The Red Dragon of Britannia

Summary: Zero had been brought low, humiliated and defeated. His Imperial Majesty left him to die in the original homeland after erasing his memories. In desperation, he sought shelter in a cave, a decision that would save and change his life. Saber/Lelouch

The Cave

"What is your name?" Suzaku Kururugi stood beside Lelouch he asked him the question in a gruff voice.

"I…I don't know," he admitted.

"Then His Imperial Majesty is satisfied. What a suitable punishment for a rebel, to die alone and helpless in a foreign land," Suzaku shoved him away. They turned and got into the car, leaving him alone in the vast wilderness.

The confused and bewildered teenager couldn't remember anything, not even his own name. These monsters were leaving him to die in some foreign land. This had…this had happened to him before, but he could not recall the circumstances.

Suzaku Kururugi threw him to the ground, kicking him in the gut so that he couldn't get up to follow them. The men departed in a helicopter and left him alone.

The young man, formerly known as Lelouch Vi Britannia began to wander the wilderness. He needed to find food and shelter. He saw the sky darken and it began to rain.

"Need to get out of the rain," he told himself. He could die of cold being exposed to the elements with no food or water.

He spotted a cave entrance and entered, grateful for the shelter from the weather. He rested his head against the stone wall of the cavern.

He had shelter but he felt hungry, he needed to find food. He looked about the cave, he began exploring, saw the lightning illuminate the cave, he saw that on the floor there were gold and jewels strewn about, beautiful gems and treasures.

"What is all this?" he asked himself.

He went back to the mouth of the cave, what good was treasure when he was going to starve to death. He'd have to trap something to kill it and eat it, but how would he kill it? He had no weapons.

He sighed; his eyes fell on a bell near the entrance of the cave. If he rang the bell, maybe someone would come to his aid.

He ran the bell and waited, he heard and saw nothing.

The young man peered into the cave and thought he saw a light. The light moved close to him and he saw a hand carrying a wooden torch.

"What marvel is this?" a woman's voice asked, it was deep and yet soothing. Her face was beautiful, blonde hair braided and pulled back with a simple blue ribbon. Her eyes were an emerald green filled with a genius intelligence and wisdom beyond her years. Her armor fell over her body, it covered a skirt that she wore, it was made of fine wool and was quite lovely.

Her metal plated gloves and gauntlets protected her arms. She lowered the torch.

"I ask you, what is your name, boy?" Arturia Pendragon asked.

"I can't remember my name," the young man told her.

She was moved with compassion for him. She placed her hands on his shoulders. "Then I shall give you a name. A name suitable for a young man such as yourself. Until we find your true identity, you shall be called…Julius…Julius Kingsley."

The name she had given him was better than nothing, and he accepted her gift to him.

"My Lady, please, would you give me some water! I'm begging you, I need water, help me!" Julius Kingsley begged her, reaching his hand out to her.

"Easy, lad, easy," Arturia took his hand. "On your feet. Follow me."

The small group exited the cave; they found a couple waiting for them.

"Shirou, Rin, how glad I am to see you! How did you find me?" the woman asked them.

"I sensed powerful magical energy here, so I came to investigate, welcome back to the modern world, Your Highness," Shirou greeted her with a Japanese bow of respect.

"We will travel by vans and bring food and water, and some conveniences for all of you, but how long would it take for us to travel to Camelot?"

"In the vehicle, no more than several hours," Arturia nodded. "I have been blessed that you two are the first I see. Did you…flee the invasion of Japan?"

"Honestly, it's more like we felt we could do more good away than at home, Taiga and Sakura joined us before the invasion took place, and we have spent all this time searching for you," Rin told her.

"You need not blame yourselves for that, if Britannia knew of your powers they would have slain you without hesitation," Arturia smiled.

The couple led the group to a pair of vehicles.

They began to drive, the knights watched the countryside fly by at speeds unheard of in their lifetimes, staring with interest at the technological advances.

