Friend- or not? (2)

A new morning came and with that the entire avalanche that was the issue at hand crashed onto my poor sleepy brain.

Surprisingly enough, I didn't find other problems in catching some rest after that unexpected sparring session. That encounter with Ria had been… quite entertaining. And I was sure that I wasn't the only one thinking that.

The girl had looked genuinely relieved when we started the match, and despite the strange outcome, that pretty smile just helped to put me at ease in my bed. I had helped someone… during a boredom-driven midnight stroll.

How many can say that? Except Alucard, of course.

With the first sun light coming through the two windows of the room, my state of sleep was slowly but steadily interrupted. I blinked just once before I realized that I wasn't already done with this frustrating situation.

Sounds cocky, but I really wanted to be done with this crappy predicament and be back home for some more paperwork. Never before I had felt the interest in drowning in that paper-hell, and I can see quite clearly that it wasn't a normal instance that was driving me to that point.

Putting on my proper clothes and armor, I proceeded to leave my bedroom to check on the others. Altuos was already out and wandering the castle as his room was barren of his presence. He was probably gone to check the city's Magus Guild.

Felicianus was… resting. Loudly so. I didn't expect him to be a loud snoring kind of sleeper.

I didn't bother looking inside, feeling rather uncomfortable at the thought of disturbing an old man like him in his rest. I decided to move onto the next room.

Lancelot was finishing putting on his armor. Despite my early suggestions of trying to get a forger to get him lighter curaisse, the knight was adamant in keeping this battle iron for the rest of his tenure under my kingdom.

A gift. That's how he had justified the steely reluctance to 'upgrade' his defensive garb.

Finally I went to check on Myasviel and… she was awake. The girl's red eyes were fixed at the ceiling, a confused look brightly displayed on her beautiful face.

What an odd sight.

I made a step in the room, stopping to knock at the now-open door. She blinked before turning her sight on me. A smile appeared, and I felt a little better about today.

"Good morning, Mya."

"Joseph," The white-haired young woman greeted back mirthfully. "I'm… sorry that I'm not up from bed… yet."

I frowned at the apology. "I'm not offended. But is there something bothering you?"

"Bothering me?" She repeated softly, almost surprised and I nodded.

"You seem distressed. Did something happen yesterday or-"

"No. It's… It's complicated. It think," She admitted with a sigh. "I had a strange dream..."

"A dream? Did you dream something bad?"

Mya shook her head, denying that possibility. "It was just… unpleasant. Like I couldn't help but be distressed while staring at the colors."

Colors? What was she talking about?

"Blue, black, red and… anger," She described without stopping in her words. "So much anger. And…it's directed at us."

Blinking at that comment, I thought about this curious dream. It wasn't some silly one from the way the young woman was mentioning it. So unnerved, so uneasy before what she had seen in that vision.

Altuos had mentioned that something like this was possible, but to think that it would happen now that the situation was so fragile.

I felt dread at this development, but I hid these thoughts from manifesting their dark undertone on my expressions. I merely sported a weak smile, nodding at Mya.

"Then I guess we will have to keep an eye for any strange occurrences," I concluded with a sigh. "You should probably start getting up and… change back to your dress."

She nodded, a small smile rising to her face to try and match mine. I could still see the troubled inner state of her mind over this topic, but I was glad that she was making an effort to keep herself positive through that negative chance.

I left her room, this time my mind shifting in the effort to try where Altuos had gone by. Surely the old man knew a little bit more about visions that I did.

Colors. How the fuck I'm supposed to make out a possible ordeal out of mere colors.

Black, blue and… red. An odd combination that just limited any possible suspects that could walk in and screw things up. Maybe the party-poopers were already there, withing King Arthur's entourage.

With Lancelot on my side, there were just a handful of knights that were supposedly in the guy's camp as of now. Some sounded rather unpleasant in facing in a 'fair fight', while others felt more reasonable to fight against considering my current abilities.

Still, my current priority was to find the elusive Magus elder, get some more insight over this strange dream Mya had experienced, and perhaps inquire about upgrading Crocea Mors' current runes.

