Fate-in time

84

Shirou decided that Arturia was not really good at keeping a secret away from him. She was difficult to read for other people, but to him who had known her since they were young, it was all too easy. The manner in which she could barely hold his gaze with her own was telling. She only ever did that when she was feeling guilty or she was in the wrong, almost like the time he'd caught her with her hand in a cookie jar he explicitly told her not to eat from in their childhood. This event occurred on the day Sir Ector had pressed him to stop feeding Arturia too many sweets that would negatively affect her diet. Of course, Arturia was not too thrilled with the idea, but Sir Ector was adamant, hence the cookie jar incident.
C

hild Arturia had pilfered the sweets inside when she had thought that no one was around only to be caught by him mid-action. A cookie had been half-stuffed into her mouth as her right hand was already in the process of fishing for another one. She even had the gall to speed up her consumption rate as he approached, stuffing her mouth full and then shying from his gaze when he glared down at her in chastisement. She'd had crumbs on her lips and cheeks, making it impossible to deny her fault, but deny she did.
Her poker face was one of legend even in her childhood, but he'd already known what to look for. Her face was not as expressionless as she thought. Here and there, there'd be a flicker in her eyes, and a subtle biting of her lower lip. Also, if he stared at her long enough, she'd always be the first to give if she wasn't on the side of reason. Her body language though, was perhaps the most honest. Wearing her armour, it would be difficult to see, but when not in her armour, it was clear that she was fidgeting.
It was the same back then as it was now.
Arturia was carefully avoiding his gaze, but the way she fidgeted every now and then was impossible for him to miss.
The day's events were over; the gamble between Gale and Edgar coming to a close in Shirou's victory with Shirou and Arturia retiring for the night in their own tent procured by Natalie. Mordred was resting on the opposite side of the room, her eyes shut closed in blissful sleep. Every now and again, Arturia would glance in Mordred's direction, but she always did so when she was sure that Shirou wasn't looking. She gave her word to Mordred and she would keep it.
Shirou and Arturia had just gotten into a bed roll after the day's events and were both staring into a mirror of water which showed both Artus and Annabel sleeping in their crib. The two were wrapped in bundles of cloth while Merlin appeared to be reading them a fairy tail, the contents of which couldn't be heard but would certainly infuriate Arturia to no end if she heard them. Merlin was part Incubus and a womanizer. What he considered child-friendly was far different than Arturia's, and it was this difference in perspective that would directly impact the children's common sense.
Regardless, for Shirou and Arturia who were out fighting for the sake of peace, just being able to see their children safe was enough to give them a peace of mind. With Artus and Annabel in 'good hands,' the two powered down the mirror of water and settled in for the night. They lay next to each other on their bed rolls. Bed's were a luxury out in army camps, and no experienced commander would wish to expend more resources acquiring carriage horses to pull a bed along rather than cargo.
The bed rolls laid side by side, the two of them lay next to each other with their shoulders touching. Neither spoke a word. In Arturia's case, she was thinking about the progression of their current plan. Presently, everything was going well. They'd recruited Gale's help who now recruited Edgar's help after a bet with Shirou taking on Edgar's army. All that was left now was to continue gathering a large enough force to instate Natalie as the ruling Queen of the Saxons.
Arturia pursed her lips. It all sounded all well and good, but the meaning of raising Natalie up as Queen meant civil war for the Saxons, and they would be the instigators. She wasn't one to believe in superstitions, no; actually, she wasone to believe in superstitions as she believed in Goblins as a child and saw them first hand later in life as well, but this wasn't the point. The point was the karma of it all. She couldn't help but feel that somehow or someway that their actions would return to them full circle.
Shirou on the other hand was thinking about something completely different from Arturia, namely, what she was trying too keep from him. In his experience, he'd learned that what he didn't know would almost certainly come back to bite him on the ass. This was why it was always best to nip a problem at the bud before letting it fester.
