The moment Emilia regained consciousness; she realized that something was reeeally wrong. For starters, she was no longer within her warm bedroom. As she laid down on the ground, she could feel the emerald grass tickling her palms, she could smell the rich scent of the earth drilling into her nose. Clearly, she was outside, but as for how she could've ended up outside when she fell asleep in her bed? She quite literally had no idea.
Panic coursed through Emilia's veins, and her eyes immediately snapped open, taking in the clear blue sky overhead, spanning for eternity. Sure enough, it was as she had expected. What had happened? Who had moved her? Was she in danger? Was there an attack on the mansion?
These kinds of frantic thoughts rampaged through her mind, and she immediately cried out, "Puck!" when things went awry, she always turned to Puck for help, but unfortunately, this time, there was no help from her contracted Spirit, and this caused her to feel incredibly anxious.
Her heart raced, and her mind turned to her second contracted spirit, the recently contracted Sir Arthur Pendragon. Though she still didn't know much about him, it was clear he was incredibly powerful and reliable, so she called out for him, "Sir Arthur?!" but still, there was no answer.
Her heart pounded rapidly, and she desperately took deep breaths to control her panic. Deciding to first gather information, Emilia assessed her surroundings. She was on a small, narrow, mudded path that wound through thick thickets of blackberry bushes, leading downhill.
It was just a gut feeling, but Emilia had the inkling that if she followed the meandering path, everything would become clear to her. So, controlling her wobbly legs, she descended downhill, her bare feet falling gently upon the viscous mud below, eventually breaking through the thickets, reaching a small clearing where an old, moss-ridden, stone cottage sat beside a deep sea of verdant trees.
Outside the house was a small prairie where a tiny child stood surrounded by flowers, swinging a miniature wooden sword. He was so short the long grass was practically as tall as he was, but nonetheless, he swung his sword relentlessly beneath the warm sunshine.
The moment Emilia saw his golden hair and emerald eyes, her anxiety settled. Though he was several years younger, she could identify him with a singular glance. It was her contracted spirit, Sir Arthur Pendragon.
"Arthur!" she called out to him as she rushed down the hill towards the field of flowers, but the young boy did not respond. As if thoroughly enthralled in his swordplay, he continued to swing his sword repeatedly, one swing after the other.
"What's going on? Can't he hear me?" Emilia muttered to herself before calling out a second time, "Sir Arthur?"
She approached the childlike Arthur and knelt down in front of him, waving her hand in front of his eyes, but she soon saw that her figure wasn't reflected in his emerald orbs, and not only that, his wooden sword just cut straight through her, as if she had become intangible.
"Just what is going on here exactly?" Emilia tilted her head curiously, placing her finger to her lips in ponder.
"Arthur." A second voice called out as the wooden door to the stone cottage was opened with a creak, revealing a figure of unfathomable beauty.
Her white hair fell like fleeting snow, her vibrant pink eyes the blossoms in spring. Her otherworldly features were incredibly gorgeous, and all those who gazed upon her would be captivated by her ephemeral charm. She was dressed in exquisite, opulent white robes lined with royal blue. Although Emilia felt Arthur's own robes were incredible, perhaps these clothes were even more magical.
"Another issue came up at the Magus Association and that annoying old man needs my help again," She complained in annoyance as she walked out of the building, "As such, I've got to take a trip. There's some potatoes in the cupboard, and the rest you can find in the forest. I'll be back in a few months give or take?" She spoke out, her words leaving Emilia absolutely dumbfounded.
"Alright." The young Arthur nodded his head with a rather blank expression, as if he was incredibly used to this kind of thing.
"No, no, no, it's not alright." Emilia wagged her finger at him as she went into lecture mode, "Look how young you are, it's completely irresponsible to leave you by yourself like this! What if something happens?!" Though Emilia was no expert in parenthood, she felt she had never seen a parent as negligent as this white-haired woman.
"Is this Arthur's mother? She's reeeally awful!" Emilia couldn't help but exclaim as she watched the white-robed woman walk up the mudded path, eventually disappearing from sight. She turned her head back to Arthur, expecting to see some anxiety or concern in his emerald eyes, but he simply returned to his sword swinging, as if he didn't even notice the white-haired woman had left.
"How to put it…" Emilia placed her finger to her lips once more as she continued her contemplation, "Though he's definitely Arthur, he's also a little different?"
As she was thinking that, the world around her slowly morphed and transformed, and she found herself standing atop a cliffside. The scent of salt in the air was rich and abundant, but it wasn't overwhelming. On the contrary, it was actually quite relaxing, especially when paired with the sound of crashing waves in the distance.