Sounds like a simple plan.

Sadly, fate had other plans as I ended up running into two men talking. One was Quintus, the holder of this city and castle, while the other was… someone I was unfamiliar with.

Looking at the unknown man, I was forced to hold back a shiver as the dreadful sight just felt so wrong.

The pure black armor just exuded a degree of uneasiness. Dark hair combed back in a formal hold and his pale skin just made his piercing blue eyes the more difficult to stare at.

"King Joseph," The older individual greeted coolly but politely. "I didn't expect you to be awake at this hour."

"I've some plans for today before the meeting with Arthur," I replied calmly. "And I hope this is a good morning for you, Consul Quintus."

The use of the former Roman title seemed to gain a small grin from the elder, just like I had expected from someone so attached to Rome. Despite my hopes of getting going after this brief interaction, the attention soon shifted at his former interlocutor.

"Before I forget, your highness, I present you… Agravain."

Fuck.

The dark-haired man bowed, his stare fixed on me while I prepared to address him properly.

"It's... a pleasure to make your acquaintance," I muttered, getting a nod from him.

"I've heard interesting things about your deeds… your highness."

He sounded so smooth. Almost like a perfect manipulator.

I've to be careful around this person, or I might end up with more than just this trouble to face.

"I've did pretty little. I've yet to do half of what I've planned for this year."

Bragging? Hopefully, I was going to bluff him.

"Still, your first actions as the ruler of Londinium are difficult to just ignore," The man pressed with a fascinated tone. "Not only you drove away the rank of invaders that were well beyond the soldiers you could've mustered, but you did so while consolidating your rule… and preparing a punitive expedition."

I feel like Merlin had caught news of this while visiting. Rather frustrating to learn that Arthur was well-aware of my activities through this unplanned discussion, but I held back from scowling at the discovering.

Before I had the chance to answer to that, I felt soft footstep approaching. I glanced behind, taking notice of Lancelot as he stopped by my right side.

"My liege," He greeted again. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Not truly," Agravain interrupted for me. "And I've heard about you too, Sir Lancelot du Lac."

"Hopefully nothing dreadful," I muttered.

"No, quite the opposite I dare to say." The dark-haired man quickly admitted. "In fact, I'm surprised that you didn't arrive in the isles much earlier."

"I was unsure how to approach the chaotic situation that is unfolding in Britain. While my homeland isn't by any mean peaceful, I was uneasy to step in a land that I knew so little about," He explained without hesitation. "But I'm glad that I found certainty under King Joseph."

I almost smiled at that, but the implicit compliment was then used for something else.

"Then you can surely agree with me that your monarch did an incredible work. Beyond the limits of mere humans."

"I wasn't doing much more than what a proper administrator should've done," I calmly rebuked.

My answer made the dark-armored knight frown. "Why would you need to diminish the value of your impressive victories? As a king, surely you understand that those highlight the truth. Your superiority to the common man."

…What?

"My… superiority?" I repeated with immense confusion dripping from my voice. "Can you please… elaborate?"

He frowned, but still offered a slow nod before actually explaining.

"As a king, you're chosen to be someone way beyond the simple human. Your power, your wisdom, your capacity of winning against impossible odds-"

"That's not what truly makes a king… a king," I interjected, starting to understand what he was implying with this concept of kinghood. It felt so detached from the material title… and more reaching for the divine undertone that the title has in this period. "That sounds more like what a hero should be. Which would make sense since some heroes do become kings."

"What?" Agravain asked blankly.

"A king is a sovereign, a ruler. The main purpose of a king is to do whatever it takes to help his people. You will never see a king donning some flashy armor and go alone against a couple hundreds of enemies while leaving his kingdom to rot in corruption and disorganization," I continued to explain. "He rules first, by example and by truth. He doesn't bow to nobody but to the moral good, the one thing nobody with proper intentions can abstain to."

