Chapter 29
It was as if time had stopped as Shirou moved his gaze away from the scene of Arturia drawing forth Caliburn.
He was hidden, his back pressed up against the shrubs, and his mind elsewhere.
With Caliburn drawn, Britain once again had its chosen King, heralding the beginning of a long journey forward that had only just begun.
Releasing a breath, he pressed his back further into the shrubs, and only relaxed when Arturia and Merlin left the area towards the Joust still being held in the distance. Even then, he didn't miss the discreet glance Merlin sent in his direction.
With the kind of Wizard Merlin was, it was natural that Merlin had discovered him, but that didn't matter.
He reached a hand out in front of him and seemed to grasp out at the sky. A show of determination, for the time had come. All those years of preparation was just for the beginning of this moment.
The beginning of the tribulation and rule that would haunt her for the rest of her life. And that was what he wished to prevent. Britain would not fall, and she would not despair over an empire in ruins.
Instead, he would take on that burden if the time ever came.
Standing up, his gaze shifted towards the sudden silence in the Jousting competition. By now, it was increasingly clear to him that Merlin and Arturia had arrived. Therefore, the Joust must have been stopped just from the shock of seeing Caliburn alone and what it entailed.
Hail Arthur, King of Britain, and Son of Uther.
The people in the land needed their King, and although Arturia's feminine features were present and had only grown more refined, no one would care or even notice as long as the King acted like a King. Yet at this instant, at the very start of it all, how easy would it be to garner the faith of the people?
It wouldn't be that simple.
Although many Nobles called forth for the King, they had done so in hopes of their own progeny to obtain the throne in the Joust. Now that the legitimate King had appeared, it was only natural that not all Nobles would be satisfied at the result.
It was the same in Arturia's original timeline, and it was the same now.
In fact, by the time he reached the square where the Joust was being held, it was only to see a handful of people still hesitating to bow in Arturia's direction, and even then, they were mostly commoners. The others, the participants, and heirs to Noble titles were glaring in unconcealed discontent.
Those people were just petty through his eyes.
Uther's words before his death proclaimed the King to be the man chosen forth by the Sword in the Stone. Nobles as they were, those participants in the Joust competition surely would have had already attempted to draw Caliburn, but failed. To be jealous of another now? It was only inviting his scorn, considering that it was such people that had helped fuel the ruin of Britain's empire in Arturia's timeline.
He wouldn't pay those Nobles any regard.
Instead, walking up to Arturia, their eyes meeting, he knelt on his knees on the muddied ground, and bowed his head lowly such that his intentions were clear. For a Noble this was shocking, as he completely disregarded all appearances for the sake of devotion.
"Hail King Arthur, Long Live the King!" His words resounded in the air.
Strong and unyielding, a sign of his absolute belief in the woman he would devote his life towards without question.
In the silence that ensued afterwards, Arturia gripped Caliburn's hilt tightly in her hands, staring forth at Shirou with an expression that nearly cause her lips to quiver. She had just drawn Caliburn moments before, and the doubts that had plagued her mind were still apparent. To have come to the Jousting event, and not have a single person acknowledge her, it was a blow that she couldn't deny had affected her even if she didn't reveal it.
Furthermore, the sight of seeing Shirou, the one also acknowledged by Caliburn kneeling before her, made her heart ache. Not only was he equally as qualified as herself, but he was now putting himself in a position below hers just for her sake. What had she done to deserve such a friend? Everything Shirou did was always for her sake. Helping her with the sword, taking her problems as his own, it almost made her feel as if she wasn't worthy enough to deserve someone like him. Yet at the same time, his actions for her made her want to cry.
He who would move for her sake when no one else would.
Almost instinctually, her bearing shifted at that moment. She wouldn't allow herself to be a person that dragged him down.
Her back straightened, her eyes, shining with a regal dignity that only now became apparent as she stared hard at those around her; Caliburn shining with a radiant pale luster that immediately drew everyone's attention.
She was the King, and she would lead her people to prosperity.
"Hail King Arthur, Long Live the King!" Stronger still, that voice echoed out once again.
One by one, people knelt around her.
"Hail King Arthur, Long Live the King!"
The commoners helped by Shirou in the past all began to crowd around the area, murmuring amongst themselves until they too joined Shirou in his actions.
Bedivere who had arrived moments earlier, smiled before pushing through the crowd, and kneeling. "Long Live the King!"
It was as if a chant had begun, making those that had once harbored discontent, now feel a sense of awkwardness as only they stood upright.
