i've stood alone on the last shore

[sheathes]

Who: Saber/sheathes + Henry/hotspurred
What: "sorry for lancelotting your second guinevere" "no it's fine really"
Where: Guard HQ
When: After the Stepford event
Warnings: Fate/ spoilers?? idk I'll edit if anything comes up.


[ It's strange, the way a week and a half spent living another life makes everything afterward feel so different. In an instant, Saber regains her status as king, as a Servant (though neither ever truly left), and yet she finds herself suspicious, still: is this somehow another illusion? But there are no cracks to be found this time, only familiar work to be done. And after the first day, things feel almost normal when she reports in after another patrol of the city.

There is, however, one loose end longer than most — and it leads her to Henry, when she finally spots him. Immediately, she heads for his desk, raising a hand to catch his attention. ]

Sir Henry. I wish to thank you for looking after Irisviel in my stead. [ She looks a little abashed, a break in her usual resolve. ] To forget my duty to her, even for a moment, is unforgivable. But there is no other I would trust more with her care than you.

Comments

[hotspurred]

[Henry looks up at Saber's approach, meeting her gaze. In the wake of Pleasant Valley an acute sense of embarrassment has been his constant companion. On reflection, he is galled by his own impudence. The familiarity with which he engaged those whom he believed to be his family... especially Irisviel, whose forgiveness he intends to beg.

His brow furrows as he listens with burgeoning remorse.

Saber's words and the realisation they invoke make the whole affair that much more ghastly. He recalls the looks Saber and Irisviel shared, the tenderness and flirtation between them. It takes on a whole new meaning now.]

So Irisviel is your Lady...? Your bond was true enough to pierce the gods' illusions.

[There is both admiration and guilt in his voice. He feels the cut to his honour like a physical wound; even if it was out of his control, he nonetheless committed a grave wrong.

That knowledge gives rise to frustration. Henry gives a fierce shake of his head.]

Do not thank me for encroaching.

[His knowledge of King Arthur's life makes it all the worse. How does one apologise for playing an unwitting role in making mockery of Lancelot and Guinevere's affair? But he absolutely must, and now that Saber is forcing this conversation, he racks his brains for an appropriate gesture.]

[sheathes]

[ Henry's tone, more than his words, gives her pause. Her brow furrows, but for a different reason than his; genuine confusion clouding her face. ]

You did nothing of the sort. I am sworn to her, yes, but... we are friends. [ Love is a foreign idea to a king only pretending to be a human, the same ache in her chest from when she looked at Guinevere easily dismissed as a longing for the happiness of another. ] Though the surroundings were false, her joy was true. That is all I wish for.

[ There are no hidden barbs in her words: if her thoughts were darker, she would make them clear immediately. Honour dictates that much. ]

You are a good man, Henry. My grievances lie with these false gods, not with you. [ And only then for their trickery. Irisviel is not hers, beyond their relationship as Master and Servant — she has never even entertained the thought, nor does she now. ] Do not condemn yourself for actions forced upon you by an illusion.

[hotspurred]

I understand courtly love.

[Henry remarks bluntly, as though he thinks Saber is merely being coy. Consummation is not always a requirement. Moreover...]

I saw the looks that passed between you.

[He sighs a moment later. Holding Saber's gaze, he remains resolute. All is not well, he thinks, and it isn't right to pretend that it is. The gods will pay no recompense, but he may.]

The gods made mockery of your troubles with Lancelot and Guinevere. [And so soon after parading her likeness.] Honour demands that I make amends for the role that I played, unwitting though it was.

[sheathes]

I would never... I have done no such thing. [ Even the once and future king gets petulant sometimes. Her gaze never wavers, but her cheeks start to redden at the implication. ] Nor would Irisviel see me in that light.

[ She could die on the spot. It makes her heart hurt a little to compare these issues to those involving her wife and friend — but she had not condemned Lancelot then, nor would she do so now. Henry is even less deserving of her scorn. ]

But even so — your actions were, at the time, performed only with Irisviel's best interests at heart. Under such circumstances, they cannot be considered anything but just. [ Her voice is resolute. ] I will entertain no argument to the contrary. You would offend me by continuing to criticize yourself.

[hotspurred]

[Seeing her blush, he barely resists the urge to scoff. But so she says, and so it is. He would not imply that King Arthur is a liar.

Henry's expression grows mulish, and a touch of challenge enters his gaze, as though he wishes to argue further, but it quickly fades. Ultimately he does not want to offend her, and so he accepts that he must relinquish his stance.

He gives a partial bow in his seat.]

If that be your judgement, Sir Saber.

[Even he has qualms dismissing the Once and Future King's ruling.

That said, she cannot and will not prevent him from offering Irisviel reparation.]