I turned to look at Quintus. "Julius Caesar didn't pass the Rubicon just for the sake of power. Rome had long been forsaken to stagnation. The lack of central leadership and the decay of the Senate had been the main catalyst for a need within the Romans. A leader, a brave general that could understand the daily plights and act accordingly to it. That didn't espouse bribery, that didn't accept compromises."

"An Imperator," The Latin muttered softly, almost coaxed by the remembrance of the old glory that was the first decades of the Roman Empire. "You've his sword."

I tensed up a little at that sudden statement, and I unconsciously patted at the scabbard holding Crocea Mors. Still, I nodded. "I do."

"You… truly walk like a Roman," He commented, and my eyes widened in surprise at that genuine compliment. "So confident, but so calculative. It's… it's absurd."

The old man looked impressed, and his tone just wasn't holding anything back about it.

"It's all about honesty in one's actions," I confided with a sigh. "After all, the safety of the people should be the highest law."

The last bit… it was a quote. One that the elder easily understood as the one that owned this phrase was… unforgettable to a roman.

"Cicero..."

I nodded. "You study, you learn, but, most of it all, you improve by past's mistakes," I added. "The Imperium Romanorum. It was great. But it ended because of long-term flaws. Stagnation struck again-"

"And the greatness was soiled by barbarians," Quintus muttered, shivering in light anger.

"Maybe," I interceded with a sad smile. "Or maybe it was misunderstanding, not only among the Romans, but also with those around us that led to the end of the Empire."

"Constantinople still exists-"

A legitimate address, but one that was silly considering the circumstances.

"But they speak more Greek than Roman," I reminded with a frown. "They dress more in purple, than in red. They call it imperial purpure."

"You seem rather… accustomed with Roman affairs, your highness," Agravain commented with a hint of surprise.

"I just… know about the world around us. The isles are but just a small part of what we know… and what we don't know."

Cryptic and kind of trolly. Perhaps they would end up wondering what I mean with the allusion to 'unknown' lands, but I was quite sure the two would never realize I was talking about the 'New World' on the other side of the Atlantic.

"I've only heard few tales about Rome," Lancelot stated with a curious tone. "Is it true that… it burned once?"

I frowned at that very question, and I could see Quintus share a dark look at that reminder that not everything was sunshine back in the 'old days' of the empire.

"Yes and… I will answer a little more about it in private."

The plum-haired knight frowned at the forced end to that query, but he seemed to relent as he noticed my uneasy expression over the topic.

I knew that Nero was the one responsible for the fire because he wanted to have enough space to build his Domus Aurea. But this truth was still ignored by the large majority as there was no 'legitimate proof' pinning the flamboyant emperor to the heinous deed.

To be fair, that wasn't the worst thing done by Nero. Just thinking of what he did to Sporus was enough to make me wish bleach was a thing in this age and time.

Before the conversation could've resumed away from that subject, our attention was driven away as a young knight rushed around the corner and… stopped right in front of Agravain.

"S-Sir Agravain. The king request your presence."

The dark-armored knight nodded, glancing behind. "May I be excused? My liege has requested my presence and-"

"I don't think we really have a reason to restrain you from complying to that order, Sir Agravain," I interrupted with a nod, staring at Quintus. "At least, I don't have any issues with that."

"You may return to your liege, Sir Agravain," The Governor confirmed with a nod before turning his attention at me. "And I suppose you should regroup your entourage, King Joseph. The convention should happen in an hour time from now."

We lost so much time already?

I was surprised at that comment, but I swiftly sobered out from my surprise and frowned at the elder.

"Actually, I was trying to find where Court Magician Altuos was and-"

"Your highness- I wish to apologize for running so suddenly but-"

I stopped, my stare moving a couple of meters behind the governor. The elusive old man was there and… he looked slightly embarrassed as he dragged two big sacks filled with… ingredients of various kinds.

He went shopping… for magical stuff.

Now he looked incredibly tired, and… I was confused by the apologetic tone. Was I missing something about it?

The truth was… no. He just felt ashamed of the fact he had used most of the money… I had given to him with the purpose of doing whatever he wanted with it.

