him being inside of her that felt perfect... him being with her. The sweet nothings that he whispered in her ear, and the way his hand gently stroked her back, even as he buried himself to the hilt in her. She watched his eyes dilate, his face contort with ecstasy, his breath hitch in his throat as he moved within her. That was what she lived for now.
As they reached the climax together, she whispered, "I love you, Shirou," her voice raw with emotion. She meant every syllable, her heart swelling with a love that was pure and true. This was no lie, no deception. It was not the result of Avalon compelling her to love him, nor was there any thought of Artoria in her head. This was her truth, laid bare before him, that was all that was this time. Morgan le Fay loved Shirou Emiya, there was nothing more to it. Viviane, the Lady of the Lake loved Shirou Emiya, there was nothing more to it. Morgan Pendragon loved Shirou Emiya, there was nothing more to it. Shirou's eyes met hers, filled with a love so deep she was drowning in it.
"I love you too, Viviane," he breathed, his voice a mix of passion and sincerity. Their bodies shuddered in unison, a crescendo of pleasure that washed over them like a wave as they reached their orgasm together. His cum washed into her womb, and Morgan had never been happier. Morgan felt a warmth spread through her that had nothing to do with Avalon's fire, but rather the warmth of Shirou's love.
Afterwards, they lay there on the kitchen floor, legs tangled together as their breathing gradually returned to normal. The room was filled with the sweet, musky scent of their union. Shirou's fingers traced the curves of her body, his touch gentle and reverent. She watched him, her thoughts a tumult of guilt and love. The lie she had woven grew heavier with each passing moment, a weight she feared might crush her. Yet, she remained silent, unable to shatter the illusion she had created.
"You never have to hide your pain from me, Viviane," Shirou whispered, his eyes full of concern. "I'm always here for you."
The guilt grew sharper, a knife in her heart. He had no idea of the pain she had caused him, of the truth she had hidden. Yet, she knew she couldn't tell him. It would only bring more pain, more confusion. So, she swallowed her words and kissed him again, pouring all her love into the gesture, hoping it would be enough to bridge the gap between truth and deceit.
Their kisses grew slower, more lingering, as if they were savoring every moment together. Morgan's hands slid up his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath her palms. This was a love she hadn't anticipated, a love that went beyond the confines of her original plan. It was a love that filled her with joy and dread in equal measure, for she knew it was built on a foundation of lies.
"Can…" he voice quivered. "Can we go for a walk today…? I know we…. but…" Please say no. Please say no. Please say no. Please say no. Please say no. Please say no. Please say no. Please say no. Please say no.
"Of course," Shirou was quick to respond with a chaste kiss to her lips. "I would love to spend the day just walking with you. I'll be here forever, Viviane. Whenever you need me."
Morgan hated how her heart soared at his words, even as the stake in her heart was twisted deeper. "We should get going then…" Morgan whispered with her eyes shut. "There is something I have to show you."
She rose from her spot next to him almost robotically. This was how things were going to end…
Shirou was quick to follow her as she moved to the door. He closed the distance between them and his fingers found their customary place intertwined with hers. She gave a pained smile at him falling in place by her side.
For a while, they walked in silence, Shirou apparently willing to let her gather her thoughts instead of pushing her to open up. Finally Morgan couldn't bear it. "Avalon… the scabbard. Not the place," she was quick to amend. "You can have it back."
"Oh… okay? Can I ask why you took it then?"
Morgan sighed. "Your twin blades reminded me of something… Avalon calls out to my bloodline… and I was worried that it was the reason behind our… love."
"Past tense." Shirou asked hopefully as he gently squeezed her hand.
"It had the effect I expected," Morgan replied bluntly. "The sheath was calling out to me."
"Oh…"Shirou wasn't sure how to feel. Judging by the way her grip tightened around his hand and the fact that Viviane had already offered to return Avalon, he didn't think things were as bad as they sounded…? He hoped at least.
"My emotions are supposed to be muted Shirou," Morgan explained without looking at him. "Through centuries alive, I forgot to feel joy, sadness, anger, and sexual pleasure. My revenge against my sister was not carried out because I hate her - I never have in totality. I wanted to show her how I felt… nothing more, to repay in kind for her actions. It's not hatred, it was balance… That was supposed to be all that this was Shirou. Except Avalon made you an exception… you could break those walls erected around my heart. You taught me how to feel…"
"You never felt anything?" Shirou asked. "For all those eons? I will make up for every minute you've lived without joy then," he swore.