Arturia swallowed, staring at the crowd before her, now looking at her with reverence. Near the back, she could even spot Sir Ector and Kay with arms crossed nodding in her direction.
"I-I will save this Kingdom!" She stuttered out at first before her voice grew bolder. "I will lead the people!"
More and more, people were beginning to pay attention to her, and even Merlin nodded in her direction.
To sway the hearts of others was the duty of the King who leads all.
"We have done nothing more than live out our lives. If so, then what have we done to deserve being slaughtered by others like cattle for our land? No more will we fear under the oppression of our invaders! From today forth, we will drive them out of our country!"
Arturia placed a hand on her chest as she spoke, staring forth still at those Nobles who continued to shake their heads, then at Shirou who still remained kneeling before her. Her expression hardened. If they didn't recognize her, then she would force them to with her actions.
She clenched her fists. "I will lead this land to prosperity! That is my oath! I only ask that you give your all, and follow me!"
Closing her mouth in silence, she didn't notice when the image of a fierce red dragon formed from her aura and Caliburn's began manifesting behind her. The impression left amongst the people, casuing their throats to dry and eyes to widen.
Finished speaking, the first thing Arturia did was draw forth Caliburn and walk in front of Shirou in determination. This had been one her goals that she promised herself that she would do since childhood. She wasn't completely sure of the specifics as she had just become King, and Sir Ector hadn't explained it to her too thoroughly in her youth, but she knew the steps necessary to be done.
Quietly, she placed the flat of Caliburn's blade on Shirou's shoulder, and then to his other side.
"Will you accept Knighthood?" She asked quietly. Her method of knighting at this moment was not formal at all, but rather, more along the line of what Shirou had done when he had first proclaimed himself as her knight.
It was an instinctual sort of action, and something that her gut was compelling her to do after thinking about everything Shirou had done for her. To have him as her official Knight was not only a goal of hers, but secretly, a sort of dream that she hadn't been able to get out of her head ever since she had heard the idle conversations of the young maidens in Roan.
They had spoken of fantasies about a Knight whisking them away to a happily ever after. Thereafter, she had thought of the situation between Shirou and herself, the thoughts unable to leave her mind.
Even if she posed as man, there was no denying that the woman in her was still crying out, no matter how much she tried to ignore it. Yet it only became more difficult when Shirou pulled stunts like he had just now, showing just how much he cared about her.
At this moment, there was an ache in her chest that wasn't just because of how much bindings she had to use around it in order to wear her armour properly. It was a mental sort of anxiety because Shirou had all the rights to refuse a wet-behind-the-ears King like herself.
But as she expected, Shirou chose to remain by her side.
"My Sword, is your sword," Shirou said slowly, every word, causing a shiver to travel down Arturia's back which only intensified when Shirou lifted his gaze to stare up into her own. "From henceforth, I am your Knight. No matter the enemy, I will pave a path for you to walk forward."
She could only nod her head, not trusting her voice at this critical scene viewed and heard by all.
And so, recorded in history, this was the moment that King Arthur's Magic Knight of the Round Table was born.
The First of Knights, with the most dubious of ceremonies.
LINE BREAK
It was a Mid-Spring, and one of the most ideal times to march in a war as the cold and biting winds of the Fall and Winter were absent.
Currently, Shirou and rest were travelling by the rough roads throughout the countryside, a small troop of men behind them. These were the recruits they had managed to gather in Roan using the reputation Arturia had as the new King. However, the numbers weren't large in the least. Most of the Nobles in charge of platoons of Knights and able-bodied men held their forces back with the reason that Arturia wasn't King yet without an official coronation.
Sir Ector and the others convinced Arturia to leave those foolish Nobles behind in order to rally true support from the other Lords of the land. However, doing so would be no easy feat.
Just from the way information was spread across the current time period, even though Arturia had drawn Caliburn, not every Noble knew of this. At most, it could take several months before news even remotely reached the border territories of some Nobles. Perhaps then, they would willingly send more troops to bolster Arturia's own, but more than likely, they wouldn't act unless there was a hope in their actions.
Currently, there were only a few hundred men following behind the travelling caravan Sir Ector, Kay, and Merlin had spent most of the past weeks preparing. Food was in a surplus as Shirou's reputation in the town had many commoners willingly offer as much food as they could without running short for the winter. In this case, Arturia's new reputation as King only played a minor role as she had yet to prove anything to the populace. In fact, some of the Knights that had come along with her had come because of their relations to Sir Ector, Kay, Bedivere, and Shirou who frequented the Knight's training quarters while she was being trained by Merlin. Armoured, and equipped with war horses, they had enough Knights to corm a cavalry. Of course, these Knights came with the permission from their Lords who were at least showing some faith to Arturia.