They paased through a foggy area for some time until the fog suddenly cleared, revealing a beautiful medieval city with streets wide enough for the vans to pass through.

"It seems I've come home," Arturia smiled broadly.

Julius Kingsley stared in awe, the streets were empty but they were paved with gold. The buildings were made of beautiful marble that glistened in the sunlight.

The abandoned market stalls still held various wares that could have been sold by the people that weren't there to work them.

It was like time had stopped in that place.

Julius was escorted by the beautiful noblewoman as they entered the immense palace of Camelot.

"Julius Kingsley, welcome to Camelot," the woman told him gently. "You are a guest in my home, until the time comes that we must leave."

Julius stared at her in awe. "Are you the Queen Guinevere?"

She gazed at him, "I am not."

"Then who are you? I don't understand," he was bewildered by the grandeur of the palace he had entered. It was something out of a children's story.

"I shall tell you when the time is right," Arturia smiled at him. "Now, I shall have a meal prepared for you. Shirou, please make us something excellent, we're all starving."

She placed a hand on a man's shoulder.

"You do know without modern conveniences, this will take much longer than normal," Shirou reminded her.

"Yes, yes, of course, but I have patience and eagerly await what you will prepare for us," She smiled at him.

"Come with me, you'll need a change of clothes," Arturia Pendragon ushered him to a room where Julius Kingsley found himself in a room filled with fine clothing fit for royalty.

She chose an outfit for him, it was white a blue, blue was often associated with light and the Virgin Mary's robes.

"I am unworthy of your kindness and pity. But might I ask the name of my benefactor that I might thank you properly?"

"The name of my birth is Arturia Pendragon," she replied.

Julius Kingsley fell to his knees. "It's not possible, King Arthur was a man."

"That is how I wished for history to see me, but I was born a woman. My gender does not matter to me. There is no need for you to be so formal with me. I am at your service, Julius Kingsley. You may repay my kindness at another time."

Arturia smiled, "Dress yourself, and I would have you join me and my knights for a meal. But in the meantime, join me for a game of chess."

She left Julius to dress himself and he opened the door, stepping out into the hallway. He noted her smile of approval of his clothing.

They headed to a beautiful library that was filled with scrolls and parchments. Julius' eyes were drawn to a book that was placed on its side, he picked it up and realized that it was chained to the shelf. He examined what appeared to have been a newly made book, only to realize that it was inlaid with jewels and the ink was made of gold. It was a book recalling King Arthur's battle at Badon Hill. At least that's what he could tell by examining the pictures. The language in the book was something he could not read.

"You do not know the language of my people, but I suppose it cannot be helped. You are an Anglo-Saxon. They came from the east, across the sea and invaded my homeland. Your gods fought with my gods until the One God came and drove them out. Mages fought the Holy Church, knights battled barbarians. The Archbishop of Canterbury crowned me King but the Lady of the Lake gave me my Holy Sword Excalibur. I bridged the world of Mages and the Holy Church, and for a decade of my rule, we had peace. But your people never cared for peace. The strong devoured the weak; the belief is ingrained into your Germanic ancestors that crushed my people to dust."

"Then I invoke the Code of Chivalry that you treat me, your enemy with utmost courtesy and I will be your servant."

"You are not of any value to me as a servant," she told him simply.

She saw his body stiffen with anger, this upset him for reasons she did not know.

Arturia gave him a calming smile, "You are not my hostage, from your clothing I suspect you are a political prisoner too important to openly stage your execution and someone they wished to forget about. Perhaps they did not wish to make a martyr of you. You are important and significant to my enemies that they would try to do away with you discreetly."

Arturia led him to a table and sat down. "Let us speak of other things. Play chess with me, it will distract your troubled mind and it will help us pass the time."

"I shall return with something for you," Arturia left him a moment.