Morgan smiled weakly at him and squeezed his hand. "I'm not sure you'll still feel the same way soon…" she muttered.
"I always will," Shirou was adamant. "No matter what, I'll be by your side and show you what it's like to feel those things- just as you showed me. Before I found you again, here in Avalon, for the first time really, I also lived in greyscale. I traveled from place to place searching for you, and refusing to allow myself to embrace anything else. You've healed me as much- no more, than I've helped you."
"I love you Shirou Emiya," Morgan said simply as she refused to look at him, but instead up at the tower at the top of the hill. "I didn't know it was possible to love someone as much as I love you… I thought that I was born to rule Britain and nothing else, but you showed me that there is more… and because of that I can't continue to lie to you. It doesn't matter if I lose you, or even Britain. I'm not willing to continue to hurt you by living a lie."
"You're not going to lose-" Morgan whirled around and placed one finger on his lips.
"Please don't Shirou," she begged. "Let me say everything before you try to give me platitudes or reassurances that I don't deserve. It just makes it harder every time I hear your perfect voice soothing in my undeserving ears."
"I am not Saber, that was my sister, Artoria Pendragon, the King of Knights. She was the one you summoned and fell in love with, all those years ago, not me."
"Viviane…" Shirou whispered.
"No. It's the truth. I have never been Artoria Pendragon. In truth, I am her worst enemy, the one who set into motion the fall of Camelot, that wretched kingdom. My identity is many; but the name most remember me by is Morgan le Fay, the witch."
"Viviane…" Shirou tried again.
"My sister, the woman you actually love, is in that tower. When she first entered Avalon, she didn't know any better and went to visit her magecraft teacher… Merlin ." She sneered slightly at the mention of that beast pretending to be a human. "And from there, just like Merlin, she was bound to the tower for all eternity. She can never leave, only watch the world from within."
She stopped walking and Shirou immediately followed her lead and stopped moving as well. "I tricked you from the moment you entered paradise, there was never a happy ending for you. I only planned on making love to you once… so my sister could see what it was like to watch as the thing she loved most was ruined… I planned on leaving you to wander forever, for her to watch as you fell into ruin and she could do nothing about it, just like she caused for Britain… But then once became twice, and you took my hand. We talked… and I enjoyed myself."
"And then you cooked for me! And it was the most exquisite thing I have ever tasted! I justified keeping you around as using you for your food, or to prolong her suffering, when that was never supposed to be the goal. I neglected my responsibilities because I wanted more of you, and for no other reason, no matter how much I tried to ignore it… because I was falling in love with you, Shirou…. Somehow, against all of the odds."
"Then when I tried to push you away, you still stayed. I spent an entire day locked up in my workshop, trying to avoid my burgeoning feelings for you, as much as I was trying to save Britain. But you didn't let me hide from my heart. I pushed you away and you didn't try to pull me close, or let me leave, no you waited patiently for me to pull you back in, without turning your back for a second."
"When I let you in again, you were there to comfort me. You were there to assure me, and remind me that my dreams were not impossible as long as I stayed in pursuit of them. And you were there to then prove it. You saved my darling Britain, and with that, my heart was forever yours completely and in all things. The two weeks since have been beyond my wildest dreams. I never imagined being in love, but you surpassed even the most impossible of expectations. The planet is in disarray, but I honestly have never been happier than I have been since you came to Avalon."
"Yet… that dream has to come to an end. I love you Shirou Emiya, I always will. Even when the universe itself comes to an end, my love for you will endure. You've shown me a side of myself that I thought did not exist in any of my personas. Avalon might have been the key, but it was you who opened the gate and made my heart yours… and it's because I love you, that I can't lie to you anymore. And I can't force you to stay with me, when your heart already belongs to my sister."
"Viviane I-"
"Just past the treeline is the edge of the bounded field. Not even I can break it, and it's held Merlin for eons. The Tower of Avalon lies beyond, a prison crafted with my own life. On the other side of the treeline, you will see your darling Saber again, and your impossible dream will come true, just as you made mine come true… This is goodbye, my love, I can only wish you happiness with Artoria. Nobody deserves it more than you do."
Avalon materialized in her hand at her command, and she pushed it back into his chest, as Shirou stood there shell shocked. Her lips brushed against his own in a ghost of kiss, her lips tingling at the contact, but she pulled away before he could push her away in disgust. She pulled her hand free of his, and was sad to see that he let her. This really was goodbye. She spun around and walked away from him.
