Kings and Queens

Arturia laid flat on her bed and staring up at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep. She was unable to stop thinking about everything that had happened today; especially her argument with Mordred after Scathach's brutal training session. Turning on her side, she tries in vain to silence the negative thoughts weighing on her mind, not able to help but recall Mordred's hurtful words:

{"Remind me who has most angered the people... who turned a blind eye to their needs, and made Camelot believe that their trust was squandered. Many of Camelot were glad to be rid of you!"}

Arturia lets a tear escape her eye and she curls-up in her bed. Emiya's earlier words of encouragement were lost on her as she falls into an all too familiar state of regret and self-loathing. Mordred may have caused the rebellion that tore apart Camelot, but deep down Arturia thought Mordred may have been right in the fact that her people were angry at the king, and her detachment and objective approach to rule may have made the people eager to turn against her.

She thought she'd done everything right; everything that the ideal king of Britain would do as per Merlin's words:

{"To be a king is to no longer be human. A king must act and rule as he alone sees fit, and not show weakness or emotion."}

The half-incubus who would serve as her mage told her these words before Arturia pulled Caliburn from the stone; the act that gave her the right to be king. She'd previously lived as a peasant girl, raised by a retired knight and forced to watch as foreign invaders raided and desecrated her country as order waned after the fall of Rome, plunging Britannia into a dark age. The moment she realized that she learned her true origin as heir to the late King Uther Pendragon, Arturia wanted more than anything than to pull Britain out of decades of darkness. Whether Merlin's words said to her were meant as either instruction or warning, Arturia attempted to pull the sword, believing wholeheartedly in the ideals behind her actions.

And where many have failed, she succeeded...

Arturia recalled everything that happened since reintroducing herself as King Arthur: Establishing her base of operations in Camelot, forming the Knights of the Round, defeating Vortigern, and driving back the Saxon raiders over her lifetime. Even with all of those triumphs and so much more, it was all for naught after Mordred rebelled. She became a servant for the Fourth Holy Grail War to give her kingdom another chance to prosper. Yet, after Iskandar's criticism and seeing the state of Sir Lancelot, plagued by madness by her hand, Arturia thought that she may have been the problem, and someone other than herself should have pulled Caliburn and become king instead. If she wished for it, then just maybe Camelot would have endured past Camlann, and Britain would prosper for just a little while longer.

Of course, it would be during the Fifth Holy Grail War when that idea was challenged. Arturia's master taught her not to judge herself for what she failed to do, but rather take pride in the good that she gave to her country and let herself be happy. She was stubborn, but eventually Shirou got through to her and she was able to accept the past with her rejection of the Grail.

Or so she believed...

Mordred's words from before were making her doubt herself all over again. Arturia sighed and allowed more tears to fall from her face as she thought to herself:

-I should have never pulled that sword...-

Several minutes pass by, yet Arturia could not find relief in slumber. Restless, Arturia gets up from her bed and leaves her room. Dressed in a robe over her nightgown, the blue Saber wandered aimlessly through the halls of Castle Dunscaith in an attempt to seek some form of relief from her sorrow. As she walked on, she tried focusing on the torch-lit architecture of the fortress or anything else to take her attention. Arturia then stopped when she heard a noise coming from one of the adjacent chambers; one that sounded like sparring.

Apparently, someone was still up at this late hour apart from herself...

Growing curious, Arturia followed the noise to one of the nearby rooms. She spots a doorway to a brightly-lit room and passes through. Looking around, Arturia found the chamber to be spacious with an elevated ceiling and racks full of weapons against the wall; all of which look to have seen use rather recently. Along with the myriad of targets and punching-bags among other things, Arturia wondered if maybe this was some sort of training room. She was proven correct when the Saber turned a corner and spotted a curious sight.

Before her were a set of tall, narrow stilts jutting out of a pool of water below. Looking up, Arturia spots Scathach, clad in quite a revealing training garb with her hair in a ponytail, balanced on top of two of these stilts with her spear in hand. Watching her more carefully, Arturia then noticed that the warrior queen was blindfolded and had her ears blocked in an attempt to impair herself. Before the Saber could think about why, she then spotted a series of sandbags suspended above Scathach's head, all tied by rope to counterweights on all sides.