In a single motion, he turned on his side and stared right at Arturia's face, watching the way she stiffened and attempted to face her back to him. It wasn't happening.
He wrapped an arm around her and gently rolled her until the two of them were staring face to face in utter silence. Her hair matted her forehead which he observed had developed a sheen of cold sweat, and the temperature wasn't even that warm today. She was nervous at being caught; of that he had no doubt. It was the same as criminals in an interrogation room whose hands would sweat profusely or whose foreheads would perspire with beads of sweat.
Shirou knew Arturia's tells, which was why he continued to just stare into her eyes rather than speaking. If she was on the side of the just, then she'd have no reason to back down; it wasn't in her character, but if she averted her gaze, it was game over.
…And bingo. There it was. She didn't move her head or turn away her face, but her pupils glanced downwards rather than straight.
"Arturia," his voice caused her to flinch minutely. Due to wrapping an arm around her, he could feel the way she was beginning to fidget.
"Yes?" She tried feigning ignorance, subconsciously batting her eyelashes up at him and hunching her shoulders.
He'd be lying if he said that her attempt wasn't effective, but he managed to maintain the neutrality of his expression. "Arturia, you know what I'm asking."
Yes. Yes, she did, but it didn't mean Arturia would just say what she was keeping from him out loud. "It's nothing," she deflected, her pupils shifting back to stare him in the eyes, but lacking in resolve.
Yeah no; he wasn't buying that.
"Arturia," he said her name flatly again. "What are you hiding from me?" He stared her down knowing fully that the longer he stared the likelier she'd cave. For a moment, it appeared as if she'd speak, her mouth opening then closing as she pursed her lips. However, she glanced at Mordred's direction and then hardened her resolve.
A promise was a promise.
"Who says I'm hiding anything?"
Shirou had to admit that Arturia could be obstinate when she wanted to be; however, he didn't miss the way Arturia had looked towards Mordred. He followed her gaze and hummed in thought. "Is it Mordred?"
The question caused her features to blank which meant he wasn't far off from the truth. He thought of pressing her, and then she went and asked a forbidden question in hopes of changing the subject. She ended up channeling her own curiosity and suspicions into a single trail of thought.
"Why are you asking about Mordred when I'm right in front of you?" She narrowed her eyes impeccably, catching him off guard. "Say, how did you and Mordred first meet?"
Oh boy. Loaded question right there that he had no intention of answering.
Shirou stiffened and automatically hugged Arturia close, effectively distracting her as the temporary change to his physique was more than just visual. It didn't help that he couldn't fit into his own standard-sized clothing and was sleeping half-naked in a kilt. The warmth of his embrace and the tenderness of his touch had Arturia's mind blanking and wandering elsewhere.
Three kids were her current goal, and she was still missing a third.
She was not so subtly ogling him. She was a Knight; she didn't do subtle. Her face was pressed near the groove of his shoulder as her hands began to roam. Sliding out of her bed roll, she squeezed into his own and decided to use him as her bed.
The conversation ended there and then, and Shirou realized he was temporarily fine with this result. Concerned as he may be to what Arturia was keeping from him, he dared not tread through the murky waters of Arturia inquiry.
Some things were best left remembered and never spoken of.
Mordred seemed perfectly fine by morning, but Arturia continued to scrutinize her after getting properly dressed and bidding Shirou fair well in his meeting with Natalie, Gale, and Edgar.
Arturia had woken up with Shirou earlier, and now that he was gone, the only ones left in the tent were her and Mordred who was just now rousing from sleep. Difficult as it was to accept, she and Mordred shared a fair amount of similarities and it wasn't just their features. Stubbornness ran in the family.
"How are you feeling?" Arturia asked, walking up to Mordred's side and offering a glass of water. She watched as Mordred accepted the drink and proceeded to chug the whole thing down like a mug of beer and noted that Mordred would have to be taught better manners in the future.