"Wait Viviane!" Shirou called out to her, but Morgan refused to look back.
Shirou looked back and forth between the forest and the tower in the sky. A floating pillar of stone with flowers floating in the air around it. There were rings of spikes at varying heights and the tower appeared to reach the heavens itself. The ground all around it was covered in the most brilliant of blue flowers. He looked back and forth between Viviane, and Saber.
His head was spinning with all that she had said, with the bliss that had been ripped away from him, not out of cruelty but love. It was impossible to process it all in the moment, the woman he loved was not the woman he thought she was. She had stolen the place of Saber, the woman he thought he had loved… It was a mess… and he didn't know what was the right thing to do.
With a sigh, Shirou sat down with his back to the tree that Viviane had marked as the edge of the bounded field. "You there Saber?" He called out not expecting an answer. Afterall, they were separated by the bounded field… and if he passed to speak with her, he would never see Viviane again. "I'm just going to assume you can hear me."
"Do you remember the first time we made love? There was some enemy we were facing, and we lacked the magical energy to fight them. So Rin proposed that we share… it was in a cave with only us and Rin there. That is the memory that was the last thing on my mind every night before I went to sleep for decades… Thank you for that. I only remember flashes at this point, but those flashes were the brightest spots in my weary life before Avalon."
"I loved you, Saber," Shirou said with a sigh. "There is not a doubt in my mind about that. I lived my entire life in pursuit of you… and here you are… and I can't cross the line. I might be happy with you again, I might even grow to love you more than Viviane if given the chance… but I can't cling to the ideal of you, when I have the perfect woman right in front of me… I'm sorry."
"I should hate her," Shirou whispered. "She lied to me, spat on my trust and twisted my love for you to her own benefit… but I can't. She chose to tell me when she didn't have to, because she has that goodness inside of her as much as she might deny it. I thought I loved you, but how can I say that when I never noticed that it wasn't you I was with for the last three weeks? How can I claim that it's you who hold my heart? I think a part of me knew early on that she wasn't the same Saber, but I ignored that part of me, because I loved the woman I found."
"I love you, at least the idea of you, but it's not the same. I love Viviane, regardless of the fact that she lied to me. It wasn't you who I grew to love, even if she claimed it was… maybe I never would have given her a chance if she hadn't claimed to be you… no, I know that I wouldn't have. So… thank you? I doubt that is what you would want to hear, but it's my truth. Once, I loved you Saber, but I no longer know who you are… and the woman I love is your sister, Morgan le Fay."
A slight grin twisted at his lips. "I kind of like that name… it suits her. I'm sorry that I failed to pursue at the finish line, but… this is goodbye. The prophecy the Mage gave us will not come to fruition because of me. I'm choosing Morgan. She is the woman I love and the one I want to spend eternity with. No one has ever understood me as easily as she has. I love her passion for saving the planet, and her understanding of my own distortions. She is the one who has brought me happiness like I have never known- or at least can't remember. I love the fire she carries and the way she bites her lip when she is feeling conflicted. I love it all. Her mind, her body, and her character. All of it is perfect. So I'm sorry, but I'm choosing your sister not you, Artoria Pendragon."
"This isn't the final goodbye Saber, but I'll never again speak to you as someone who loves you. I will get you out of this tower, I don't care what you did or did not do, an eternity is too long to pay your penance for. Morgan says those that enter the Tower of Avalon can never leave, but… I won't give up on you. Even if it's cruel of me to continue to give you hope, I don't care. I will save you… I just will do it by Morgan's side and from a distance." He wiped away a tear for his discarded ideal. "Goodbye Saber, and thank you."
"Shi… Shirou," Artoria whispered from inside the tower that was both her prison and her home. "I love you," it was a faint whisper drowned out by the breeze. Just a few yards away from her was the love of her life… her sheath… Shirou Emiya.
She remembered that first night as vividly as he did, if not more. The day she had found her heart… the day he had shown her it was okay to be human. The circumstances were less than ideal, and Rin had been a bit too enthusiastic… but it has been perfect. She cherished that day more than almost any other… The only day more precious to her was the day of their parting. The promise of being reunited.
A promise that she had failed to keep in her ignorance. It wasn't some elaborate scheme of Morgan, or some mistake Artoria had made that had imprisoned her. It was simply that she didn't know anything about the Tower aside from the obvious presence of Merlin there. Someone that she had wanted to visit. So she had. And on that day, the road to a blissful eternity with Shirou was lost forever.