Arturia wondered what this was all for until Scathach from a pose burst into motion and used her spear to slice a tied-off rope anchored to her right. That started a chain-reaction that made all the sandbags drop down to her level in sequence. Scathach turns to swipe and thrust at each with her spear, keeping her balance and footing on the stilts. The warrior queen moved with grace and efficiency as she spun to strike multiple targets in a single swipe, avoiding ones that would've hit her head all while staying up, as a single misstep would've meant falling off. It all lasted just a few seconds as the display ended with Scathach thrusting forward to impale 3 targets at once with her spear, tearing the bags open and spilling sand 30 feet down to the pool below. Taking a deep breath and relaxing her stance, Scathach takes off her blindfold and ear-covers and manifests a rune in front of her. What was shown to her makes her sigh with slight annoyance.

"Quarter of a second slower than last time. I gotta watch that..."

Dematerializing her rune, Scathach then became aware of the other presence in the room and called out:

"I'm not used to having an audience while I train..."

Still balanced on a stilt, Scathach turns and looks directly down at Arturia.

"My apologies," the Saber replies. "I was just wandering outside, and I did not mean to intrude..."

Scathach merely smiles as she dematerializes her spear.

"I am quite honored actually," she said before leaping down from her perch and lands on her feet gracefully right in front of Arturia. Scathach then puts a hand on her hip. "I dare say I've gotten too used to being in this fortress with just myself and my daughter."

Arturia watches as Scathach casually grabs a towel and wipes the sweat off her body.

"Thank you," she says courteously, though from the way the warrior queen was cleaning her well-built body, from her long, toned legs, abdomen, and bare chest above her impressive... "weapons", it made Arturia feel a little bit self-conscious.

The Saber sometimes wondered how she'd look if she wasn't stuck in an adolescent's body. Arturia could only dream...

"I must say," Arturia continued, temporarily pushing that fantasy from her mind. "It's been interesting seeing you train yourself in the way that you do. To excel while putting such restrictions on yourself..."

Scathach put away her towel and undid her ponytail, letting her hair fall past her shoulders before looking back at Arturia.

"Well," she started, brushing off the flattery. "When you've been working to kill monsters for as long as I have, the only way you can stay sharp is by limiting yourself more and more. On top of that, I just don't welcome the thought of stagnating..."

Slipping on a thin robe, Scathach then gave Arturia a sideways glance.

"But if I may ask," the warrior queen said with a curious tone. "It's quite late, and I didn't expect one of my guests neglecting the need to rest before training. What brings you wandering through the halls of my abode at this hour?"

Arturia could tell that Scathach can sense if something was troubling her, and the King of Knights thought it pointless to deny it.

"There's been a lot on my mind, and they've been keeping me awake."

"I see," said Scathach with a hint of understanding. To Arturia's surprise, she gestures the Saber to follow her as she exited the room. "Walk with me..."

"Where are we going?" Arturia asks curiously.

"A place to go when one finds their head a bit stretched..."

---

"We're back here..." Arturia mutters as Scathach led her through the aisles of her vast chamber of curiosities (museum or whatever the Shadow called it). Despite having seen this room hours ago, Arturia was still amazed at the sheer scale and quantity of objects in here, already spotting objects she overlooked last time.

The Saber started to see why the Shadow brought her here. Not only was the space very large, but more importantly it was private; no one around except for the two of them.

"It's not only a place where I keep my collections," Scathach said while walking beside her, her attention solely on the King of Knights. "I've found this to be the ideal place to settle one's thoughts. There are so many unique objects in here that just from focusing on a few lets your mind wander."

Arturia turns to the warrior-queen and asks:

"You find yourself using this space for such... reflection?"

Scathach's eyes briefly downcast as she answers honestly.

"All the time..."

Before Arturia could ponder the reason behind her words, Scathach quickly changed the subject.

"Anyways," she said as she turned to the Saber. "So you're King Arthur..."

Arturia was caught slightly off-guard, but from Scathach's slightly impressed tone, the Saber could tell that the warrior-queen secretly wanted to have a chat like this since their introduction in the forest.

Her way of "breaking the ice", as Arturia supposed.

"Yes, technically," the Saber confirms, knowing most people would be surprised at that fact considering that everyone had an image of the mythical king that conflicted with actual truth. "Are you surprised?"

"Mildly," Scathach admits. "I never would've thought that the noble King of Knights would be a woman."

"You're far from the first to say that to me," Arturia reveals as they stopped in front of a stone statue depicting a sixth-century knight. "I went to great lengths to hide that fact."

