12 A Revelation and an Awakening

"...So what are you doing now?" I heard Morgan ask as she seemed to hover around the side of me, looking at what I was cooking--Wait, when did she get a notepad?? When did she get glasses as well?! Wait, there are glasses like this in 5th century England?

...What? When? How? Why?

Giving a sigh, I looked away from Morgan and back to the crude cutting board I was using, "Right now I'm seasoning the burger. Only use a little bit of the seasoning I've told you but honestly, you need to find what amount you personally like and then stick to that amount."

As I said this, I sprinkled a mixture of different seasonings onto the uncooked burger patty. Only a little bit, however. Not enough to cover the meat otherwise the flavors would be a bit overwhelming. Morgan, however, furiously wrote this down before asking another question, "What are the seasonings again? I don't think I got them all the first time," she looked up at me with shining eyes but I just gave her a deadpan stare before looking at her notepad.

...I can see the names of the seasonings right there, Morgan! Right there in front of me!

"...You don't have all the seasonings needed but you have the majority of them. Try and find a country called Spain and trade for some paprika. It should be south of England and Southwest of France. Though neither of them are probably called that yet...Yeesh, who knew this would be so hard," I murmured to myself before answering Morgan's question, "Salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, a bit of sugar and some very finely diced dried out onions. Add a few pinches to each side and then put it on the frying pan."

With that, I put the patty onto the frying pan that had been heating up for a while, courtesy of one of Morgan's magic fire rocks that continuously heat whatever it touches to a certain temperature depending on the material. Just enough to get it hot but not enough to melt it or set it on fire. Odd stuff in this world, huh?

Instantly, the patty started sizzling and I left it to cook on that side while I moved to cut the vegetables that would be going on the burger.

Tomatoes and lettuce. The classics.

By the time I'd sliced those up real good, I went back to the burger and flipped it over with a wooden spoon I'd quickly carved into a spatula.

It did a few flips through the air before landing on the uncooked side...Ah~ What wonderful showmanship~

While I was doing this, I went over the ingredients for the patty to Morgan, just to 'make sure she had it all down' or whatever her excuse was, "You see, Morgan, if you want a nice juicy burger, you can't just rely on the meat. You need to add things to the mix that can give it a one-up. Like adding diced up onions to the burger patty or some meats that have high percentage of fat to make it juicier and easier to cook. But, you wanna know my secret?" I asked with a smirk, moving the pan around in such a way that the dripping fat from the burger that was collecting in the pan went over the patty and soaked back in - can't let any of those juices go to waste, can we?!

"Mhm, mhm!" Morgan gave a surprisingly enthusiastic nod, her eyes shining weirdly.

"Well," I started, "You need to add some butter to the patty mix. Makes the meat more tender and adds some needed moisture to the patty, making it result in a juicier burger. Adds some taste to it as well." As I said this, I flipped the burger over again to get some more cooking on the face-up side, "Though, don't add too much. You want the meat to be a bit more malleable, not a buttery/meat mush."

Morgan continued write all this down and I continued to speak about what I knew about cooking burgers and before long, I was done. Though just as I was taking the pan off the heat, Artoria walked in.

. . .

POV Change - Artoria Pendragon

Walking into the kitchen where I'd been told Gabriel and my sister were, I was stopped solid something.

Gabriel, the Grey Devil, or his new nickname given by the crowds who saw him, the Giant-Slayer...was wearing an apron and cooking some food like a common housewife.

The way he held the frying pan and what looked like a weird wooden spoon, was a complete juxtaposition to how he usually looked. He wasn't covered in blood or smiling like some kind of maniac...but he was smiling gently while explaining cooking to my sister.

...I hadn't seen many times where he'd been like this. Only when he was drawing was he like this.

Every other time, he was like a different person. I struggle for a word other than maniac, honestly. But right now, if you looked past the obviously muscled arms and the dangerous air he still gives off, he looks like a normal person cooking and enjoying his life.

...How? How does he do that? How is he one thing and then the next thing soon after? I'd be lying if I said I wasn't envious of his ability to be two things.

I was King. A King isn't human. A King lives for their kingdom. They don't get to have hobbies or things they enjoy...but Gabriel could. Morgan could. Merlin could. Kay could. In fact, they all do.

I felt...cold and numb all of a sudden. While looking at Gabriel...he felt warm and alive.

Looking at him was like looking at something I wanted to be. I wanted his ability to make choices that were hedonistic. I wanted his ability to do what needed to be done while still having hobbies and still being a person of his own.

Everything started to feel dark around me. Like walls were being built up around me. A fortress to keep the world out.

I needed to be a King...and a King isn't human. They don't have friends. They don't have personal aspirations. Everything is for the sake of the Kingdom, no matter the hurt it causes the King. A King...isn't human. I know all of this...so why does it hurt so much to see Gabriel so happy and free? Why do I feel so envious of his freedom?! Of Morgan's freedom?!

The walls around me got thicker and thicker but--

"Artoria, wanna join us for something to eat?"

A simple sentence. Nothing out of the ordinary. Yet those words tore down the walls building themselves around me, piercing through the fortress like they knew how the walls were made.