Naturally, Emilia was familiar with salt, having used it before at the dinner table, but it was her first time smelling it so strongly.
She turned her head curiously towards the sounds of the crashing waves, and she saw a sight she would never forget. Behemothic, abyssal waves swirling ferociously as they crashed into the harsh, jagged cliffsides, a deep sea of inky blackness spanning towards the distant, misty isles. Emilia had never seen such a terrifying-looking body of water before, especially when paired with the gigantic cyclones of deep greyness that funneled towards the sky. An all-encompassing sea of grievous clouds hung overhead, chock full of heaviness and oppression, seemingly intent on devouring the world whole, like the Witch of Envy of legend. This horrific scenery seemingly told of the coming storms that would envelop and ravage the wholesome lands.
Emilia could not be any more shocked and surprised. She had never seen such a large body of water before, let alone one so violent and awe-inspiring.
"Sure enough, Sir Arthur really wasn't lying. He really did come from another world." By now, Emilia fully understood that she was seeing the memories of her servant. Most likely, this was due to the unique bond and contract that had been formed between them.
Naturally, it was not like she suspected Arthur of lying either, but it was still nice to have some clarification on the matter.
She soon spotted Arthur again. He appeared to be around three years old now, roughly sixteen months older than the last time she saw him. He was standing alongside the horrid woman in white who lectured him, "Arthur, I cannot teach you to use magecraft until you awaken the magical energy that lies dormant within you. You need to ignite your magic core, and in my experience, the easiest and quickest way to do that is with life-threatening danger." Though her words were calm and placid, Emilia found them incredibly frightening. Just what was she planning to do?
The woman in white tapped her magic staff on the ground and started to chant under her breath, creating a rope of vines that wrapped around the young Arthur, tying him up. It continued to spread out, attaching Arthur to a nearby boulder, and Emilia couldn't believe her eyes, genuine fear flooding through her, "She couldn't be planning too…?"
"Arthur, are you ready?" The woman in white asked with a small smile adorning her lips, and the young Arthur just nodded his head.
With that, the woman in white moved her staff, and Arthur was slowly but surely dragged off the side of the cliff, rocketing down towards the dark depths below.
"Sir Arthur!" Emilia couldn't believe her eyes! Without hesitation, she chased after him. Although she knew these were just memories, and that Arthur would be fine, she couldn't help but worry for him. She reached out to grab his hand, but his hand simply slipped right through her grasp.
She watched as the young Arthur was dragged towards the ocean, and without even thinking about the possible consequences, Emilia jumped fearlessly off the side of the cliff alongside him. But naturally, she was weightless, and Arthur was being weighed down by a massive boulder, so he rocketed down towards the ocean at a much quicker velocity.
"Sir Arthur!" Emilia let out a cry as she watched the young child slam into the water's surface, swallowed by the all-devouring ocean, but in that moment, something magical occurred. A blinding golden light erupted from within the depths of the ocean, followed by the terrific roar of a dragon that shook and boiled the seas, evaporating not just the vines and the boulder, but a large majority of the surrounding ocean as well.
Watching this magical scene play out, Emilia could not help but recall that golden light that had enveloped the capital back then.
"Very good." From above, she could spot the mystical figure of the ruthless woman in white, nodding her head contently, as if all things beneath heaven and earth were within her calculations.
Emilia frowned heavily as the world around her shifted once again, and she saw the young Arthur, now around five years old, walking hand in hand with the woman in white, eventually reaching a stone cottage that sat perched atop a towering cliffside.
There were two men waiting outside, one young, one old. The young man was considerably handsome with a longsword sheathed at his side, whilst the elder man looked strong, sturdy and reliable, like an unmovable mountain.
The elder man stepped forward with a warm smile, reaching out his hand, "Lady Merlin, welcome to our humble abode."
"As promised," the woman in white responded, ignoring his outstretched hand, "I've come to deliver Arthur to you. Though I will continue to tutor him in his dreams, I'm entrusting his growth to you, Sir Ector."
"Don't worry," Sir Ector withdrew his hand and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I shall raise him as if he were my very own son." The aging man made a jovial laugh, and the younger of the two approached Arthur, kneeling down in front of him.
"Nice to meet you, Arthur." He spoke, radiating warmth, "My name is Kay, and from now on, we're going to be brothers."
"It's an honor to meet you, Sir Kay." The young Arthur made movements that Emilia found incredibly familiar. However, watching his politeness and etiquette, she felt a little sad. It seemed that Sir Arthur had never once enjoyed being a child. He was a knight from the moment he was born, and she found that very lamentable.