"It's still confounding to know that the real thing defers greatly from what history books say. I question if there are other things that scholars got wrong about you."

"I've read a little bit about myself after I was summoned to Chaldea, just out of curiosity. Some of what I've read left me amused I would admit. Sounds like you've done some research on me too."

"Guilty as charged..." Scathach remarks, confirming Arturia's suspicions. The Shadow then crossed her arms and looked at Arturia with visible curiosity. "Then you can tell me... is it true that you possess dragon blood?"

"Actually... yes," Arturia found herself admitting before indulging the warrior-queen. "I was too young to remember, but Merlin merged my body with a dragon core. It was right before..."

She trails off, and Scathach looks at her with mild concern.

"Yes?"

Arturia steeled herself, finding the best words to continue telling her history; admittedly one she didn't feel very proud of. Arturia was careful not to let her insecurity become too easy for her listener to see or hear.

"You see... Merlin was my court mage, but he also served my father, King Uther Pendragon. I was told that the night I was given that gift... it was the same night Vortigern killed him."

"Really?" Scathach said while sounding slightly surprised. "I remember reading that Uther was poisoned to death before he could announce an heir."

"That was one thing the history books got wrong. Vortigern was my uncle who was envious of my father. When Vortigern executed him, it left Britain in further turmoil, leaving it wide open for the Saxons and other foreign tribes to invade, all while Vortigern tried to consolidate his rule. Other warlords opposed him, preventing him from gaining total influence. Long enough for me to..."

Arturia trails off again, somberly remembering the single event in her life that influenced everything that followed.

"Pull the sword from the stone..." Scathach finished for her, and Arturia nods.

"You wanted to know how I managed to rule Britain as King the way I did," Arturia calmly reminded the warrior-queen. "That was how I started on my journey as King. Deep down I knew that even though Caliburn chose me, the people would never accept a woman as sole ruler, so I posed as a man."

Scathach crossed her arms and looked at Arturia thoughtfully.

"I imagine with it being the Dark Ages, people were not open to things unfamiliar from when Rome ruled..."

"Yes, sadly," Arturia said. "I wanted to become king to save my people. It was never about proving anything to anyone."

The Saber then looked away from the warrior queen shamefully. Scathach watched as Arturia's eyes wandered to the same table of artifacts from Britain's Dark Age and she picks up a small pristine carving of a noble knight holding a sword inverted as if in prayer.

"It was all for naught..." She said without taking her eyes off the figurine. Someone in her time put in effort and patience to make this out of gratitude and reverence for a king who looked after them, or perhaps a knight who had served them in time of need. Whether this was made for her or one or knights, Arturia would have been too ignorant to know back then. The deeds of ordinary folk were of little concern in her effort to bring lasting prosperity to Britain.

Another reminder of her failure as king...

"What makes you say that?" Scathach asked her. Arturia carefully put the figurine away and turned back to the warrior queen.

"My kingdom fell to ruin. My commitment to being a perfect king was ultimately my downfall. My mistakes have carried with me now as a servant. You saw that earlier when Mordred and I..."

As Arturia trailed off, Scathach could tell this she was referring to their argument after training.

"Ah... so that's it then..." the Shadow mutters, deducing that this was what has been bothering Arturia. And she got confirmation when the Saber overheard and nodded in shame. When Arturia had fallen silent, Scathach motions her to follow.

"I think we can find a more comfortable place in here to continue this. I imagine you have a lot to let out..."

Arturia stared at her, surprised by the Shadow's openness. Despite the familiar sorrow she had been feeling, the Saber saw no reason to stop confiding in the warrior queen, who has been nothing close to judgmental of her thus far. After all, she learned during the Fifth Holy Grail that she shouldn't bear her woes alone...

They soon found themselves in a secluded area of the treasure chamber, one where there was two, cushioned chairs and antique floor lamps giving the space a lounge-like atmosphere. Scathach had a couple of her Revenants bring her and Arturia some tea while they conversed amongst the collection of proudly displayed armor sets from various eras of history; Arturia telling her all about her life as King of Britain. The atmosphere wasn't cheery, but the Saber felt at ease in opening up to the Shadow, who had been an avid listener thus far.

Scathach's enthusiasm was not unwarranted as she indulged her curiosity in her guest. After all, Arturia supposed that it's not every day that a person gets to talk with a mythical hero.