Truly an inconsolable moron when he wanted despite years of wisdom and experience making him appear like a proper life-teacher.

Still, he was back and, after saluting Quintus and making our way back to the living quarters assigned to us.

Once we were all regrouped we reconvened for a final discussion about the meeting and… we prepared for what was going to be quite the diplomatic mess to fix with precision and mercilessness.

One thing was certain in my mind. I wasn't going to let anything get a reaction out of me during that blasted convention.

It's been a while since I've last felt this much regret.

Perhaps it was the fact that I had yet to make a colossal overstatement, even one within my thoughts, just like the one I had set myself to respect as we entered the large meeting room.

The very moment I had the chance to glance at King Arthur… I knew that something was immensely off about the one that was meant to be my greatest enemy as of now.

The first thing that I could say about the 'man' was that he was incredibly young and short compared to me. Quite surprising, but not the worst detail yet to digest in that overall appearance.

Starting from 'his' shoulder-length blond hair and 'his' green-blue eyes, I couldn't help but almost trip while getting on my seat.

Ria almost did the same when she realized that I was the other King in this occasion. And while the rest of our respective groups took their own seats in that long table, we both ended up avoiding making eye-contact with one another.

The situation was incredibly awkward, and rightfully so considering that the young sassy blonde that I had sparred with the night before was the legendary King of the Britons.

If up until now I held some hopes that this wasn't some animesque scenario of medieval times, the fact I was literally staring at the Gender-bent version of a renowned figure as Arthur was more than enough to crush anything that was left of my prayers.

It didn't help that Mya felt the need to mention that 'King Arthur is a cute dummy'. I really had to put my entire mind in not exploding in chuckles at that very comment, knowing that the blonde was so feminine that she got instantly labeled 'cute' by the white-haired woman.

To distract myself from blurting out anything even so remotely embarrassing or telling of the fact that I knew that Arthur was… Artoria, I decided to do the only thing that had some reasoning to it and wouldn't gain too much attention.

I glared at Merlin, and the cheeky bastard grinned back at me.

I was ready to throw my most hateful look possible from within my core, but I soon was distracted by something unexpected and… fluffy.

It was a small critter, its fur as white as the hair of the man he was sitting by his shoulder on. He looked to be wearing a small piece of cloth, enchanting the adorable element and… matching so well with those cute blue eyes staring right at me.

My glare softened in a surprise look and… I saw the small squirrel-cat tilt its head to the side in a curious manner. Yet, the critter's attention slowly turned to the young lady sitting beside me.

There was some silence at first as everyone was checking on the papers we had on ourselves and… the small animal gracefully walked down to the table, stopping only in front of Mya. The young woman stared at the situation with mirthful interest and she giggled as the little thing dropped down and rolled to show its fluffy belly.

"Fou~"

Belly-rubs ensued at that. I blinked calmly at the scene, slowly returning to look in front of me at Artoria and… noticing quite the worried look on her face as she stared tensely at the small critter.

"It would seem like Cath Palug took a liking for the fair maiden."

Yeah, and he seems quite happy about-

…

No.

Nononono.

Oh Hell NO!

Yet the description matched way too painfully for Merlin to be just trolling. A small rodent-like critter with white fur and… its name just made me pale in realization.

A strong monster, one which strength was best represented by Monty Python's King Arthur trying to kill it with his knights… and failing miserably in the process.

The only solution had yet to be invented and… I was unsure if that comedic answer made with cheap special effects could be replicated.

Still, I think it's time to invest in making some Holy Hand Grenades if I really wish to survive future encounters… if I survive this one alright.

With that subtle threat thrown in by the jerk of a magician, I tried my best to ignore the fact that Mya was playing with a creature that just couldn't be considered cute without the adverb 'murderously' attached to it.

I noticed Altuos paling too at the sight, while the others seemed blissfully unaware of the monstrosity restrained in that adorable form. Truly that thing's going to be dynamite if enabled in any way.