"A lot better," Mordred replied, using the back of her left hand to wipe the sides of her mouth. "I told you it was just a small fever. I'm perfectly fine."
Arturia regarded Mordred with an air of suspicion that had Mordred falling quiet, her features dimming. "Alright fine, I'm not perfectly fine, but its better than before. It just feels like a dull numbness now so it means it's going away. Is that enough for you?"
Arturia sighed before putting away the tray of breakfast she'd procured from their supplies on a mini-table and sat down beside Mordred. "It's not weakness to admit when you're sick. That was the first rule Papa Ector always said, and I'm sure you know this well enough."
Mordred frowned. Sir Ector was one of the people she held dear and actually listened to without growing brash or defensive. In another time line, it would also be a misunderstanding from Sir Ector that would encourage Mordred to pursue a path to the throne in hopes of getting accepted by Arturia. This just revealed how important a figure Sir Ector was to Mordred.
"The old gramps has nothing to do with this, but fine. I know what you're trying to say," Mordred conceded. "But look, I'm feeling better. Doesn't that count for anything?"
"I suppose it does," Arturia mulled to herself, her arms crossing.
"Then you won't tell Shirou?" Mordred looked almost hopeful.
"…Don't push your luck." Arturia had always maintained her stalwart principles. To consciously lie about matters that concerned the well being of another was already asking for too much. She was the Queen of Knights who upheld honour and chivalry as the uppermost code of conduct. Mordred should know this. Everyone who knew her should know this.
"I'll be telling him later," Arturia concluded, watching the way Mordred deflated, her shoulders hunching and hands balling into fists. It honestly reminded Arturia too much of herself when she thought of the past, but she'd long since matured. "Think of it this way," she offered Mordred a different perspective. "You're getting better right? That means that when I tell him, he'll be aware that you're recovering. This way he won't worry as much. Besides, would you rather him disappointed in us both for keeping this a secret?"
Mordred opened her mouth to counter Arturia's argument, but quickly realized she had no point to make. "Fine, but let's just get this straight. I-It's not like I care about disappointing him or not. It's just that I don't want to drag him down, alright?"
Mordred's words went right over Arturia's head. She was more interested in the fact that a shade of red was crawling up Mordred's cheeks as she floundered in order to not get misunderstood.
"Hey, are you even listening to me?"
She nodded deftly. It wasn't a lie since Mordred's words were entering one ear and out the other. She wasn't betraying her principles.
Mordred was unsure if Arturia was lying or not, but one thing was clear as Arturia soon went to look for Shirou, the smile disappeared from Mordred's face as she winced.
With the feat of a single Saxon standing up against an entire army bare-handed propagating through the land, word had begun to spread about Lady Natalie's re-emergence, and Edgar could not have wished for anything better.
"Forward, march!" Edgar pointed his sword forward while riding on his horse. Behind him was his entire army combined with Gale's. Arturia and Emily were riding on a horse-drawn supply wagon as Mordred and Shirou walked on either side. "We leave for the capital of Essex before making way to the heart of Wessex where Lord Horsa sits upon his throne!"
Revolution was coming to the Saxons, and with it, a path to end the war that had been raging on for years.
"Send the messenger birds! Once we start, there's no going back."
There was a reason that Gale had come to Edgar first out of all Saxon commanders. He had connections that were intricately linked with over half of the commanders of the Saxon armies and Gale knew this.
Sly bastard, but in the end, it was the right call.
"Raise the banners! Favour shines down upon us from the Gods. We will prevail!" Edgar yelled in encouragement.
A chorus of shouts answered his call, reverberating through the air and echoing out for miles. At the same time, a different order was given calling for a sudden division of troops to begin reinforcing fortifications along the Saxon border with the Britons thereby thinning the available troops in the capital.
It may appear a tad underhanded, but true victory was a path of the shrewd that those who fight in the light would never understand.
War never changes.