She had watched him as close as she was able over the centuries. Merlin was reluctant to show her Shirou, warning that such a choice only offered heartbreak… and he had been correct, but she had still demanded it every time. The glimpses she got of Shirou were not pretty. A wandering hero, pursuing justice. One who forced himself to be as inhuman with people other than her as Artoria had before she met him. Caliburn was constantly in hand and backed up his status as a hero of justice. He had been incredible in that role… and Artoria had been forced to watch as the man she loved tore himself apart in the same way she once had.
After parting ways with Rin, just a hundred years after Artoria, there was not a single person that Shirou had called a friend. His life was a lonely one, one where he was spat on and abused by the people he saved. One like hers where her own subjects hater her for her mercy and justice. Where the people he saved hated him for being so inhuman. But inhuman he remained, all in pursuit of her. Of proving worthy of Avalon, the land that barred all humans from its gates.
When Morgan had been the one to meet Shirou upon entering Avalon, Artoria had wished with all of her might that he would see through the lie. Her heart had been twisted in knots everytime he called her sister Saber. Her heart had been ripped out when he had instead taken to calling her Viviane, claiming that was Saber's name. As if . She was so certain that Morgan's game was going to break the small part of him that remained human.
Instead, a miracle had occurred. It was not Shirou that was broken by Morgan's game, but the opposite. Shirou had brought back her sister, the kind and caring human, rather than the inhuman Archetype or even the Lady of the Lake. Morgan had somehow managed to fall in love with the exact same man as Artoria… the one that she had waited an eternity for.
"Once, I loved you Saber, but I no longer know who you are… and the woman I love is your sister, Morgan le Fay."
The words played like an echo in her head, long after Shirou had already departed. It tore at her heart… but it also didn't hurt as much as she expected… it had been more horrible to watch as Shirou was practically raped when her sister pretended to be Artoria. It had torn her in half when she watched Shirou before being brought to Avalon tear himself apart in pursuit of her… when she wasn't there to greet him. But Shirou's confession of loving her sister now…
"What's wrong with me, Merlin?" Artoria whispered to her companion. "Why do I…?"
"Why did Morgan bring Shirou to you, and encourage him to choose you?" Merlin countered with a comforting hand on her shoulder. "When you love someone, you let them go, that's what humans said. It's a dumb saying but it has some truth to it."
Artoria tried to glare at him through her tears. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that when you love someone, their happiness matters more to you than your own," the wise mage explained. "Morgan was willing to bring Shirou to the tower and give him the choice of going back to you, because she refused to give him anything but the best. His happiness was worth her own misery. You feel the same way, because you truly love him that much, and there is no shame in that."
Artoria smiled weakly. He wasn't entirely wrong. This was less painful and more bittersweet. Painful was Shirou not knowing and choosing Morgan thinking it was her. Painful was seeing Shirou tear himself apart… She would have been much happier if it wasn't Morgan who made him happy… even if it wasn't her, she would have been happy for him if he had settled down with Rin all those years ago… but… she could never begrudge him for his happiness.
"Have a wonderful life, Shirou. Thank you for everything. I will love you forever, even if you do not return those feelings."
"Alright, this is enough being depressed for the day!" Merlin cheered. "Let's go get very drunk so you don't have to see their joyful reunion tonight!"
Artoria smiled out the window once more as she watched Shirou retreat toward Morgan for a moment before turning to her lone companion for an eternity in this Tower- until Shirou inevitably found a way to free her . "Yes, let's do that."
Morgan gaze forlornly at the Tower of Avalon from the roof of their- her cottage. She was never going to see Shirou again, never going to feel his arm around waist… never going to hold his hand as they walked around the garden. She was never going to watch him spin around the kitchen or cuddle against his shoulder while she split. She was never again going to see him pull Balmung out of nothing and call true ether into being. She was never even going to see the depths of his soul, his reality marble… and she was never going to hear his voice sing her praises again. It had been the perfect dream, but now it was over.
Tomorrow, she would return to her life before Shirou, to the responsibilities she had. She would bury the memories of her time with him close to her heart, and cherish them greatly, but she would allow herself to function without him again… the world would be duller but…
She shook her head as her eyes drifted down to the edge of the canopy of trees. She had to be seeing things.
