Heaven's Feeling – 12

"Why did you do that?" Lancelot asked after they removed the blond's helmet.

His inner collar was wet, showing he had been crying for some time as he had to cut down those that he cherished.

"This is to repay the debt I owed to you… I should have died those years ago if you did nothing to stop the King… Now that I'm wounded, I will not able to chase you down, so run… far away from here and don't look back," Naruto pointed out as Guinevere placed her hands on his wounds, trying to stop the bleeding.

She felt that they were already beginning to heal.

"I can't leave you here like this," Lancelot denied.

Naruto shook his head.

"I have killed much of my friends in this civil war, I don't want to do it anymore… please… go. I will be fine," Naruto said and pushed them away from him.

He reassured them that he will be alright as he wasn't normal, much like Arturia.

Lancelot and Guinevere looked at their friend one last time before getting on the horses and left these lands behind.

They would never return to honour their friend sacrifices.

Hours went by before Naruto got up and check his wounds.

He returned back to Camelot after burying all the dead around the battlefield.

He used their fallen swords as a tombstone marker and prayed for their soul.

"Are you saying Lancelot wounded you?" Arturia said coldly, sitting on her throne and looking down at Naruto.

The sage was kneeling in front of her.

Naruto's armour was broken in several places.

She looked around at the Knights, who stood along the wall. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed them.

"Father… I wish to stay and see the King's judgment," Mordred asked hopefully, wanting to stay.

"Leave us," Arturia commanded, ignoring Mordred's request.

Mordred protested, but Arturia looked at her Knight with a deadly glare.

The heavy armoured man shivered slightly and left the room afterward.

The huge door closed behind them.

"I know you let them go, why?" Arturia asked in a rather monotonic voice.

"Because they deserved mercy, my King… How many battles did Lancelot fought by your side… how many times he took an arrow for you? How many nights did Guinevere stay with you even though there was nothing between you? Guinevere had given everything she had to conceal your identity, and Lancelot was your childhood's friend. You have spar and trained together, do you not feel anything at all? Do you feel remorse or guilt when you sentence them to death?"

Naruto asked, looking up as his King.

"A King is not a human, one does not need emotions to rule. It only makes one hesitant in their resolve. Justice demanded that they must pay for their sins. How can I govern an entire Kingdom if I couldn't follow of a simple law? Those that commit treason must be executed, even if they are my Queen or my most loyal friends. She had taken an oath to stay by my side, and he had sworn to serve me faithfully, yet they broke my trust," Arturia pointed out as Naruto closed his eyes.

Silence reign the room as Arturia placed her sword tip onto the floor.

The King waited for Naruto to say something as he sighed.

"Do you think that you are a just King?"

"Do you believe that all the choices you made are correct?"

"If that was the case, why did all the Knights who gathered around you before, now have forsaken you? Why did the world turn its back towards you? Why is your kingdom in a state of civil unrest?" Naruto asked several questions without opening his eyes.

Arturia thought for a moment before answering.

"Everything I done was for the good of my kingdom. All the choices I made are correct one, and I have judged and persecuted everyone as according the law set down by my father. A King is someone who can kill everyone to protect everyone, if I let my emotion clouded my judgment simply because the criminals were my friends and that I should favour them, then where's the justice in that?"

Naruto remained silence, he understood Arturia's point of view, but he couldn't accept that was all there was to ruling.

Follow the rules and sentence other to death without any feeling to it.

It just felt wrong.

"If you believe you are correct, then carry out your duty as King. I have betrayed my oath and allowed the criminals to go free, I will accept your punishment," Naruto said sternly.

"If you wish it then I shall sentence you to death," Arturia declared with a straight face, she raised her sword, but continued to wait for her Knight to say something. Naruto wondered why Arturia didn't do it already if she was so sure she was right. Naruto decided to speak up.

"You are hesitant now… why? Is it because you felt it's wrong?"

"Be quiet!" Arturia snapped angrily.

"I just can't cut down a willing man… fight me like you did those years ago," Arturia commanded.

Naruto looked up at her.

"It's an order, fight me and shown how much stronger you have become," Arturia said and reminded Naruto his statement a long time ago.

Naruto stood up and picked up his weapon.

Arturia entered her stance.

Naruto swung his heavy blade, using the flat end at her as she blocked it.

However, the Sage strength was inhuman now as he recovered much of his former skill through the years.

Arturia was sent flying into a stone pillar and collapsed on the floor.

Arturia coughed out a bit of blood as she held Excalibur in her hand.