"So what happened then?"

Arturia briefly hesitates, staring down at her cup of tea and twiddling her fingers. She has yet to take a sip...

"In my final moments, I made a deal with the World to give me as many chances as I need to correct my mistakes and give my kingdom another chance. That desire was powerful enough to let me fight for my wish... and twice I have..."

"The Holy Grail War..."

Arturia looks up at Scathach in slight surprise.

"How do you know?"

"Your masters told me about it during our session," Scathach revealed before taking a sip of her tea. "You're saying that you've been in two of them?"

"Yes. Had I won the Grail, Camelot would've had another chance to prosper..." Arturia pauses, knowing she was going to get a reaction from what she was going to say next. "Even if I was not to be a part of it."

Scathach sets her cup down and leans forward to scrutinize the Saber.

"You would wish to undo everything you and your Knights have done for Britain?" The tone of her voice betrayed her astonishment. "You would throw away your title as king and your place in history... all on a slim chance for things to even be slightly better? That's... unbelievable..."

"That's not the worst I've heard anyone say about my wish," Arturia shamefully admitted. "A servant from the Fourth Holy Grail War certainly had something to say about it; Iskandar, perhaps you've heard of him?"

Scathach's eyes widen in amazement.

"Alexander the Great? He was there?"

"Yes, and he was a Rider," the Saber said before finally taking a sip of tea. It was just what she needed for a subject she had conflicting feelings towards. "We participated in a banquet with Gilgamesh, where we compared our desires for the Grail, and it turned into us berating each other on how we ruled."

Arturia narrowed her eyes at the memory of the King of Conquerors.

"I called Rider a tyrant for ruling according to his own selfish desires, and he called me a martyr for giving myself solely to my people."

"He said that?" Scathach asked, and Arturia nodded curtly in response.

"After I was forced to destroy the grail, I realized how hypocritical I was. My burden was indeed immense, but I always thought it was noble. After all, how could just doing the right thing ever be wrong? After coming to that conclusion, I stopped wanting to wish to start my rule anew, but instead let someone else be king instead."

Arturia steeled herself; what she said so far had made her feel ashamed of why she became a Servant, but it made her proud of herself for what she ultimately declared:

"I do not wish for such a thing anymore."

"And why not?" Scathach said, raising an eyebrow.

"I've learned to come to terms with what I've done as king, and even IF I could change what happened, there was no telling if the outcome would be better or worse. Thanks to Shirou, my ideals are no longer the only things that define me. These were lessons we've BOTH learned..."

"So, you've cast aside your wish..." said Scathach before a peculiar thought occurred to her. "Hold on... your masters told me that for someone to be Servant, one of the conditions must be having a wish for this Grail. So how are you even here?"

That question gave Arturia a moment of pause and made her gaze fall in reflection.

"That's... something I've thought about since Master Gabrielle summoned me. The fact is... I don't really know. After destroying the grail, I should have been freed from the Throne of Heroes and returned to my time to take my final breaths. But instead, I found myself in Chaldea, and I was immediately thrown into a rescue mission. If I had to guess... I think some part of me still desires something. I'm more than happy to help protect humanity with my masters, but..."

The Saber trails off, and Scathach gently urges her with:

"Go on..."

Arturia resolves herself again and looks at the warrior queen once again.

"Now that I have this chance, I hope that maybe I could see my knights again, make peace with each of them, now that I have decided to not shame their memories by trying to change the past..."

Arturia's gaze turns downcast as her face showed visible sorrow.

"But Mordred... after what she did... what I MADE her do... I don't think that can be fixed. She hates me enough already, and if she knew about my wish..."

A tear escapes her eye. Scathach was silent as the Saber tried adamantly to stay composed. Arturia meanwhile found herself again reflecting negatively on her tenure as King.

"Mordred was as loyal as a knight could possibly be," she found herself saying out of regret. "But when she told me who she really was I-"

She stopped, remembering the moment vividly. Unbeknownst to Scathach, there was more concerning Mordred that Arturia wasn't ready to face, and the Saber felt such great shame that she could not explain her reasoning why that fateful meeting ended the way it did. Scathach waited for Arturia to continue.

"All I can say was," she eventually spoke in an exasperated tone. "My rejection had nothing to do with her personally."

Scathach stared at Arturia with discernable sympathy.