"In the future, you will be my squire, Arthur. I shall personally instruct you in swordplay." Sir Kay reached out his hand, ruffling Arthur's head.
With that, Arthur showed his first hint of a smile, his lips curling up a touch, "I look forward to it, Sir Kay."
And with that, the world around Emilia morphed once again.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
She now found herself standing amidst a vast clearing of beautiful, fragrant flowers, dancing as the spring wind drifted through. Arthur, still young, five or six years old, was clad in his white tunic, clashing swords with the young Sir Kay. The two of them moved with incredible speeds, exchanging powerful blows. They were as swift as the wind, their swords carrying the momentum of the sea. Though they were both young, Emilia could tell in an instant that the two of them would grow up to be incredibly powerful warriors.
Eventually, after exchanging hundreds or thousands of blows, Sir Kay managed to disarm the young Arthur, causing the blonde child to fall on the ground. Sir Kay stood above him, pointing his sword toward Arthur. He held it there for around a second before pulling it back, reaching his hand out, "That's my win, Arthur. What does that make it, 236:0?"
"I'll beat you one day, Sir Kay." Arthur pouted sulkily, and Emilia smiled warmly. This was the first time she had seen Arthur actually act like a child.
"I don't doubt that for a moment." Kay chuckled as he knelt down in front of the young child, "One day you'll become a splendid knight so powerful that I'll have to crane my neck just to meet your eyes." the young man spoke with a hint of melancholy in his words, but it was clear that the young Arthur didn't quite understand his meaning.
"Tell me, Arthur? Why do you wield your sword? This is something you'll understand in the future, but the strength of a warrior does not come from their physical body, but rather, the ideal that they believe in. What is your ideal, Arthur?" Kay spoke softly and warmly.
Arthur closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them, his emerald eyes filled with the cold steel of determination, "To save this country from ruin."
The warm smile that Emilia had built up was destroyed mercilessly as she spoke to the young child with sad, watery eyes, "Sir Arthur, you're just a child. You should be playing in the mud, having fun with the kids your age. Save this country from ruin? How could you put so much pressure and responsibility on your small, fragile shoulders?"
Her question was soon answered as the world around her changed. She soon found herself back atop the cliffside, standing alongside Arthur, who had grown a touch more mature over the past few months of training. The stone cottage sat to their side, overlooking the pastoral prairies that rolled endlessly into the distance, the small chimney emitting a grey haze of smoke, the windows shining with golden warmth.
The blonde child at her side let out a heavy breath of cold air, and her gaze was drawn back to the sea, towards the small armada of boats drifting atop the raging waters. They were not like any boats that Emilia had witnessed before, but more like endless tides of death that sailed the seas. The visage of these marauding boats ascending the lashing waves filled Emilia's heart with endless fear, and she, at this moment, was truly glad that there was naught but a sharp drop into the rocky sea that stood between them and the boats, so they could not possibly anchor near.
"So, they're here again, are they?" The familiar voice of Kay echoed out as he ascended the small hill, approaching Arthur.
"Will they attack the nearby settlements?" Arthur asked in a calm voice, though the worry in his eyes was apparent.
"No, look at their flags more closely. They're reinforcements heading to East Anglia." Kay spoke in a heavy voice, "Their forces continue to grow. It won't be long until the entirety of Britannia is swallowed whole by them. Arthur, you…" Kay turned to the young child with a look Emilia found difficult to describe, but ultimately, didn't say anything, and thus, the two of them watched the boats pass in silence.
"Arthur." The familiar voice of Sir Ector called out, and it was at this moment that Emilia's amethyst eyes snapped open, allowing her to take in the familiar golden-white design of her ornate ceiling.
Her chest rose and fell heavily as she let out ragged breaths, her entire body lathered with cold sweats, her bedsheets soaked from the perspiration.
"You okay, Lia?" a concerned Puck appeared lazily in front of her, laying on his back as he floated languidly in the air, "Another nightmare?"
"Puck!" the moment Emilia laid eyes on the familiar cat spirit, her heart and mind was overwhelmed with relief, and she couldn't help but hug onto the little guy tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Oioi, are you okay, Lia? What happened?" sensing the sporadic emotions of his daughter, Puck was clearly incredibly concerned, "It was another nightmare, wasn't it?"
Now that Emilia had been reunited with the Cat Spirit, her fear had been placated, and she calmed visibly at an incredible rate, regaining control of her emotions in a matter of seconds.
"Mm." she shook her head as she wiped her tears, "I didn't have a nightmare, Puck, but I did have a reaaally strange dream." Emilia frowned, placing her finger to her lip as she recalled the bizarre montage of memories she witnessed in the dream of hers.