There he was… somehow…. Shirou Emiya…
Morgan jumped off the roof without hesitation. Morgan's legs pumped on their own accord as she closed the distance between them, sprinting at full speed. Shirou was there waiting for her, and she couldn't- and didn't want to stop the widest grin from appearing on her face. She cackled madly as she sprinted to the love of her life. The flowers were trampled underfoot as she ran to him without regard for anything else. He had come back!
She leapt at him with an enthusiasm that could only come from the depths of her soul, her legs wrapping around his waist as she slammed her lips onto his, her heart racing with a joy she hadn't felt in eons. This was it, the moment she hadn't allowed herself to dream of during the entire afternoon. Her arms snaked around his neck, pulling him closer as she kissed him with a passion that could only be described as fervent.
Their mouths melded together, tongues dancing in a silent symphony of love and longing. Morgan's eyes fluttered shut as she reveled in the feeling of Shirou's arms around her, his strong, yet gentle grip holding her as if she were the most precious thing in the world to him. She felt alive again, not the cold, detached being that she had been for so long, but a creature of warmth and passion. It was his warmth that had thawed her frozen heart, and she knew she would never let go.
Their kiss grew deeper, their breaths mingling together as one. She could feel his heart racing against her chest, his pulse beating in rhythm with her own. It was a dance of love, a silent promise that she would do anything to be with him, that she would fight any battle, face any hardship, just to be by his side. Her fingers threaded through his hair, holding him close as she lost herself in the taste of his lips and the love pouring through his passion in kissing her..
Morgan's legs tightened around his waist, her body pressing into his as if trying to become one with him. Every touch, every caress, was a declaration of her love, a silent confession that she had never felt for anyone else. The world around them faded away as they remained locked in their embrace, their kiss speaking volumes of the love that had grown between them, despite the lies and the deceit. It was real, it was true, and it was all that mattered. There were no more lies, and still he came back for her.
"You came back," Morgan whispered as she pressed her forehead against Shirou's and grinned at him.
"Always. I told you that I love you, and will never leave you," Shirou reminded her with a grin that matched her own. "I love you Morgan le Fay," Shirou repeated, using the name of that aspect for the first time.
Morgan shivered at the form of address and pressed herself tighter against him. "What- what about Artoria?" She couldn't help but ask.
"I'm going to save her one day, she won't stay there forever… But I don't love her like you- not anymore at least. I love you Morgan, and only you, now and forever."
Morgan beamed at him as her heart raced faster than it ever had before. "I love you too Shirou," she whispered before kissing him again. Her hips thrust up against his, as his cock hardened against her thigh.
"Morgan," Shirou moaned against her lips as her tongue scraped against the roof of his mouth. "Please wait."
Morgan immediately pulled away and let her legs drop to the ground. "Did I do something wrong Shirou!?" She panicked. Did you change your mind? "
Shirou took a deep breath. "No. You're perfect Morgan. I… I need to… no, I want to show you something. You showed me your truth, no matter how dark or ugly you thought it was. You trusted me to choose you in spite of your flaws. I want to do the same."
Morgan took a step back at his words, and nodded her head eagerly in understanding.
"I am the bone of my sword. Steel is my body and fire is my blood. I have created over a thousand blades." A ring of illusory fire grew to surround them, spreading out to form the edges of his bounded field. "Unaware of loss. Nor aware of gain. Withstood pain to create weapons, waiting for one's arrival. I have no regrets. This is the only path." He looked up to see Morgan beaming at him, her foot bouncing with anticipation and returned her grin. "My whole life was Unlimited Blade Works."
The world around them transformed in an instant. One moment there were the brilliant flower fields of Avalon, the next they were in a barren wasteland. Morgan stood frozen, her breath caught in her chest as she gazed upon the scene before her. The air felt still, almost heavy with the weight of unspoken truths. This was his world—Shirou Emiya's soul laid bare before her in all its haunting simplicity. She blinked, trying to absorb the sheer gravity of the image.
It was a wasteland, but not empty. Swords, hundreds—no, thousands—jutted from the cracked earth as far as the eye could see, each blade like a monument to battles fought and ideals tested. The sky above them was ablaze, painted in the warm, searing hues of sunset: purples, reds, and oranges blending together, casting a surreal glow over the barren landscape. The horizon seemed to blur into the heavens, an endless sea of fading light that made her heart clench. This was not a place of peace, but that did not make it any less beautiful.
This place was his truth . And while it was not the scenery of Avalon, it was exquisite, because it was so very much him. "You've been holding out on me," Morgan had a grin on her face as she addressed Shirou. "You have a tool for everything here."