"With all the time you still had back then, why haven't you told her that?"

"I simply couldn't..." The Saber said shamefully. "With how she was conceived and my mindset at the time... I just did what was easier to do. All that mattered to me was that I consolidate my rule and bring lasting peace to Britain. I couldn't allow myself be distracted by trivial, personal matters. For a king to rule, he has to not be human..."

That made Scathach look at Arturia in surprise and confusion.

"Excuse me?"

Although she was slightly surprised by the Shadow's unexpected remark, Arturia went on to explain.

"That's what I was told when I pulled Caliburn. For a king to serve his people, he must not show emotion, and should only make decisions based on merit. It was advice from someone who was never wrong."

Scathach's gaze narrowed suspiciously as she seemed to survey her subject.

"Is that so?"

Needless to say, it made Arturia feel uncomfortable.

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Let me tell you something... " Scathach said while putting aside her tea. "I've been in your shoes. Not royal in the traditional sense, but for a time when people needed a leader... someone had to step up."

Arturia studied the alluring woman before her with keen observation.

"I've had my assumptions about you before," the Saber remarks. "From the way you carry yourself, I thought maybe you are indeed a queen of some sort; so dignified..."

"Your assumptions were correct," Scathach affirms, her gaze firmly fixed on the King of Knights. "Which is why I can tell you... whoever said that a king should not rule with emotion..."

The warrior-queen leans forward and stated:

"-was lying to you."

The Saber was visibly shocked.

"What?" Arturia asked in astonishment. Scathach leaned back in her seat and indulged her guest with a story:

"I was once hated by my people. It was because I was no longer human; I was given a power that neither they or even myself could understand at first. You can imagine how everyone around me felt at that time. We were mostly survivors from raided villages who risked death by the many creatures in this forest to try surviving while rebuilding what we lost. All of them saw me as just another monster who can take what few they still had for myself. And I very well could have..."

Scathach's face turns somber.

"They shunned me, some yelled at me, and others even wanted to hurt me. It came to the point where I wanted to lash out, show that they were foolish to provoke me. I would've used whatever fear they had of me to force my will over them. My mentor quickly taught me that would've only made things worse. The few people who cared for me, they'd too fear me just like everyone else. I would have been the monster everyone said that I was. It was NOT what I wanted."

Then her face showed a smirk.

"Do you want to know what I did instead?"

Arturia nods, and Scathach continued with a nostalgic smile.

"I simply showed them who I was... I didn't let my abilities define me. After helping around the village, sometimes against my mentor's advice mind you, but showing that I wasn't to be feared, everyone eventually came to accept me. When a dire time finally came over us, everyone looked to me. By that point, I had earned their trust. I shared my wants and desires with my people, and we worked together to fulfill them for everyone's benefit, including my own..."

Then her face turns sad again, regretful in a way, and Scathach breaks her gaze on the King of Knights as it falls past, making her stare into nothing.

"It didn't matter much in the long-run..."

She falls silent. Arturia had been listening to the Shadow keenly so far, and she could not help but ask:

"What happened?"

Arturia knew that look: Scathach was trying to not let too much emotion show. Whatever made the Shadow reflect like this, the Saber could tell the subject was painful for her.

"It's of no concern", Scathach deflects evenly, ending the topic right then and there. Then her gaze directs back at Arturia. "My point is that feelings DO matter, and as long as you are open to them, you can be more than a capable leader. Which is why I can't understand why someone would tell you otherwise. It's a foolish notion..."

Arturia was stunned at the Shadows words. Had she still been the same servant from the Fourth Holy Grail War, she would have stood by the ideals and way of rule she had set for herself in life. She'd distance herself so only she would bear the woes and hopes of her people, and say it was the best way she could've moved her country forward. Throughout both Grail wars, Arturia had seen that notion become challenged, and ultimately proven wrong; first with Iskandar, and then with Shirou...

{"You gave everything to try and make your people happy... but what about your own?"}

There was a time she would've dismissed having desires of her own, but from spending time with Shirou not just as his Servant, Arturia found a sense of relief and peace in simply being selfish... if just a little. She was taught it was okay to want things for herself, as long as she shared her feelings with the people around her; people who she cares for and care for her in return. It was this notion she took to heart in Chaldea, having confiding friends in Emiya and Jeanne, and working as a team with other servants. Arturia found a state of being that she found she wanted more than anything; friends and family to share struggles and triumphs with.