Julius Kingsley examined the chess pieces with interest, they were made of solid gold and it was affine set with a marble board.

He glanced up in surprise as the King returned with a fine barrel of wine, wooden ladle and a pair of solid gold drinking cups.

She opened the barrel and using the ladle, filled the cups with wine.

"And all I asked for was some water," Julius Kingsley laughed in awe.

"Unfortunately, the water will take some time to boil, but in the meantime, enjoy my best wine, it should warm you. So let us play a game and I ask that you tell me what became of my country after my Kingdom fell."

They began to play and spoke freely with each other, and Arturia learned many things concerining the country that Julius Kingsley called Britannia.

Julius Kingsley noticed the other knights had lit torches as it became dark.

Julius Kingsley noted that the man his mysterious savior had called a mage had returned with a lot of food and drink. The knights had been helping him cook all day and the scent of the meal made him feel hungry.

The vast fireplace in the living room roared to life along with various torches.

Once the meal was prepared Shirou heaped it on plates with enthusiasm knowing how to plate an excellent meal.

Arturia blessed the meal and they feasted for hours. Kay sang their childhood song about Wold King Cole as the men laughed.

They told stories of their adventures and many other tales, many stories that Julius Kingsley had never heard.

As the night passed, the conversation turned serious.

"What do you do if there is an evil you cannot defeat by just means, my friends?" Arturia Pendragon asked. "We have heard horrific tales of Britannian atrocities committed against their conquered subjects. The despicable Numbers system and their cruel discrimination. The people of our land have given in and are cowering in fear, none of them believe in us anymore. These Britannians that claim my legend as theirs are our ancient enemies. It was said that I would save my people in the distant future, but what has become of my people? Are the Welsh all gone?"

Shirou stood before her, "Shirou, what is it? Do you have something to say?"

"Arturia, after Camelot fell, the Imperial Royal Family systematically wiped out the Britons and the Welsh, the Mages Association took it upon themselves to preserve many oral traditions and even some texts and manuscripts because the Welsh were often powerful Mages, but the Welsh as a people…were wiped out."

The most agonizing scream ripped from her throat as she collapsed into her chair. Her foster brother Sir Kay was at her side, pulling her into an embrace. Though not biologically related, they considered each other siblings.

"Arturia, Arturia, do not give up yet, there must be some of us left," Kay looked to Shirou. "Surely some of our people survived, Master Mage."

"I could not find any genealogical records referring to the Welsh people other than oral traditions that they existed once long ago. The Britannian history books referred to them as "barbarians" that Aldwin IX wiped out."

Kay let the tears flow as he joined her in grief. Tristan began to play some mournful tune on his harp, embodying their grief in the form of music.

"I have failed…again. I have returned to the world, only for the people that I swore I would save, to have vanished from the Earth. Where is my beloved country to which I dedicated my whole life? It was destroyed, utterly and completely by the villains that have carried away my legend. Who am I supposed to save?"

The other knights grieved, even Mordred was silent. Mordred had said little to anyone ever since awakening with them in the cave.

Arturia wiped the tears from her eye and drank some wine. It helped her relax for a moment. She ate in silence and other conversations began among the knights. Sir Bedivere was eagerly awaiting books that would teach him to read in the modern era.

Tristan was fascinated by the music and was experiencing the surreal idea of hearing someone sing without them being in the same room with him.

The others were fascinated by online videos, mainly of the modern interpretations of medieval fighting styles. Shirou was slightly worried about his roaming charges on his phone. He decided to put it on the Mages Association's tab. Despite their dislike of technology, they still had phones and internet at the Clocktower.

Arturia bowed to her knights and bid them good night as she retired to bed. She slipped under the covers and drifted off to sleep.

Sir Kay escorted Julius Kingsley to a guest room and Julius had to get used to the idea of using a torch for light, rather than an electric lamp, but he was so exhausted he thought little of it. He fell into a deep sleep and didn't dream of anything at all.