"I… I think we should begin with this convention," 'Arthur' coughed nervously while muttering this, looking down at some papers she was holding. "King Joseph of Britannia, I'm glad that you've accepted to come here in Venta Belgarum, home of Governor Quintus Peltrasius Natalinus, to discuss about the content of the letter I've sent you with utmost interest and reverence."

...Interest and reverence? She might be alluring enough to draw a slight crave from within my mind to reach out and pat her for being so serious and formal in such a difficult situation, but I wasn't certainly going to accept this little bout of impudence without some retaliation!

I gave a slow nod. "King Arthur of the Britons, I hope that the trip was a pleasant one… considering that I've to state some skepticism over your 'reverence' over the content of the letter given by your Court Wizard. In fact, I'm slightly appalled and confused by you using such a term to depict the emotion behind such demands."

First step in winning a diplomatic struggle. Exert T-posing dominance upon your opponent to secure a good head start.

Surprise was glinted by her green-blue eyes, and Artoria looked fairly stomped by my rebuttal. So much that only a word left her lips.

"What?"

"Your demands were direct, and blatantly formal. No friendliness, and no truthful effort in securing any good-willed intention," I replied curtly and fiercely. "In fact, I want to know if you're jesting now or not."

The blonde tensed up even more at my fiery tone, but soon her eyes narrowed at me with incredible annoyance and confusion.

"My letter was clear in its intent. I didn't ask for anything grave or heinous as you're depicting, King Joseph, and I'm fairly sure that there was no other reason to think about any other meaning to my words."

"And I'm quite sure that your demands were way beyond 'grave and heinous'. In fact, the text almost lacked these words to be properly unveiled as such."

"And I'm quite sure that an alliance shouldn't have warranted this much dissent, especially with the looming threat over our kingdoms!"

"But I know that- wait, alliance?" I stopped to inquire, irritation replaced by sudden confusion. "What alliance?"

"The one I've mentioned in the letter. I'm quite sure that the wording was quite direct and undeniably towards that kind of intent when-"

"Now, wait a moment," I interrupted with a growing suspicion over Merlin's amusement towards our heated debate. "You sent me a letter demanding from me to surrender the crown and proclaim you the only King of Britain."

She leaned back, frowning at my response. "I surely sent you a message of friendship, not one of imposition," 'Arthur' said with a huff. "I hope you understand that the weight of your words don't offer me much ground of trust when-"

"We still have the letter," Altuos commented quickly, bringing up the folded paper.

Merlin moved in as the paper was being passed to his liege. "It could've been altered. I wouldn't put much trust in it, my king."

Oh, you're not going to pull that sneaky one on me, you white-haired bastard!

"Consul Quintus, I recall that Venta Belgarum has its own Magus Guild. I don't think we're asking for too much to see if the letter had been tampered in any possible way."

The snap-request gained a curious look from the governor and an uneasy one from Merlin.

"It could be done," Quintus replied with a nod. "But it will take some time to see it checked properly. So if you can offer it to my guard to your… side."

I nodded at the slow indication, giving the folded paper at the armored man before he left the room for this new task. Once the doors were closed once more, the situation seemed to gain a somewhat awkward denotation.

Arthur was glancing quietly at the nervous-looking wizard, and I found myself distracted by a certain dangerous critter settling down in front of me. Cath Palug followed the same pattern used with Mya, exposed his fluffy belly.

"Fou!"

I sighed. "Aren't ya the demanding, little buddy?"

While common sense would've had me avoid making physical contact with the monstrous being, I still removed my right gauntlet and… I started to rub his belly.

"Fou~"

Some purring-like noises reached out from the pleased white 'rodent'.

I cracked a smile at the reaction, but just as I found some relief in that simple activity, my attention was taken away by the neutral mediator's voice breaking the silence once again.

"While I'm glad that any heated discussion is being delayed upon the inspection of that message," Quintus started with a strange tone. "I wish to bring up to both King Joseph's and King Arthur's attention that there has been a curious case that might interest you both."