Arturia Pendragon learned that she was more than the ideal king. She was a person, and not an island...

So why then, she thought. Why did Merlin give her that advice so many years ago? Why tell her to close her heart, when on the contrary, opening it has only made the King of Knights stronger? Merlin had been her mentor, her advisor in hard times, and he had never been wrong let alone ever lied to Arturia.

She trusted him completely... but if what Scathach said was true, then Merlin, as wise as he was, would've known his words of kingship were falsehood.

{"To be a king is to no longer be human. A king must act and rule as he alone sees fit, and not show weakness or emotion."}

Words that have guided Arturia throughout her reign... words she thought were true and followed to a letter... only now sounding hollow now that she adamantly deviated from them. The more she thought about it after everything she has experienced since Camlann, Arturia found herself coming to the frightening conclusion:

Merlin might have indeed lied to her... and it also called whatever advice he'd given to Arturia into question. What were his motives for saying those words to her in the first place?

-Merlin... why?-

Scathach eventually breaks the silence, sounding concerned after seeing the conflict on Arturia's face.

"Are you alright?" Scathach asked, thinking that she what she said earlier might have offended the Saber. "If it's of any comfort, I don't think your way of rule any more demeaning because of what I said..."

Hearing her, Arturia slowly raises her head to meet the warrior-queen in the eye.

"Actually, I- I can't disagree with you," She starts hesitantly. "After all, it was my way of thinking that made me alienated from my people. I can't say I was ever a good king for not being exemplary to my people. Iskandar's subjects would not have followed him adamantly had he not promised glory and riches he desired of his own. Ambition is a trait of simply being human, and it was what allowed him to truly connect with his people. It's clear to me that you understand that better than I ever did..."

After Arturia's said her piece, Scathach fell silent, as if in reflection. When she at last responded, it was with something that Arturia did not expect to hear.

"As much as I believe my words to be correct, that doesn't have to mean I'm right..."

Confused by that statement, Arturia found herself asking the warrior queen:

"What do you mean?"

"Look at it this way," Scathach tells her. "Iskandar came from a time and place where everything was ideal, peaceful, and prosperous. He never experienced a time when a country faced uncertainty during a collapse, when everyday was a struggle to survive, or when there was no authority in place to provide order to chaos. When a country is left with nothing, it takes something more than governance and riches to bring it back on its feet again."

"And what is that?" Arturia asks curiously.

"Hope," the Shadow stated. "When an entire country was in despair, you stepped up, offered something that was solely needed at the time. For that reason, I think it's unfair for you to compare your rule with Iskandar's. Your circumstances were completely different. Macedonia already had everything it needed to be an empire by the time Iskandar began his campaign of conquest. But Britain was not even a nation when Rome fell. It had to find the strength to rebuild itself first, and you helped it to do so. Iskandar would not understand why you ruled the way you did because hope is not something one can put a value on. Any self-serving king can offer land and riches, but a selfless king who offers hope is a rare thing. Someone like Iskandar could not have done what you did. Only by the end of your rule was that hope no longer needed. You may not believe that you were the king your country deserved, but I am sure you were the one that was needed..."

Arturia was rendered speechless. She half-expected Scathach to criticize her as Iskandar had done to the Saber previously; something along the lines of calling her a martyr trying poorly to be a king. That was not entirely the case, and Scathach showed a degree of understanding that didn't leave Arturia nearly as devastated as Iskandar denouncing her status as king. It actually left her feeling elated.

Scathach seemed as wise as she was powerful. Such a level of wisdom that could only come from a being who has existed longer than any human. Arturia felt the warrior-queen was one deserving of her respect.

"I... I am grateful for your words Scathach," she says courteously. "It was something I really needed to hear, and I don't know how to express my gratitude."

Scathach smiled before telling her:

"This is one thing, and I hope that it isn't too much to ask..."

"Anything..." Arturia reassures her, and Scathach leans in and ask her in a hushed voice:

"Can I please see it?"

Arturia was caught off guard, knowing full well what Scathach was referring to. Having a brief moment to think about it, Arturia obliges and stands-up from her seat with Scathach following suit. The Saber then held out her hands, and in a flash of light, Excalibur appeared before the warrior-queen in all its shining glory.

