A Different Fate - [Rewrite]

Chapter 13:Decisions

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During the following days, Arturia pointedly ignored the very slight sense of loss she felt whenever her eyes landed on one of the couches. When she taught Illya, she did her best to avoid thinking about the King of Heroes.

As she had imagined, the young girl was not very happy when she was told that Gilgamesh had left to go to Japan for a while. She pouted and said it was very rude of him to leave without even a word, and she promised herself that she would tell him that.

Arturia hid a pleased smile when she heard her purpose: Illya was learning to be less fearful and more decisive by the day.

As the lessons continued, the King of Knights caught herself touching her own cheek more often than not. She swore to herself that she had just been taken aback by the King of Heroes's behaviour and was therefore still wondering about it… but she could not deny the fact that on that evening, when they had been very close to each other and he had touched her cheek, she had let him do it.

She had not stopped him when he had touched her cheek, her neck, her shoulder, her waist… and the most surprising fact was that he had not been forceful. He had not been hesitant or indecisive, that would just not have been him, but he hadn't been coercive or violent, either.

He had been… gentle. His actions had not been uncertain, but he had given her the possibility to stop him at any given time.

That was certainly unusual, coming from someone like Gilgamesh.

Arturia did her best to avoid thinking about him, and during the day, she usually managed to do so, because Illya's wellbeing was her priority. However, in the evenings, after the girl had been put to bed and she was reading alone, she found her mind often going to the King of Heroes. She did not really miss him, because he had not been of much company when being silent most of the time… but his absence was not easy not to notice. Arturia was honest enough with herself to admit that she felt lonelier than before.

She also had to admit that she had truly not expected him to leave. He had never left her side for more than four years… Having him around was something she had become used to, not only because he was a Heroic Spirit who had been given a real body – like her –, but also because, in some ways, he understood her, or at least he seemed to understand her.

She did not think he was someone she could trust… but he had proven, more than once, to be different from what she had thought him to be.

The easiest way to define him, and Arturia had heard others talk about him in such a way, was to call him an arrogant king who considered everything and everyone beneath him. Arrogant he certainly was… but much less than in the past, that was for sure. He had become… more tolerant of those he considered 'mongrels'.

Moreover, he had proved to have wisdom, to have honour – even if in his own form – and to have more than enough acuity to see through people immediately.

Arturia stopped her train of thoughts. Her mind seemed to be more benevolent towards the King of Heroes, but… that was not good.

She reminded herself that, no matter what positive things she had discovered about him, he had killed his own Master. Such a man could have no true honour nor loyalty.

However… again, her thoughts became confused. Why would someone who had killed his Master then spare the life of Waver Velvet? Something did not add up there.

She had to look back on her reasoning.

She weighed her considerations carefully, and she realized… she had no actual proof of him killing Tokiomi. She had assumed such a thing, since she knew that Kotomine Kirei had been involved and had later become the new Master of the King of Heroes.