"What kind of dream?" Puck asked curiously as he sat on Emilia's head of silky hair, looking down towards her. Of course, to Puck, his daughter's wellbeing was his number one priority, he was naturally concerned.
"I dreamed of Sir Arthur." Emilia responded back calmly as she looked at Puck.
"What?! Arthur?! That snot-nosed, stupidly handsome brat?!" Puck let out a roar of complaint, "You've only known him for a week, and you're already dreaming about him?! What's going to happen after a month or a year?! That womanizer, I should really give him a piece of my mind!" Puck gripped his head with his paws in frustration, and Emilia blinked in confusion, wondering what the big deal was.
"Is something the matter, Puck?" she could only tilt her head in response, and she was so adorable and innocent that Puck immediately regained his calm.
"Listen, Lia, carefully explain to me the details of your dream. If Arthur did anything to you in this dream of yours… I don't care if he's my coworker, I'll beat him to death!"
"Arthur didn't do anything to me." Emilia shook her head, "I dreamt of his childhood."
"Eh? Really?" Now it was Puck's turn to be confused.
"Uh-huh." Emilia nodded her head, "Tell me, Puck, is it possible for a Spirit Arts User to dream of their contracted Spirit's past?"
"To be honest, I've never heard of this kind of thing happening before, but to be honest, Lia, Arthur is anything but a normal spirit. If you really want to find out about this kind of thing, you're best-off speaking to him about it. Though I hate him, he's at least honest and fairly knowledgeable, though not as knowledgeable as me." Puck puffed his chest out proudly.
"You're right." Emilia nodded her head, "Once I've woken up, I'll have a private chat with him."
"Anyway, you've got to tell me all the juicy details. What was his childhood like? I bet he was a little rich kid, right? Just look at those handsome looks and those exquisite robes of his, dammit, I'm not jealous." Puck rubbed his paws together furiously with a look of a serial gossiper in his diamond blue eyes.
"Mm-mm." Emilia shook her head, "His childhood was reeeally bad. His mother was neglectful and abusive, he spent all his free time swinging his sword, and he carried the world on his shoulders from the moment he was capable of cognitive thought. Maybe I'm just imagining things, but Arthur… he really didn't seem human in that dream of mine. He was more like an ideal personified… it's complicated, and I don't really understand it, but I just had that feeling."
"Well, that sucks. Now I can't help but feel sympathy for that dastardly little… even though he's always trying to woo my daughter with those unreasonable good looks of his." Puck let out a growl of complaint, "But either way, you say he didn't seem human, but you have to remember, Lia, Arthur isn't a human – he is a spirit."
"You're right. But I'm pretty sure in his childhood, he wasn't a spirit, but a human."
"Eh?" Puck blinked in confusion, "Are you sure about that? I've never heard of a human becoming a spirit. That sounds a little too bizarre."
"I'm at least 90% sure." Emilia nodded her head, "Unfortunately, the dreams cut short before I could find out more."
"That guy… he really is just one big box of mysteries isn't he? Make sure you fill me in during the next episodes, we'll crack the mystery of 'Sir Arthur' together." Puck rubbed his paws together with a devious grin.
"One thing's for sure, he really is from a completely different world. I saw a vast ocean of salt water, as black as the night sky, spanning for eternity…" Emilia reminisced with a dreamlike expression as she recalled the coasts of Cornwall.
"Must be the sea." Puck nodded his head, and Emilia didn't question him.
"I have a feeling that growing up, Sir Arthur's country was even more troubled than Lugunica. I think they were being invaded through this 'sea' that you speak of. And poor Sir Arthur, it seemed that he was shouldering the burdens of his country from a very young age." Emilia rubbed her hands together with subconscious pensiveness out of worry for her servant, "Are the adults really so lacking that they had to entrust the future of their nation to a five-year-old child?"
"Maybe Arthur just placed those expectations on himself. Unless we know the full story, we can't make assumptions, Lia."
"You're right." Emilia nodded her head.
"Once again, I think it would be best if you spoke to Sir Arthur about all this stuff. Theorizing and worrying about it yourself will only make you anxious and confused."
"I guess I can't put it off any longer, huh?" Emilia took a deep breath to control her raging anxieties as she got up from her bed, "Just give me a few minutes to wash up and get ready." She smiled wryly as she gestured to her sweaty garments, "As you can see, I'm in no condition to present myself to Sir Arthur."
Puck nodded his head as he retreated into Emilia's crystal, "You got it, Lia."
Though Emilia said she would only take a few minutes, it actually took her closer to an hour to get ready, having been lost in thought in the bath, recalling the scenes of the lapping sea when submerging herself amidst the warm water.