Arturia could tell Scathach was trying hiding her sheer awe and amazement at being granted the opportunity to inspect the Sword of Promised Victory up close like this. She watches as the Shadow traced every feature of the finely crafted sword with her fingers; from the guard, the sleeve ornament, the etchings on the steel, and finally to the very tip of the blade.

"It's beautiful..." a whisper escapes Scathach's lips as she ran her fingers slowly up the bevel of the blade, the glowing Fae steel seemingly humming at the motion. Judging from the growing smile on her face, Arturia could tell the warrior-queen was feeling honored being in the presence of this sword.

"I'll never forget the first time I held it in my hands," Arturia found herself confessing. "When I first pulled Caliburn, I discarded any notion of gender or self-desire to be the king I needed to be for my country. It was a well-made blade but felt like a weapon just like any other. After Vivian reforged it into Excalibur, it felt... different. When I grasped the handle, it "spoke" to me. Not with audible words, but like it had a will that desired to connect with me, understand me in a way as if... as if two long lost lovers reunited after a lifetime of being apart. For a brief moment, it made me remember who I was before I pulled Caliburn from the stone..."

"What exactly did it say?" Scathach asked without taking her eyes off of Excalibur, but she was listening intently. Arturia gathered herself before recalling:

"It said... "This is a weapon forged in the depths of the World, to be used by a shining example of Humanity in hopes that together they can bridge the ancient divide: to be a force of all that is good and carve a fate of our choosing. Yet, all I desire is to be wielded by someone who will protect and fight for all he/she cherishes with all their strength and love. A wielder, I hope... may very well be you"."

"Incredible," Scathach said as she started testing the tip of the blade with her finger. "There is indeed powerful magic imbued in this weapon. To think it has something even resembling sentience... the Fae work in mysterious ways."

Her hand travels back down the blade to the guard. The Shadow then slowly began to reach for the handle when Arturia interrupts her.

"I wouldn't bother trying to hold it though if I were you," the Saber said cautiously. "Being made from Caliburn's fragments, it will only allow someone "worthy" to actually wield it."

Scathach shoots Arturia a coy smile and retracts her hand as Excalibur dematerialized in a mist of light. The warrior-queen then asks lightheartedly:

"And how does one become "worthy" to lift Excalibur?"

"I sometimes ask myself that same question," Arturia reveals, and Scathach's teasing gaze then softens. "Even after pulling the sword from the stone, I never knew for sure what it was that made me succeed when others who've tried failed. Merlin used to tell me that sometimes a weapon chooses its wielder. All I knew is that by pulling it, it was a symbol of one's right of sovereignty of Britain, and with it came the distinction of kingship."

Arturia sighed before continuing.

"There was a time when I thought the sword made a mistake in choosing me, or perhaps I should never have tried lifting it at all, just from what it costed me. Even as I used it less and less over my years, Excalibur still finds me worthy. Of what that is, to this day I still do not know..."

Scathach's face changes to one of sympathy, and after a very brief silence, offered words of assurance.

"Perhaps it sees something else in you; something you don't yet see..."

Upon hearing that, Arturia looks at her hand, appearing somber and doubtful. Her attention was taken away when Scathach puts a hand on her shoulder.

"While you are wondering what that is, how about you get some rest? As Setanta would have no doubt warned you, you will surely need it for training tomorrow."

Arturia looks at the warrior-queen and looks at her cordially.

"He did mention how "thorough" you tend to be, so I will oblige."

As Scathach removes her hand and turns away, Arturia then added:

"You know, as his former teacher, I feel you would be proud of him."

It made the Shadow stop.

"Oh? And why is that?" She said, glancing back at the Saber.

"I've met him before. Cu Chulainn was a servant in the last Holy Grail War I was in."

"Really?" Scathach asked, sounding mildly surprised. "He's failed to mention that..."

"Lancer had it rough; perhaps even more so than I did," Arturia went on to explain. "He lost his master early on, but despite the circumstances, he was a worthy opponent, and towards the end became a trusted ally. Despite his... bravado for lack of a better word, he fights with honor."

"That sounds just like him..." Scathach said to herself with nostalgia laced in her voice. She turns back to face Arturia and then tells her: "Perhaps you could tell me the details of your War next time."

"Why don't you ask Lancer?" the Saber asks. "He could tell you better about what happened to him better than I ever could. It's not my place to speak on his behalf..."

