Chapter 9: The lake

Arturia

The unfamiliar sight of Lady Vivian was what greeted her when she came to.

Hands reached out from her sleeping position among golden reeds that stretched tall above her eyes, propping herself up to meet the gaze of her long-time ally. Said ally remained still, her legs partly hidden under the water surface beyond the banks where the girl rested. The slight lowering of the Lady's eyelids over her round eyes, and the small upturn of her lips into a soft smile, were displays of her pleasure only shown in her expression.

"King of Knights. Thanks be to the world for your awakening." The melodious lilt in the Lady's barely-audible voice carried a tranquillity matched by the stillness of the lake she stood in.

"Lady, where are we?" She surveyed her surroundings. All around her, waters of a turquoise reflected in the Lady's eyes extended briefly before being concealed by a mist faintly tinged with yellow sunlight, that which engulfed the tiny, lonely islet of reeds, soil and tiny stone outcroppings.

"Within my domain, King of Knights. Your enemies will not be able to find you for some time." Her voice remained soft, a soothing aria.

The girl's eyes narrowed, widened, narrowed again. Her body tensed, her fingers pressed into reed stalks and soil alike. Her face averted from the Lady's, her eyes shifting downwards and to the side.

"The fault lies not with you, King of Knights." There was a touch of sympathy added to the Lady's words.

"No, it is mine." For it was indeed her fault. The cold-blooded tyrant came from within her. That could have been a repressed side of her, a side of her that not even she herself knew, but the hatred and grief that birthed the vile knight were the very burdens she bore throughout her kingship.

A tightness in her chest made it difficult to breathe. She could not accept it. She could have ignored the revulsive existence when it was a distant possibility birthed in an unjust, twisted world, but not now, when she came to face this cruel mockery of her body, her sword, her dream. The thoughts brought a flame to her cheeks, to her eyes, a slight quiver in her body.

"… This matter will be resolved, King of Knights." The gentle delivery of words drew trails of warmth that slid down the sides of her face. Yet, the tension in her chest and shoulders had also subsided, and her breaths came more easily. She brought a hand up to dry her cheeks. It was undignified of a king to show this much weakness.

"Where is Shirou?" It was only then that she could muster the courage to voice the concern that had been residing within her the entire time.

"The boy is not here. He waits for you on the shore." The Lady's tone changed imperceptibly. The girl, though slightly puzzled, was also too relieved to think about inquiring further.

"And Lancelot…" What of her other companion?

"I cannot sense his presence." The Lady's words came slowly, tinged with a hint of resignation that also brought the girl's worst fears to the fore. A hush descended over the two, a moment that lasted longer within her mind than without.

"Other matters require my attention, King of Knights. I must leave." The Lady continued, composed as ever. "Do you have any further inquiries?"

The girl shook her head. She could already surmise what had happened after she was defeated by her corrupted self. She was saved. Shirou was saved. Lancelot, who had to have saved them, was not. Nothing else needed to be known. She simply did not want to be troubled by anything else.

In her silence, the Lady turned. Her long, voluminous ponytail, supported and framed by a red and gold visor that sat atop her hair, swivelled, as did the two long strands of silver on each side of her face. The red-and-white gown, adorned with shining plates of gold at the front and sleeves, shifted to show its reverse face to the girl.

"Farewell, King of Knights. Others will come for you shortly."

The Lady headed into the river, each step taken submerging more and more of herself in the water. She became a faint shadow in the mists, fading out of sight before the waters covered her shoulders and head.

The girl was left staring blankly into the mists, dazed by the slow exit of the fairy and the trail of ripples that spread leisurely behind her. Her fatigued eyes drifted shut with the gradual passing of time. Yet, the momentary flash of an image in her mind made them snap open. She breathed in sharply.

"Merlin…" She murmured.

Author's Note:

Pardon me for the unannounced "hiatus". I kind of lost sight of where to bring this story, and procrastinated for a very long period of time (I also had a busy school year, which exacerbated the issue). To those who waited really hopefully for an update more than half a year, I'm deeply sorry.

I am also not going to post further updates till the end of the year; major examinations (with a capital M) are coming up. Again, another sorry from me.

[Note: if you did find the appearance description of Vivian familiar, that's because I referenced her appearance from a character description page in a fate fanon (if you dabble in the type moon fate fanon wiki content, there is a picture on a page for her in the Fate/Conqueror series). If you've never seen it before, you might want to check it out if you want, to get a better picture of what I'm trying to describe. Do be aware that her personality may not be following what was described on the page.]

As always, do leave a review if you have any feedback, queries or comments! Till next time!