Their current destination was towards the dominion of a border Lord in the East known as Lord Adinak requesting the help of his countrymen to help in his dire straits. Already the land he had used to own near the edges of the Anglan settlement of Mercia was on the verge of being overrun.
Till present day, no one had his calls for help, and it was already assumed by the Nobles in Britain that the borders of the Anglan settlement of Mercia would be expanding.
And indeed, it had in the past history, but this time was different. Unlike the past, Arturia would be moving in that direction first at the behest of Lord Barwheld who was defending near the borders of East Anglia.
Neither Shirou nor Arturia knew what the current situation was over there, but it would be a battle in the valley formed from the river Trent.
The time period of peace had already been used up, the Saxons, Juts, and Angles adjusting their tactics due to the emergence of the weapons and armours of the Iron Forge.
Now was the time for war, and the time for the rise of Britain's King.
After all, Shirou couldn't deny that the battlefield was where one obtained the most honours and to spread one's fame. It had been the same for him, Gerrard, and the rest.
It would be the same for Arturia now that she was no longer a child.
Trained by Merlin and Sir Ector, there was no way that she wouldn't stand out when she took to battle. Even more so when she was atop Llamrei, and was riding at the front of the group.
The terrain around them gradually began to shift away from the large forested regions to long bending waves of grass and shrubbery. A pleasant change as it would ease the burden of walking on unlevel ground caused by surface tree roots and toppled trees. However, Arturia's and the company's expressions grew grim.
Laid upon the grass and shrubbery, were the remains of dead country men; their flesh already rotten and eaten away by the wild life to the extent where only the bones covered in armours were left.
A foul stink of iron and decay lingered in the air, vultures flying overhead.
Arturia tightened the grip she had on her reins. "We have to hurry," she said urgently.
"We can't be so reckless," Sir Ector advised. "We don't know the situation, or the enemy's numbers."
"It's best if we sent Kay out in advance to scout the situation before making any sudden movements," Sir Ector supplied.
"They won't even spot me," Kay boasted, pulling up the rear.
Still, Arturia had yet to make a decision, staring hard at the corpses around her.
Shirou for his part remained quiet. The information from the future that he knew in the area may not be as accurate as it should be due to his interference. For starters, Arturia's first campaign was actually alongside Lord Barwheld in East Anglia. By the time she made her way to Mercia, the Angles were already prepared for her, the first major battle happening on the ridge just off from the valley of the river Trent.
It was a prime, and key location to hold, as the owner had a clear vantage over the river Trent and could halt the passing of any army over the bridge spanning the river.
Therefore, it was a good place to start. Assuming Lord Adinak hadn't fallen yet, then that ridge was a key location to prevent Mercia from sending out a larger army.
The bridge was the key.
It having been used against Arturia in her previous campaign in her original timeline. Not only did the Angles prevent her armies from crossing to invade, but the river completely eliminated Arturia's advantage of the heavy armoured cavalry she was famous for creating.
Thus, the ridge was actually a prime location to start, yet it would be a gamble. If the ridge was already occupied by the Angles, then they would be at a disadvantage and would have had alerted the Angle's of their movements. Both of which weren't beneficial.
However, if it wasn't occupied, then it would give them a chance.
Debating within his mind, he finally decided to share his opinion with Arturia much to her delight when he went into the specifics.
Merlin for his part, only gave Shirou a long stare, seemingly trying to decipher something from the boy that other Magi knew as the Wizard of Swords. However, Merlin didn't come up with anything.
"March," Arturia spoke, leading the group forward.
LINE BREAK
Lord Adinak was at his wits end.
"Those blundering cowards!" He raged, shattering a goblet of wine one of his retainers had used to pacify him.
Clearly, he would have none of it.
Lord Adinak was in an outpost situated just near the bridge across the River Trent, a vital location necessary to be defended to prevent larger groups of invaders from reaching his lands. However, it would seem that even the outpost he was in was bound to fall.
"How many arrows do we have left?" Lord Adinak inquired.
"Barely a dozen sir," the attendant that spoke dipped his head. "We won't make it will we?"