I frowned, still rubbing the cute thing's fluff as I looked up at the governor with a confused look.

"Could you elaborate some more, Governor Quintus?" Artoria asked with a calm tone and… the elder sighed.

"Two strange occurrences have happened since your groups have arrived in Venta Belgarum, both of which strongly implies that you two are somehow responsible for."

I felt tensing up at these words, as my brain couldn't help but bring up only a single situation that could've gained this much attention from the old Roman.

"The first one was when two patrolling guards reported seeing 'two young individuals, a blond and a brunet, sparring silently under the pale moonlight' by the training grounds in the barracks," He finally said. "And the second thing was that two of our training swords were found destroyed."

…

"I hope you understand that I request some compensation for the broken swords."

I nodded… and so did Artoria as we both knew that he was well aware of our little sparring session.

Fucking hell, I hadn't thought that guards had seen us fighting. Paying compensation wasn't the worst considering the confused glances I was receiving from my group.

"Your highness, surely… there's an explanation for this."

I didn't look at Altuos, and the Magus slowly adopted a chiding look at the realization that my implication was legitimate.

"My king," Agravain muttered quietly, keeping himself from questioning his liege about her presence in that very setting.

We were both quiet as we were caught red-handed in the act. And it was slightly embarrassing to bear the staring we were receiving.

A distraction would be nice right now…

Just as I thought about this prayer, a familiar chuckle emerged from behind the chair of the governor.

Quintus tensed up in a panicked expression, trying to reach for the sword set by the chair's side but… freezing in the action. It was so sudden and I couldn't help but stare in shock as a familiar figure stepped away from the cover offered by the chair.

"Truly an interesting scene. Filled with amusing details, silly comedy and… two of my enemies," The tall woman muttered with a sigh. "Is this truly the day where a trick of yours backfired this badly, Emrys?"

"Morgan," Artoria regarded her sister with a stern tone and a fierce glare. "How dare you-"

"How indeed," The older blonde mused with regal amusement. "How could I, the legitimate ruler of this land, miss the opportunity to squash this little attempt of rebellion."

What?

"Dear brother of mine, did you seriously think that I would've been clueless of your efforts to band together with… him?" The woman asked while aiming an accusing finger at me. "A simple fool that ended up wearing a crown way bigger than he can wield?"

"Speaking from experience, Morgan?" I shot back with some sass. "By the way, how is your husband? Still unaware you're just using him for your own obsession."

"I reckon that my mercy hasn't resounded the idea that you're not in a position to talk back to me, Joseph," The blonde hummed. "But I guess that the concussion might have done some more than just allowing you to ogle at my frame."

She emphasized her final bit by bringing her crossed up down her bosom and… pushing up. I fought back the blush, knowing that it just wasn't the moment to be embarrassed by this.

Still, I now had a glimpse of why Arthur wanted an alliance. Her crazy sister was being a little more aggressive than usual. And also bolder at that too.

"I will be terribly honest and say that you're gorgeous," I confessed slowly much to her surprise. "But for what you've done, for what you plan to do- I can't help but see a terrible woman in front of me, in which hideousness can be found only in your deviated personality."

She giggled. "Flatterer."

Just as she said this, several dark figures formed right behind her. Soldiers donning dark uniforms and armors, holding various blades and weapons.

Yep, she brought in an army with her this time around.

I stood up from my chair, slowly taking Crocea Mors out of its sheath and taking a stance. Lancelot followed suit, and so did Artoria and Agravain.

Sighing, I took a moment to glance to the side and to the blonde. "Arthur."

She glanced back at me, giving me utmost attention as we prepared for the fight.

"We might have had our bumps, but I wish to know if you will lend me your strength, just like I shall offer mine to you for this battle."

Her eyes glimmered with determination at my words.

"Aye, my fellow king… and brother-in-arms."

The final word got a dark scowl out of Morgan, the various soldiers finally rushing at the table and…

We all bolted towards the approaching enemy.

The room was drowned in pure and utter chaos as the battle against Morgan's invasion began.