And looking into Gabriel's green eyes...I could tell that he knew. That he'd understood what I was feeling and thinking as soon as he laid his eyes on me. It was unnerving...yet I was glad. Glad I had such a person who'd willingly stop me from collapsing in on myself.

Those eyes held no pity. Only recognition. Recognition that I was his friend.

His smile was so gentle compared to the manic snarl he wore during a fight. So nice and warm. Gabriel's words...Gabriel's smile...Gabriel's warmth...they were giving me a way out. To become a King who was human. To become a King who had friends. To become a King who lives for their Kingdom but also for themselves. For the people they care about.

Maybe Merlin was wrong...Maybe Gabriel is wrong...but I know which one I'd rather follow. Even if it proves wrong, I wouldn't mind one bit as long as I get to experience the freedom and warmth they do.

"...Mhm, I think I will, Gabriel!" I smiled. Truly, for the first time in a long time, I smiled sincerely.

. . .

POV Change - Gabriel

Nodding, I smiled at Artoria making a decision that wasn't alike her previous self.

It was a step in the right direction. Anyway, walking to where the sliced vegetables were and so was the fresh buns, I placed the burger on the bottom bun. Then the cheese I'd sliced beforehand. Then the tomatoes. Then finally the lettuce. A bit of a dry, sauce-less burger, but it'd do for now. It'd show them what to expect from me and my 'secret' recipes.

Topping it with the top half of the bun, I put it on a plate before turning around, "Voila, a classic hamburger."

Artoria looked at it curiously, though I could already tell she was going to go all gluttonous on me and 'my' food 'creations'. Barely keeping the drool from coming from her small cherry-lipped mouth, Artoria looked back and forth between me and the burger as she spoke, "W-where is this from? It smells--" she was cut off by a smiling Morgan.

"--Delicious. It looks wonderful as well. I can't wait to try it all," she subtly said, her words jabbing at Artoria who just gave her a sidelong glance and a slight pout.

"Alright, alright, just sit at the table, yeah?" I spoke impatiently, already knowing how these two would get if I allowed some form of argument. Jeez, it's like trying to mix water and fire with these two.

Artoria, betraying her poker face and showing how hungry she was, flashed with mana and appeared at the table and Morgan calmly walked over to it, though not forgetting to shake her hips from side to side as she walked. When she sat down, she looked over at me from the corner of her eyes and gave me discrete wink.

Ah, truly, what a wonderfully forward woman~

Walking over to the table myself, I placed the plate on the table before realizing something fun I could do.

"Hey, Artoria," I asked and the mini-'King' looked away from the burger and towards me, reluctantly. Her expression was one of slight annoyance, so I smirked and spoke up, "If you want a bite of my burger, let me have a look at Caliburn, yeah?"

She looked briefly shocked, "W-what?" she asked in confusion, "What do you need Caliburn for, you have--" I cut her off with a wag of my finger.

"No Caliburn, no burger and I'll give the entire thing to Morgan," the woman in question practically radiating joy at these words, for some off reason.

Artoria looked lost for a second before grimly looking down to Caliburn and then to the burger before she closed her eyes, her aura becoming extremely serious...and then she withdrew Caliburn and looked at me with eyes that were too serious for the the situation, "Don't break it, please, Gabriel," she held Caliburn in such a way that it's hilt was free and pointing toward my direction.

Holding in a laugh, I took Caliburn and gave a serious nod, "Right," I said before holding it by the lower and wider part of the blade before--

"Whoa, look at this sharpness. It's like a world-class chef knife~!" I remarked with a laugh as Morgan joined me in the laughing.

Artoria glared at me before pouting, "That's a holy sword, Gabriel! Stop using it as a common knife!" she gave a spirited and indignant shout, to which I laughed even harder, dodging her attempts to take by Caliburn with ease. Even with mana reinforcing her, our power gap was too far and my reflexes and instincts too keen for her to escape them and successfully 'attack' me.

In the end, after some laughs and grumbling from a red-faced Artoria, I cleaned the blade with a table cloth and handed it back to her.

She snatched it away and put it back in it's sheath, grumbling, "Dummy," before she sat back down.

Across from a crescent eyed smiling Morgan who I really needed to get in bed sometime soon. There's a definite connection and we're both clearly attracted to the other. Only a matter of when, not if.

Once Artoria sat down, the two of them dug in and I sat back, watching the two of them.

From their wide eyes and the way they both began to rapidly eat, I could say that they liked the burgers.

Morgan ate in a more lady like manner, taking small bites and then swallowing them and taking another. But she was also doing this quite fast so her half of the burger was quickly disappearing. Artoria, on the other hand, was like a hamster - she was constantly nibbling away at the burger and eating it. It was kinda cute, I guess.

...Though I've got to say, despite their differences, Morgan and Artoria are still similar in certain ways, huh?

Getting up, I turned around to go and make myself some burgers to eat. I did the test one first because I'd be making myself bigger burgers and in bulk and I wanted to see if I could do it right. Now that I knew I could, I quickly got back to cooking.

Though shortly after starting on the first burger of the lot, I felt two pokes on my back.

Looking over my shoulder, I saw Morgan looking slightly embarrassed while holding the empty plate and Artoria who was looking at me with shiny eyes. They wanted more, it would seem.

...Ah, well it seems I've awakened two foodies, huh~?