"You don't hate it?" Shirou whispered. "This place feels so unlike you, the paradise that you deserve… I know who I am… and this is a reflection of my brokenness."
Morgan snorted. "This hardly qualifies as broken Shirou."
"I am three people in one- not split personalities, but three separate people layered on top of each other. Morgan le Fay, the avatar of Britain, Morgan Pendragon the kind and loving sister of the King, and Viviane, the Lady of the Lake. Morgan supported her sister. Viviane gave her Avalon, and le Fay stole it from her. You are distorted, yes, but so am I." She took his hand in hers. "Your soul is beautiful, just like you."
"You really believe that? Do you actually like it here?"
"I would move my workshop here if I could," Morgan replied without hesitation. "Even beyond the tools here, it's perfect. Because it displays exactly who the man I love is inside. And how could I not love that? You–"
She was cut off by Shirou desperately smashing his lips into hers.
Morgan's eyes widened in shock before she melted into the kiss. It was her coming home after a journey of just a few hours that felt like a lifetime. The warmth of his embrace washed away any doubt, any sadness. She threw her arms around him, her body pressing into his. She could feel his heart beating fast and erratic, his passion burning just like the swords around them. Her legs wrapped around his waist, lifting herself up and grinding her core against him. The warmth of his cock grew and grew until she felt it pressing against her folds, begging for entry.
Shirou's hands roamed her body, exploring every inch of her, as if trying to memorize the feeling of her soft, warm flesh. He felt her up, his thumbs playing with her nipples as they grew hard and sensitive. She gasped into his mouth, her own hands fisting into his hair as she arched her back, offering herself to him fully. His tongue danced with hers, and she could taste the desperation in every stroke. It was a kiss filled with longing, filled with love that she thought had been lost forever.
Morgan felt a warmth spreading through her as his cock pushed into her. She was so wet, so ready for him that she took him in with ease. She had missed this feeling, the feeling of him filling her up- the whole afternoon without. She had thought she lost this, the way he made her feel alive, the way he made her feel like she mattered. Her hips bucked into his, and she could feel him stretching her, filling her completely. Her walls clamped around him as she took him in deeper and deeper. She was home, she was where she belonged, and she never wanted to leave.
They broke apart for air, their eyes locking. The intensity in his gaze was overwhelming, like staring into the sun. She could see the love he had for her, the love that she had hoped was real. It was a love that surpassed any she had ever felt, and it was all hers. He chose her.
Shirou leaned back, supporting her weight with one arm while the other gripped her ass firmly, holding her in place as he began to move. His strokes were deep and powerful, pushing her into the air with each thrust. She threw her head back, her long hair trailing behind her as she moaned with every stroke.
Morgan's eyes rolled back into her head, her mouth parting in a silent scream of pleasure as she felt Shirou's cock hit her g-spot. She tightened her legs around him, her nails digging into his back as she rode him, her pussy clenching around him. The feeling was indescribable, like nothing she had ever felt before. It was as if she had been waiting her whole life for this moment.
Shirou grunted with every thrust, his muscles straining with the effort of holding her up and pushing into her. He could feel her getting closer and closer to the edge, her walls tightening around him, and he knew he wasn't far behind. He leaned down to whisper into her ear. "You're so beautiful, Morgan. So perfect. I can't live without this. Without you."
Morgan's eyes rolled back as she felt the familiar pressure building. "Shirou," she moaned, her voice trembling. "I need you to fuck me harder. Don't hold back. I need to feel you! Take me! I'm yours!"
With a smirk, Shirou complied, his strokes becoming more forceful. "You want me to claim you, don't you?" he said, his voice thick with desire.
"Yes!" she cried out. "Claim me! Show me that I am yours! That you chose me!"
Their passion grew wilder, their movements more frantic. Shirou switched positions, laying Morgan down on a soft patch of earth, the swords around them automatically parting at his thought. He hovered above her, their gazes locked, as he entered her again. He felt her quiver beneath him as he began to move in a steady rhythm, his eyes never leaving hers. It was the same position he had taken her in during their first time together, back when he thought she was Saber.
"Husband!" Morgan gasped, the word slipping out before she could stop it.
Shirou paused, a look of surprise flitting across his face. He leaned down, a smirk playing on his lips. "Did you just call me husband?" he teased, his voice gentle.
Morgan's cheeks flushed a deep red. "I-I didn't mean to! I wouldn't want-"
"It's okay," he whispered, kissing her softly. "I kind of like the sound of calling you my wife. It sounds so right."