This causes Scathach's gaze to become downcast, much to the Saber's surprise. Arturia wondered if maybe she had said something wrong as silence briefly hung in the air until the warrior-queen replied somberly.

"It's... complicated."

Arturia blinked and stared at the Shadow, briefly lost for words. This was the first time since meeting Scathach that she seemed unsure of herself; A far cry from the warrior-queen who seemed to always know what she was doing. It was clear that Scathach was not enthusiastic of confiding herself with her former student, and the Saber couldn't understand why such was the case.

It makes her wonder what had happened between them.

"If you don't mind me asking, Scathach," Arturia began, choosing her next words carefully as to not seem at all rude. "Why did you take him on as your student?"

Scathach narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the Saber, and just when Arturia thought she might have overstepped her bounds, the warrior-queen's gaze softens as she confessed:

"Setanta possessed a level of talent I had not seen in anyone who came before him, along with a myriad of other... indefinable qualities. I thought he would be different from the other warriors that I have trained."

A serene smile was slowly appearing on Scathach's face as she was saying all of this. But then her face falls again.

"Or so I believed..."

Arturia said nothing as Scathach turns away, as if to hide a tear escaping her eye. Deafening silence hung between them until the warrior-queen broke it without turning to look at the Saber.

"Gather your thoughts and rest up," she said in a stoic tone, signaling to Arturia that their time was over and needed to be left alone. "Work continues at first light. You can follow the runes on the floor to find your way out."

Arturia was concerned for her host, who had been an interesting person to converse with up until now. Though reluctant, she respectfully complies with the Shadow's request with a bow.

"Understood." Arturia turns and takes a couple of steps away, but then stops suddenly to face the Shadow again. "And Scathach...?"

The Saber notices the warrior-queen's head turn slightly, even though she does not meet Scathach in the eye.

"Thank you..." Arturia says with the utmost gratitude. "Goodnight."

The Saber sees a small smile form on the corner of Scathach's partially concealed face.

"Likewise..." the Shadow says courteously. With that, Arturia leaves Scathach to her own devices, her mind now at ease for a decent night's sleep. Her misgivings of her life and with Mordred, for now at least, no longer weighing on her. But while the woes that have been keeping her up have been temporarily silenced, the warrior-queen had given her plenty of rather other curious conundrums for Arturia dwell on; the foremost of which being why Merlin implanted the words of lone kingship from the time she first pulled Caliburn from the stone, and her mentor's motives for preaching such a thing, and if he did indeed mislead her.

Had Merlin never said those words to her, perhaps Camelot would have turned out better-

Arturia's thoughts were interrupted by a yawn as she walked back to her quarters. To her relief, sleep was calling her, and she decided to save such questions for another day.

A day when she might meet Merlin again...

Meanwhile, Scathach stood alone in the lounge. As soon as Arturia was out of sight, she sighed and creased her forehead. Part of her was making her feel guilty for leading the King of Knights on as she did. As much as she enjoyed their talks and found her as a person worthy of respect, the Shadow's true motives for indulging Arturia's company were deliberately kept hidden. Not only did Scathach want to understand her student, as she will with the others to follow, but she also wanted to take a closer look at King Arthur's legendary sword.

Just from inspection, Excalibur was indeed a powerful weapon, made with arguably the strongest magic behind it. Legends spoke of its light burning so brightly that it could be seen from miles away, and capable of blinding an entire army at the sight of it. On top of that, the sword had a will of its own; able to decern friend from foe. It was not a weapon made to kill indiscriminately. The mentality behind the creation of the sword was not as much to inflict harm, but to be a symbol to unite and draw strength from the dreams and hopes of humanity to vanquish foes in direct opposition to what the weapon represented.

For that reason, Scathach's experience inspecting Excalibur left her without conclusively discovering what she wanted to know...

Scathach then held out her hands, and in a mist of red smoke appeared her signature spear, unable to help but compare the beautiful sword to the menacing weapon she now held. Unlike Excalibur, Gae Bolg was crafted with a very different mindset. This was not a weapon meant to inspire, but to do one thing, and one thing only:

Kill...

It mattered not if the spear was used on a phantasmal beast, or on an average human, Gae Bolg would do all in its power to ensure its victim would die utterly in the most efficient, and agonizing way possible. Any other way to die would be considered more merciful than dying to this terrifying weapon.

Gae Bolg was a weapon that cares not whose blood it spills... only that it is very thirsty for it...