Lord Adinak snorted. "Better to die with honour than to sit and wait drinking wine. We wouldn't be in this situation though if reinforcements would come. We aren't losing right now just because we lack equipment, it's because we lack men to wield the swords in reserve."
The attendant fell silent.
"Instead of sending reinforcements, those other Nobles put their priorities towards that blasted joust of theirs to decide a King? What is the use of a King when my lands fall into ruin under enemy hands?! The self-centered bastards. If their lands were the one's under siege than they would understand why I called them pricks in the last letters."
"My Lord," the attendant spoke, his gaze staring forth outside. "They've arrived."
Lord Adinak narrowed his eyes before grabbing his sword, a claymore in which he wielded with one hand due to his own brutish strength. "So be it. Gather the men outside. If we lose this outpost, then even if we escape, this land is as good as dead. After all, the numbers we already face would more than double as a result, and we're barely holding up as it is."
"Ready my armour," Lord Adinak said, raising his arms as he allowed the attendant to fasten on his steel plate armour.
Standing up, Lord Adinak revealed an intimidating figure nearly two-meters tall and covered from head to toe in iron. The brown mantle he wore over his shoulders billowed in the wind as he walked outside to face the enemy.
His men were gathered in a small formation of a hundred, their enemies ascending forth from the ridge of the Valley of the River Trent, numbering in the thousands.
Just from the numbers alone, the situation already appeared bleak, yet Lord Adinak was fighting a defensive battle. The fortifications made near the outpost would not fall so easily. The large timbers of wood used to make the walls were study, and would take time for even an enemy battering ram to dent.
Yet, Lord Adinak's expression frosted over when he noticed the flames the Angles carried in their hands.
"Soak the walls!" Lord Adinak immediately commanded.
Residing near the River Trent, there was a surplus of water that Lord Adinak could use. Once the Walls were soaked, it would be hard for the structures to catch fire. However, the Angles had prepared themselves thoroughly, another group of them appearing near the river to prevent anyone from drawing near.
"Shit," Lord Adinak cursed while gritting his teeth.
The situation wasn't looking good.
"We have no choice but to engage," Lord Adinak spoke calmly. "If we stay here, then we will all but assure the enemy of their victory. And none of you should even think about surrendering, you know that they don't take captives."
All the men present nodded.
"Sound the horns," he spoke swiftly, placing a metal helm over his face. "Death's grip grows stronger, but our Will will see us through. Charge with me, for it's the only hope we have. We'll hold them on the bridge. They will not be able to surround us, and it'll prevent them from spreading our numbers thin."
"We'll follow!"
Lord Adinak and his Knights quickly left the outpost and retreated towards the bridge over the River Trent. Once there, they took their positions and watched hollowly as the outpost in front of the bridge that they had once occupied was reduced to the ground.
The fiery flames reflected directly into their eyes, giving them a sense of hopelessness. Be that as it may, Lord Adinak still stood strongly at the front.
"They're coming," he said. "Prepare yourselves."
After destroying the outpost, the Angles were already making their way towards the bridge, several dozens of them already charging down its length. They wore amours hidden beneath thick pieces of wool and cotton, large circular wooden shields fastened to their arms. Their weapons were axes and swords held loosely in their dominant hands.
And like a clashing of ice and fire, the two forces met.
"Hold!" Lord Adinak bellowed, striking forth with his weapon and sweeping an enemy right from under his feet.
The rest of the Knights faired fairly well, pushing back the Angles by spacing themselves out evenly along the bridge to prevent getting surrounded. It was a solid plan, yet none something sustainable.
When the first Knight died, the spacing became wider, and when the next died, the spacing became wider still.
"Fuck," Lord Adinak cursed, falling back further down the bridge along with his men.
However, it became apparent what the results would be in the end.
Using every ounce of power Lord Adinak and his Knights could muster, they forced the Angles back into a temporary respite.
Both sides stood opposite from each other with neither side moving. However, the Angles just rotated with other men that were less injured while Lord Adinak and his Knights didn't have that option.
Grinning bitterly, Lord Adinak turned to his remaining men.
"Retreat you lot, let your Lord take upon all the honours," he spoke through a bloody smile.
"L-Lord Adinak," the Knights stuttered. They weren't fools, and they knew what their Lord intended.
From the moment the battle began, it was almost hopeless to achieve victory, however, that didn't mean that escape was impossible. It was just that rather than escape himself, Lord Adinak was allowing his Knights, the one's who stood loyal to him till the end, to escape above all.
Clenching their fists, those Knights hesitated as they backed away, yet they didn't leave; watching silently at their Lord's final stand.