Eventually she got dressed into a pale yellow, shoulderless dress with delicate little orange ribbons that hung from her wrists, neck and hair. It was an incredibly quaint and elegant outfit, fully highlighting Emilia's loveliness, like a spring flower.
She didn't need to ask around to find Arthur as she could vaguely sense his presence through their strong mental connection. She swirled down the spiraling stairs and jaunted through the elongated hallways of the Roswaal Mansion, pushing open the front doors to take in the fresh morning air, the spirits around her chirping happily as if to welcome her presence.
She soon noticed Arthur standing beneath the breaking dawn sunshine, bathed in golden splendor, looking more fairy than human. He held his sheathed sword tightly between his hands, slowly raising it above his head, then slowly letting it fall in front of him. The visage of the current Arthur overlapped with the 18-month-old child in her mind, and Emilia felt that Arthur had truly grown up to be a splendid man. She wondered what the woman in white would think if she saw Arthur as he was now, capable of causing mass destruction with every swing of his sword.
She took a seat on the walls of the front mansion and simply admired his sword play for a fleeting instant. Though Emilia knew next to nothing about swordsmanship, she still admired the artistry of his moves. Despite moving slowly, he was engaging every single muscle in his body, tracing beautiful arcs through the air. Rather than training his body, it seemed more like he was retracing the muscle memory built into him.
The truly beautiful part of his training was not the swordplay itself, but rather, the lesser spirits that gathered around him, doing their best to earn his attention and ingratiate themselves with him. Though Emilia had seen this scene several times now, she was still amazed every time she saw him surrounded by the fluttering, chirping fae, and admittedly, a small, hidden part of her envied his overwhelming affinity with spirits. With a single sentence, he could beckon an army of spirits, it was incredible. She didn't even want to think about how powerful he would become if he seriously put his mind to becoming a Spirit Swordsman like Julius.
After watching him for around ten minutes, Emilia finally decided it was about time to approach him, her feet treading lightly upon the soft grass as she drifted through the flowers, calling out to him, "Sir Arthur."
She felt a hint of déjà vu, only this time, Arthur actually responded, sheathing his blade, falling to one knee.
"Good morning, Lady Emilia. You look awfully elegant this morning, even the blooming daisies seem to pale in comparison to you." There it was, the boundary he always put between them. Though it was thin, it was also as vast as infinity. With this boundary, she would never be able to reach Sir Arthur. It honestly made her feel quite sad. Over the past week, she had seen him banter and bicker with Rem and Ram playfully, clearly having accepted them as friends, whilst with her, it was completely different. Once again, though she didn't realize it, she couldn't help but subconsciously feel a touch envious. She wished she could have that kind of casual friendship with Arthur as well as their current Master-Servant relationship.
However, what could she do? This was just Sir Arthur. He was always present, always shining brightly and beautifully with a calm smile on his face. He was like a radiant star in the night sky, and even when he was standing quietly in the background, he subtly illuminated the scene. His presence was warm and comforting like the sun, filled with a strong sense of security that made her feel safe whenever he was nearby, but it was undeniable that he existed far out of her reach, indeed, like a star in the night sky.
But as Puck said, Arthur was not human, he was a spirit, thus it was wrong of her to hold him to human standards.
He was extraordinary. He was the ideal of a hero personified into a humanoid form. The only other person Emilia had met that made her feel this way was the Sword Saint, Reinhard van Astrea. Whether it was their mannerisms, their etiquette, their overbearing humbleness, or their overwhelming power, Arthur and Reinhard were a lot alike. Though Emilia had never had the honor of meeting the late Theresia van Astrea, she would hazard a guess that she was a lot like Arthur.
In short, Sir Arthur was a lot like a sword saint.
She had a feeling that he was no less powerful than a Sword Saint either. Even now, as she closed her eyes, she could vividly recall that luminous golden light that illuminated the capital, lifting the worries from her shoulders. What truly frightened her was she felt like that golden light only scratched the surface of her servant's bottomless power.
During that time, her world had quite literally been thrown into complete and utter chaos. Her aimless life that had been granted salvation through Roswaal was on the brink of destruction, her goals, her ideals, everything she was working toward and fighting for faced collapse due to the theft of her insignia, and yet, when no one else was capable of saving her, Sir Arthur did. He effortlessly reclaimed the key to her people's salvation, handing it over to her as if it was some children's toy he had casually picked up.
He was like the heroes in the fairytales she had read about when she was younger. He made all worldly problems seem trivial. Much like the sun, he was beautiful and radiant, but so, so distant, existing far beyond the problems of mortals, casting a long and lonely shadow.