Her eyes searched his, filled with hope and a hint of fear. "You do?"
"More than anything," Shirou replied, his voice earnest. "You're everything to me, Morgan. I want to spend the rest of our eternity with you, making you happy, I never want to leave your side."
Her heart soared at his words. "I'll have you, Shirou. I'll have your children. I'll be your wife. I want nothing more than that!"
Their kiss grew more intense, their bodies moving in perfect harmony. The world around them was forgotten as they became lost in each other, their love the only thing that mattered. Shirou felt the pressure building, and with one final, powerful thrust, they both reached their peak together. Morgan's legs tightened around his waist, her nails digging into his skin as she called out his name, her body shaking with pleasure.
As their orgasms subsided, Shirou leaned down to kiss her neck, his breath hot against her skin. "Mine," he murmured, his voice a low growl.
"Yours," Morgan breathed, her voice filled with love. "And you're mine?"
"I'm yours," he agreed as he kissed her tenderly and his hips started to move.
"I love you."
A/N: Wow that was way longer than I planned. Uh... hope you enjoyed? I started this like three weeks ago the day the prompt was submitted and was stuck at 500 words until a few days ago when I grinded out over 20K in two days. I will never be doing a prompt response this long again, do not ask for one.
I used the entrance to Avalon from Avalon le Fae since that's the only time we see the journey. That was pitch black until Merlin turns on the lights and asks if it "feels" more like a cavern. Shirou does not have a guide so he never gets that illusion projected outwards. On the way there, they pass through a place that Merlin refers to as the "Earth's Memory". In Avalon le Fae that shows as the life of the Priestess (Baobhan Sith) being projected on the walls of the cave as the last human, but there is not one of those here. I opted to use the memories of the previous Archetype: Earth's as what he gets flashes of: Crimson Moon, Morgan le Fay, and Arcueid Brunestud. I was tempted to include Olga, but this is a more Notes adjacent timeline than FGO based.
"Only those free of sin may pass." It's a fascinating phrase that we are given two different interpretations of by Merlin. In Garden of Avalon, he claims that it can only refer to him as he does not consider good, evil, love, or hate and as such he can feel no guilt. The interpretation from him in Avalon le Fae is that it's not the sin you are born with or that you've committed in your life thus far, It refers to what you're about to do and what your heart is resolved to do now. It's the reason for living and your principle for existence and prosperity.
Muramasa can enter the Garden in Avalon le Fae, not because he is Shirou but because he has closed off any avenue to committing sin in the future by choosing to sacrifice himself to become Avalon. Ritsuka can enter because in the Garden of Lostwill they accepted themself and resolved in their hearts that they would find the reason why while also being the last human from a dead world as the Priestess was. Mash can enter because Mash lost everything- including her sense of self and resolved to be the same person she was before. The faeries from paradise were barred from it's gates when they sinned by killing Baobhan that first time despite not feeling guilt and when they were from there. The characters who could enter were not at all a coincidence.
Morgan's character is a mess to untangle. I don't think I did her particularly well, but it's still my best attempt yet. I don't think I did the three person in one thing well at all. We know what the Lostbelt version is actually like and we know how the proper human history version is perceived. We know that Sir Kay speaks of her as pure, splendid, and cruel, seemingly shifting between the three. She has conflicting roles in Artoria's story- gifting her Excalibur and then stealing it's scabbard. She brought about Artoria's death but also set into motion her reincarnation in the modern age (Gray plotline). I think that Morgan is probably a lot closer to the Lostbelt version than we are lead to think by biased sources.
So her portrayal in this isn't just cruelly wanting to hurt her sister, it's wanting her to understand her pain and rage at what happened more than the person behind it. Some of her blame of Artoria is irrational. That shifts to care about Shirou and that's when she tries to claim she just hates Artoria- mostly a baseless claim. She is angry towards Artoria, but it's not hatred. Her portrayal was still a bit all over the place- Avalon was a lazy pivot to explain her responding too much early in all honesty, but think it kind of worked to drive home how it was not at all physical for her or about Artoria and force her to recognize that.
I wrote Morgan as an Archetype because it is probably the case in cannon. Morgan le Fay's bond craft essence in Avalon le Fae states that "As long as she obeyed her mission from Paradise, she would eventually reach the terminus of all Elementals, as a soul of the planet."