"You fools," Lord Adinak whispered under his breath, yet it was clear that the man was far from calm. Closing his eyes though, he resolved himself. "So be it," he said.
He would show a valiant end for those who stood behind him.
When the Angles noticed that only a single man lay standing on the enemy side, they looked on with contempt, ready to begin the attack once more. However,
"AAARGHH!" Lord Adinak shouted, swinging the massive claymore in his hands in a wide arc that bisected the nearest Angle, and then the next.
It didn't matter for the Angle's wooden shields and fastened armour, they all broke under the ferocity of Lord Adinak's swings. Since young, Lord Adinak always prided himself in his natural born strength, and this strength only increased with age.
Those Angle's that weren't immediately bisected by Lord Adinak's attack were instead thrown straight off of the bridge and into the deep water.
"Come!" He bellowed.
It was a scene of single man holding his own against an army.
When the arrows fell over him, the shield over Lord Adinak's back was used to cover the majority of his body, rendering them useless.
It wasn't till a towering axe wielding Angle appeared to combat Lord Adinak that tension began to arise. After all, Lord Adinak knew that this enemy was a veteran, and he was strong too.
This was only proven when the axe met Lord Adinak's guard and nearly broke it.
"Gah," he winced as a numbness filled his shield arm.
Yet the attacks hammering over Lord Adinak were unrelenting, forcing him to his knees in his exhaustion. If he were at his peak, this man should have had been no problem, but now after fighting off so many men, he was nearing his breaking point.
As such, he knew that the fight was over when the axe pulled away his shield.
Yet Lord Adinak's eyes only narrowed knowing that his death was coming. He had already resolved himself since the moment he decided to participate in battle.
Nonetheless, he would be lonely in his grave if he were to go alone.
Blood pumping furiously within him, he pushed his body forward towards that descending axe and lined his sword up to pierce through the gap of his enemy. The enemy didn't even notice. At this precise moment, he knew that his attack would land, yet so too would his enemies.
That descending axe would strike him directly across the collar bone; tearing a line straight into his chest in which there was no surviving.
"Die you bastard!" Lord Adinak cursed out before his sword pierced forward while he prepared himself for his death throes, however, something shocking occurred instead.
It was almost too fast to see, but he had seen it due to his close proximity. In slow motion, a steel projectile lodged itself into the head of Lord Adinak's enemy and sent the rest of the body flying along with it. Lord Adinak's weapon still stuck in the Angle's body ended up immediately out of his hands.
"What in God's name!" Lord Adinak backed away in fright, staring at the remains of his enemy. "A-A sword? But that's impossible."
Where the enemy lay after tumbling continuously against the ground, a twisted sword was lodged firmly into the enemy's head despite the armour covering it. In fact, the impact was so forceful that Lord Adinak was almost certain that the head should have had separated from the body. It was a miracle it hadn't.
In his confusion, Lord Adinak stared dumbly as the rest of the Angles that were surrounding him atop the bridge were reduced to an equal state as their companion. Yet, unlike their companion, Lord Adinak could tell that the others suffered a stronger attack than the first, craters in the wood of the bridge lining each point of landing. Therefore, he was quick to deduce that the first attack he had seen was reduced in strength because he was too close to the enemy.
W-Who was the marksman?
Standing still, his remaining Knights who had been watching since the start immediately flanked his location, propping their shields up in defense.
"Sir, A-Allies!" One of Lord Adinak's Knights spoke excitedly.
Lord Adinak almost couldn't believe it.
His countrymen had come!
Yet, this thought froze in his mind when he turned to stare in the direction his Knights indicated that allies were coming from.
After all, it was too regal. Like God's hands parting the Red Sea.
It was a mounted cavalry piercing a line directly through the Angle's army. They destroyed and trampled the Angles beneath large hooves, and the few that survived were quickly decimated by the swords, and arrows shot from the leading group.
Most of all, his eyes remained rooted staring forth at that figure leading the charge.
A Dragon in the form of man.
It was striking.
Wreathed in a deep blue mantle, and a visage hidden behind an ominous steel helm, it was a reaper of the battlefield.
A sword that was fire, and a charge that was a hurricane.
Twisted swords shot out into the air, killing all in possession of spears, the bane of cavalry.
A voice thundered through the ridge accompanied by the tremble of hooves.
"I am Arthur, son of Uther!"
"Lord Adinak, and Knights of the Lord,"
"Rally to your King!"