After saving her, he revealed his desire to form a contract with her. Emilia found this hard to believe. After all, she was a silver-haired half-elf. No sane person would willingly contract themselves with her, but moments later, he revealed himself to be from beyond the waterfall, and all things made sense.
It was only because he didn't understand this world.
It was only because he didn't have the time to meet a better Master.
It was selfish of her, but she could not deny the allure and power that could be gained by contracting a second spirit, so despite the fact she was condemning him to social damnation, she formed the contract nonetheless, without properly explaining to him what he was involving himself in.
If she wasn't already feeling guilty enough, because of the Royal Selection, it turned out that she was being targeted by the Notorious Assassin, the Bowel Hunter, Elsa Granhiert.
This was not your average alleyway thug, but a lethal assassin renowned throughout the entire world for her brutal, merciless killings, and yet, Arthur put his life on the line, volunteering to stay behind and combat the threat without hesitation. They had only just met. Emilia had essentially just tricked him. Yet he fought for her, nonetheless. Perhaps this is what it meant to be a knight. It was such a faraway existence.
Emilia found it difficult to truly put into words just how this made her feel. She felt guilty, she felt thankful, gratuitous, but the most prominent feeling was this reoccurring sense of 'distance' that formed between herself and Arthur, a boundary impossible to describe. Watching him set off for battle, she felt deep worry, but at the same time, she couldn't fathom his actions. Why would he put his life on the line to protect someone like her? This was not the way that ordinary humans operated.
After escaping from the mansion and leaving Sir Arthur behind, naturally, Emilia was constantly worrying about his fate, but unfortunately, she had her own problems to worry about, as they were besieged by Elsa's partner, the Witchbeast Tamer Meili. It was only then that she got to witness the simply terrifying and otherworldly prowess of the Sword Saint, Reinhard van Astrea.
She did not even have time to react to the fact they were being attacked before Reinhard had subdued the threat. His moves were quick to the extreme, and her eyesight, even when amped with her mana, could not process just how he had subdued the Witchbeast Tamer. Though he made it seem as if they had fought a tough battle, Reinhard had handled it all in the briefest instant, showing just why he was the Sword Saint. The only thing that confused her was why, Reinhard, who always gave his opponents multiple chances to surrender, simply blitzed his opponent without even opening his mouth.
Nonetheless, from there, they were escorted to the Knight's Garrison where herself and Felt explained what had happened regarding Elsa and Meili. Naturally, Emilia was incredibly worried, if it got out that she had her Insignia stolen, her position in the Royal Selection would be in ruins, but whether it was Reinhard or Felt, they casually avoided mentioning the Insignia in its entirety and treated it as if Emilia was simply being targeted due to her status as a candidate for the Royal Selection.
Despite the fact they could have utterly destroyed her political campaign, decimating a potential rival, they didn't. It wasn't as if they made the conscious decision not to throw her under the bus, but that they didn't even consider it a possibility from the get-go. Like with Arthur, Emilia felt that Reinhard was equally difficult to comprehend. Both of them operated in ways that could only be described as 'mysterious'.
After explaining the situation, Reinhard summoned his close ally, Julius Juukulius to prepare a collar of submission. It was clear to Emilia, who had met Reinhard on multiple occasions that the man was acting somewhat strangely. Compared to his calm and composed self, he admittedly seemed a touch flustered.
Once the collar of submission had been prepared, they began their race back towards the guesthouse, but before they could arrive there, the sky was dyed golden as a shocking wave of Mana erupted from the Guesthouse. The entirety of the sky above the capital shone with a golden brilliance. Emilia had only seen a similar phenomenon once before when Puck and Roswaal clashed, dying the sky with light. But the golden light produced by Arthur's sword was incomparably strange, just recalling it seemed to make her worries and burdens ease as she looked hopefully towards the future.
Either way, when they finally arrived, the surroundings were completely devastated, and Elsa had been defeated, her blooded knight standing over her victorious.
When she first saw him blooded and mentally beaten like that, his eyes hollow and vacant, as if he had just experienced hell, she was naturally terrified, but thankfully, all the blood on him belonged to his opponent, and he soon returned to his normal self.
After that, she had to spend the entire night in the Knight's Garrison, furiously scribbling down her reports, being careful not to mention the part about the missing Insignia. She was then picked up by Sir Arthur, and they had a fun jaunt through the city before returning to the mansion.
Her servant was charismatic, and tended to make a good impression on most people he met. Reinhard was clearly worried about him back at the capital despite having only just met, the two maids warmed up to him rather quickly, and even Roswaal, the strangest person Emilia knew, seemed to get on well with him. It was only his fellow spirits that seemed to be a little prickly with him.