We know that the Earth's Soul is an Archetype: Earth as is the case of Arcueid. (and Arcueid didn't spawn until 800 years ago- after the time of Morgan). Morgan's extra material also states that Morgan was dispatched to correct the Earth's surface texture (Was Morgan meant to bleach and reset the earth?) in Fae Britain. Okay, but she didn't do that, and that's the Lostbelt Morgan so what about PHH?
I still think they are probably an Archetype. She is referred to as the "Avatar of Britain" and we know Archetypes only exist through the dreams of people giving them form. I head cannon it, but it will never be relevant in cannon since she's been overwritten by LB Morgan. But it's also not that important. For the sake of this story she is one.
This takes place in a Notes adjacent world where humanity went too far and is killing Gaia while dancing on it's corpse. Morgan obviously does not appreciate that and as the Archetype within Avalon is trying to save at least a portion of the planet. I have no clue how that would work, but I wanted Shirou to be able to help at least some and uh True Ether a resource practically extinct after the Age of Gods fits! Go Balmung and Shirou multiplying non-existent resources! Gotta love cheating! (This is not a perfect solution, humans will just consume more until they can't keep up, because that is the nature of greed).
Artoria is explicitly stated by Vortigern in Garden of Avalon to have been the turning point from the Age of the Arcane to the Age of Man. "Because the Age of the Arcane has already come to an end. Beyond lies the Age of Civilization—the Age of Man. The power that lies in your essence is incompatible with mankind. As long as you live, Britain has no future. Scorn your fate. The Britain of old has long since fallen into ruin." As a based man hater who longs for the power balance to shift back to Gaia's favor or at least be in balance, she holds a grudge towards Artoria for completely non-maliciously having a role in leading to the dead world we see in Notes. (On a side note, Vortigern was absolutely the former Beast VII for the End of the Age of the Arcane and probably filled the same role in Avalon le Fae. Beasts exists to deter humanity from progressing).
The plants in Avalon being all extinct ones was A because I don't know shit about cooking and didn't want to get details wrong. But the other reason is because that is what Arcueid manifests with her Marble Phantasm- extinct plants that only exist in the inner sea of the planet.
I made a LOT of allusions to Avalon being the same as the Garden of Eden. I think it's the case in cannon given how often they refer to Avalon in conjunction with the Original Sin or as a garden. Absolutely went a bit overboard whoops. That was also the intent of the nakedness thing at first, when you are without sin, you are without shame. That kind of got scrapped because it didn't fit, and I probably should have removed all the naked shit. Whatever, they're exhibitionists for no audience other than each other I guess.
Originally had Artoria more broken over Shirou choosing Morgan, but didn't end up coming out that way. I thought it was dumb for Morgan to willingly give Shirou to Artoria and Artoria to cling desperately and beg for him to come back and choose her. She's sad in the same way Morgan was that the dream was over. His happiness over hers or whatever, lots of Martyr types here. It hurt her more to see Shirou hurting than him not choosing her ever would have. So while it killed her at first, it no longer was that bad by the time he turned his back on her. There is no threesome sequel after Shirou eventually finds a way to free her from the tower. He chose Morgan and only her.
I didn't want to bash Saber at all, although obviously Morgan was going to, at least to some extent by default. Even then, her bashing was less about Artoria and more the actions of others that were allowed because she wasn't a tyrant like Morgan would have been. Shirou never hated Saber or liked anything about her less. He just didn't remember and loved the woman in front of him whole heartedly. Artoria wasn't stupid or tricked by her cruel sister. She was simply oblivious. A mistake with no one to blame.
Shirou's portrayal was weird. The basic idea was that he deified Saber as an ideal in the same unhealthy way as "saving everyone" while all but supplanting that ideal with the similar but just as negative of one because that single mindedness can't be healthy. I don't hate it, but think he came off too generic and less personalized as Shirou than I was aiming for. Blaming it on him being somewhere between Shirou and EMIYA where he clings to hope but is that worn down in his pursuit of his ideal. Weird character I don't particularly love. Idk.
Morgan in Garden of Avalon is strongly implied to have sacrificed her life to imprison Merlin. "A curse of this scale would require an immense cost, possibly even the life of the caster themselves. How odd. I don't remember doing anything to make that girl loathe me this much. But well, if I have no recollection of it, it must not have been anything important." Except she's also around to fight Charlemagne's Paladins and the Paladins a century later so... (Bradamante interlude) Maybe she died to forge it and respawned or maybe Merlin was wrong about the cost. Or it wasn't cast by Morgan? Nobody knows. Maybe it's just because the Paladins are fictional?
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