Beautiful Dream

As soon as they got home, Ria let Cú inside before taking Emiya's arm and pulling him off to the small patch of grass in front of the door. "The Time Lord wishes to speak to you." Calling forth her staff, she plants it into the ground in front of him. "Just hold the staff, and you can speak."

Emiya does as she said, and within seconds he is transported inside the dragon marble.

"Hello, Guardian of the Mother of Man. I am sure you wish to know why I have summoned you to talk."

"It does strike me as odd, seeing as it was my understanding you were dead."

"As I told your master, dragons do not die; return to the true stream of magic. That being said, we have things to discuss. First, I would like to thank you for taking such good care of her these last ten years as she awaited the return of her Bond Mate."

"Her Bond Mate? I am not sure what you mean by that, seeing as she and I are bonded for life, not her and him."

"That isn't true. You are her second life bonded. Her first and only true Bond Mate is Cú, possessor of the dragon Curruid who is more monster than a serpent. Upon possessing his remains in both his spear and advanced stage armor, Cú became the possessor of a Philosopher Stone or dragon soul. Because they had already spent one life together before she attained my soul, she had only imprinted with Cú's Life Bond and wasn't yet bound to him as his life mate. At this point, she still had a choice regarding her life's path, but her love for Cú was so strong it carried her into their second life where she acquired me and sealed her life bond unknowingly to him."

Emiya gripped the spear in frustration. "She loves me and will not give me up to that disloyal cur!"

"You are correct; she does love you, and it is a love she will not betray. She will not cast you aside but cherish you and possibly even breed with you, keeping her love for you separate from her love for Cú. She has no interest in losing or loving you less, but neither will she give up Cú. It will be a demanding role for you to bear, but it is this role I wish to speak on."

There was a moment of silence before the dragon continued.

"In bonding with you out of deep emotional love, you have become her Guardian. She has even accepted your crest as her Guardian on her back, clearly stating your claim to her love and body. You have been granted a high honor that few Dragon Guardians obtain. Most never get beyond being servants, and almost none can engrave their servitude on their master's body. You are her beloved and, as such, are her greatest treasure next to Cú. A dragon's treasure is everything, and they do not part with it lightly. They would rather die than give it up, and I imagine that is the case with you. You must understand that, though you are not her sole mate, you are vital to her safety and happiness. Every dragon has a Guardian, and once that Guardian is chosen, there will never be another. Even if the guardian dies, the dragon may never choose another."

Emiya chewed his lip as his body tensed and sadness crept through his soul, threatening to overtake him.

"Now, regarding your inability to breed up until this point. Know that you did not fail, nor is there anything wrong. Dragons choose when and with whom they want to mate. You knew in your heart she still loved Cú, and it was that sliver of love that kept her from being able to bear you a child. Now that he has returned, you two should have no issues breeding so long as she is of the mind to do it. You should not be jealous or hurt that she may bear Cú's first, only appreciative that she wishes to share that with you."

"So I should be grateful I am second to a man that betrayed her and abandoned her twice!"

Emiya heard the dragon's mental sigh. "Cú was not born a dragon; he acquired its power externally, so he is young for a dragon and inexperienced with the insatiable will of a young bull. He cannot be blamed for the dragon's influence on his sexual desires any more than you can be blamed for attempting to steal his bonded away from him."

"He doesn't deserve her." Emiya clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"And you do? You who harbors bitter jealousy that crushes her heart and makes her suffer in silence? You do not know her real pain, and if you keep misunderstanding it, you will surely lose her to him unwillingly."

Emiya's eyes go large. "She couldn't be suffering; she would have told me."

"No, she would not. She knows Cú upsets you, and you cannot stand being compared to him. You both have been rivals since this game of magic began. The only saving grace is that Cú has accepted her love for you and said he only wishes to share a piece of the love you and her have because he does not wish to tear apart what he threw together in his ignorance."

Still holding the staff, Emiya fell to his knees as tears began to fall from his eyes. He had no idea she was suffering all these years, and it was that suffering over the love she tried to deny that prevented them from having the love he thought they both desperately wanted. He also had no idea how he was going to live next to her each day, knowing her love for him was a shadow of the love she had for Cú.

"If you truly love her, you will find a way. I have seen three outcomes from this scenario, each depending on you. Only you, as her Guardian, can choose the path the three of you shall go from now on. Her path with Cú is set, and their love is so strong nothing deviates from it that I can see. Can the love you two have been just as strong, or will it end with you losing everything you hold dear?"

Then as the world of the marble disappeared, the Time Lords' voice rang out one final time.

"Good luck Guardian. I have faith you will find the right path."

Then Em was left kneeling in the grass holding the staff of the woman he so desperately loved as his heart aches. For several moments he stayed there before rising and pulling her stuff out of the ground, a sad smile crossing his lips. It had been him, not Caster Cú, who had carved this staff of power for her from the World Tree. It had been him, not Lancer Cú, who had taken the final blow on Alter in the last singularity. It had also been him, not Cú, who had healed and guarded her heart, mind, and soul these last ten years making her stronger and moving her past her demons. Where Cú may have had multiple years and lives to bond with her first, he had only needed a fraction of that. Cú could never be for her what he was, and he would have to learn to be happy with that. He would never stop loving her, but he couldn't bear it if she stopped loving him.

I'm done, beloved. May I come in?

Of course. Are you alright?

No, but it's not just about me. We need to talk about how much you have suffered these last ten years so I can find a way to apologize for being a horrible and inconsiderate companion.

Please don't think that. I, myself, wasn't even aware of how much I suffered, so the blame isn't entirely yours.

You are too kind, as always.

Then he opened the door to a new life as he closed the door on the beautiful dream he had known.