It was as if Arthur was the perfect human. Once or twice, Emilia had the thought, if Lugunica really needed a wise and powerful ruler, wouldn't Arthur be the best choice?
With that being said, despite his strength and status, he lived more like a servant than a knight, spending all his free time cleaning, baking cakes and reading books, when he wasn't training that is.
He was already so strong, but he still continued to pursue even greater strength, and Emilia knew it was all for the sake of her safety. It made her feel both warm and guilty at the same time. She wanted to blurt everything out to Arthur, explain her position in the world, and how he had essentially shot himself in the foot by becoming her servant, but at the same time, she was worried that he would abandon her once he realized her connection with the Witch of Envy. Thus, she could only continue about as guiltily as ever.
"G-Good morning, Sir Arthur." She brushed her bangs over her ears as she reached out her hand, helping the kneeling knight up from the ground.
"How are you fairing this morning, Lady Emilia?" the knight spoke calmly and softly. Emilia stared directly into his emerald orbs. Usually, when she looked into people eye's all she saw was fear, derision, disgust, contempt, disdain and hatred, but when she looked into Sir Arthur's clear emerald eyes, she only saw her own reflection. It made her feel happy inwardly, but she also knew his clearness was birthed from his own worldly ignorance. If he knew the full picture, perhaps he too would look at her with disgust.
"I'm fine, thank you, Sir Arthur." Emilia forced a smile, and Arthur fell silent, staring into space. He was always like this, sometimes you would be in the middle of a conversation with him, and he would suddenly pause in deep ponder. Though he was looking at you, it was clear that his thoughts lay far beyond, elsewhere in a realm that Emilia couldn't reach.
Emilia was always curious as to what Sir Arthur was thinking about so deeply, but whenever she questioned him about it, he would conveniently change the topic to an even more curious matter, and like that, Emilia would be led off that trail.
Now and again, he would mutter a name or laugh about something he had just recalled. Naturally, Emilia wanted to find out more, but he always just smiled, saying that he would explain at a later date if there was time.
This was Sir Arthur.
He wasn't a man who lived in the present, but rather, a man who lived in the future. It was clear whilst everyone else was living one day at a time, Sir Arthur was viewing the world in the future, and was thus always able to delay matters, seemingly knowing that one day in the near future, the perfect time for a conversation would arise. Emilia was truly curious as to what the world looked like in Sir Arthur's eyes, because quite frankly, she couldn't even begin to imagine it.
"If you don't mind, Sir Arthur," her bell-like voice snapped him from his reverie, "I'd like to have a little chat with you, is that alright?"
"That's fine and all, but should I be worried, Lady Emilia? It sounds like I'm in trouble." He laughed jovially. Emilia smiled in response, but her mind was elsewhere. Though Sir Arthur laughed, his eyes were vacant. Clearly her small request had led him into a deep sea of ponderous thought, and Emilia found herself wishing to pry him open to see what goes on inside that head of his, but unfortunately, her servant was quite the private person, so that too was a difficult task.
Emilia just shook her head, placing her hands behind her back as she took wide steps towards the white, marble arched pavilion, taking a seat and patting next to her, "Come and take a seat, Sir Arthur."
"Understood, Lady Emilia." With a polite bow, he strode over in front of the sunlight, his figure cast in golden light. He truly cut the image of a hero of legend, and his visage left Emilia deep in wonder every time she gazed upon it. Once again, she found herself reminiscing about the former Sword Saint, Theresia van Astrea. She wondered if those around Theresia also felt so distant from her.
Arthur took a seat by her side, and the refreshing scent of vanilla reached her nose, causing the trepidation and anxiety wracking her body to slowly ease. Though Puck made her feel safe, Sir Arthur made her feel incredibly secure, and that was a large difference. It felt like even if the sky was to fall down, as long as Sir Arthur was by her side, she would be completely fine. He was an invulnerable and immovable.
"Sir Arthur, I had a reeeally strange dream last night." Emilia kneaded her hands together pensively whilst looking directly at Arthur to study his reactions. Immediately after hearing her words, genuine concern was revealed, something that she could feel through their connection.
"Not a bad dream, I hope?" he tilted his head, worry written onto his face.
"Mm." she shook her head, "It wasn't a bad dream, just a strange one. I dreamt of you, Sir Arthur." With her words, the knight visibly jolted, and Emilia could tell he was shocked.
"I see, so you finally entered the Dream Cycle, Lady Emilia. I had expected this to occur at some point, and if anything, I'm surprised it took you this long to experience my memories." He cupped his chin, deep in thought.
"So you did know about this?" Emilia let out a heavy sigh of relief, once again noting that Arthur was incredibly knowledgeable, "I was reeeally worried this morning, especially when Puck said he didn't know about this kind of thing."
"Don't worry, this is perfectly normal between Master and Servant, especially those who share close bonds with one another. Depending on the connection between the pair, sometimes, when we sleep, we'll experience the pasts of one another."
"So… you'll see my past?" Emilia asked with slightly red cheeks, not quite enjoying the idea of someone intruding on her memories like that.
"When I sleep." Arthur nodded his head with a slightly curious response.
"I've been contracted with Puck for a reeeally long time, but we've never seen any of each other's memories, so why is our contract so different?" Emilia asked the question at the forefront of her mind, massaging the command seals on the back of her hand, "Sure enough, it's because of this tattoo, right?"
"Those are the Command Seals, Lady Emilia. If you use one, you can order me and bend me to your will anyway you wish." Arthur explained calmly, "You remember when we first met, you asked me why out of all the magically apt I selected you, Lady Emilia? This is precisely why. With the Command Seal, you possess the potential to bend me against my will, and out of all the people I was familiar with, I trusted you the most with this hold over me."
"That's only because you didn't know anyone else at the time, Sir Arthur." Emilia made a rather wry expression.
"You know that's not true, Lady Emilia. For example, I knew Sir Reinhard, and I knew Lady Felt."
"That's two people." Emilia laughed helplessly as she looked at the back of her hand, "Either way, I had no idea these command seals were that powerful. To think that you entrusted them to me…" her guilt grew even more as she looked up at his honest eyes, holding the back of her hand tightly, "I'll make sure to never misplace the trust you bestowed upon me." It was a solemn vow, one she never intended to break.
"Please don't hesitate to use the command seals when necessary, but don't use them wantonly either, as if you use up all three, our contract will be severed. In short, just be responsible with your decision making."
Emilia closed her eyes and nodded her head, "I understand, Sir Arthur."
"Our Master-Servant connection also has various other benefits. We have a mental link where we can communicate telepathically, and I can take a spiritual form that cannot be seen with the naked eye." He explained to her.
"I can think of many ways such abilities will be handy in the future." Emilia nodded her head, turning to him, "You're really not an ordinary spirit, are you?"
"Of course not, I'm a spirit from beyond the waterfall." Arthur laughed lightly in response, quickly changing the subject, "Regarding the dream you had, would you mind telling me about it?"
To which, Emilia could only puff her cheeks out angrily in annoyance. Every time she asked about him, her questions were parried, and yet, when he asked about her, she had no choice but to respond.
"I dreamt of your childhood." She responded back, "I dreamt of Lady Merlin, Sir Ector, and Sir Kay."
"I see…" Arthur rubbed at his chin, "How old was I when your dream ended?"
"Maybe 6 or 7? I'm not completely sure." She shrugged helplessly.
With that, Arthur just sat in silence, and Emilia couldn't help but puff her cheeks out for the second time, "Aren't you going to explain your past to me? Who is this Merlin character? Why was she raising you? Why was she so neglectful? Why was your country facing ruin? What were those boats on the sea? Why did you put so much burden on yourself from such a young age?"
Arthur then reached out his gloved hand, squidging her button nose, causing Emilia to blush furiously as he smiled warmly at her, "Those are all valid questions, Lady Emilia, and there'll be plenty of time for conversations in the future, but right now, the lesser spirits are starting to get awfully impatient. You're not going to stand them up, are you?"
"Ah! You're right!" it was only then that Emilia realized she hadn't communicated with the spirits all morning. Like that, she waved her hands frantically, rushing towards the nearest body of water to commune with the spirits.
As a lonely gust of wind brushed by, causing Arthur's golden hair to dance as he closed his eyes, sinking into the stone chair behind him, he muttered to himself softly, "So she dreamed of the king, huh? That's a relief."
Authors Notes:
Hello everyone, that has been chapter 14! I really hope you enjoyed! This is the longest chapter yet, so sorry it took a little longer to upload!
As you can see, Emilia experienced her first dream cycle. The dream cycle will be a lot more spread out than the standard holy grail war due to the unique circumstances of their contract, with Emilia slowly receiving more and more information about King Arthur's life as their Master-Servant relationship develops. As for the Dream Cycle itself, I made the experience closer to what Emilia experienced during the sanctuary trials which was more of a stylistic choice if anything, so I hope that sits okay with you all.
Either way, thank you so much everyone for taking the time to read, follow, favorite or review my story, that really means so much to me! I can't believe we're already starting to approach 450 followers!
Take care everyone, I hope you have a great weekend!