This is a story that takes place in the dark forests of Germania, Septem. The night is long and the wind is still. Not a creature is stirring, for they dare not disturb the heavy atmosphere they find themselves in.

“Master, It would be best if you ate something.” Artoria handed me a bowl of stewed something with an unreadable expression on her face. I took the bowl and looked to the ground. We’d been hunting Chimeras for days with barely a tuft of fur to show for it. It was getting to be exhausting, but I refused to let it show.

I turned my head slightly to catch a glimpse at Artoria. The dancing light of the campfire bathed her face in a delicate wreath of orange. Her crown glinted softly with every movement of her head. I looked around a bit as to avoid being caught staring. Our campsite looked as though it had fallen out of a survival magazine. There was a single tent (I had insisted on two, but Artoria refused due to safety concerns), the fire, and the two of us sitting on an overturned log. Llamrei was grazing softly on a tuft of grass on the edge of the light.

Romani had advised me to bring more than one servant on this expedition; I probably should have taken his advice all things considered. It would have been much safer, quicker, and livelier. I had originally planned to bring the younger Cu Chulainn, Robin Hood, and Ushiwakamaru, but the second Artoria caught wind of my plans she insisted that she was all I would need. That “A master only needs his most faithful knight for protection”. It wasn’t the first time she’d convinced me with that line. Truth be told I felt intimidated by her sometimes.

I set my bowl down and sunk into myself. The sharp sound of a woodpecker preparing its dinner rang hauntingly through the branches above. I spoke softly to the ground. “Artoria. I have a question. It’s kind of serious” The sound of chewing that had been constant background noise stopped instantly. There was a bit of shuffling, and then the clink of spoon on bowl.

“What is it my master?” Her tone was grave. I’m sure she was primed for action at that moment.

“I’ve been wondering, like, it’s not something deathly serious but…” I wrung my hands within each other and paused for a moment. Talking with her always felt like tiptoeing through a minefield under fire. I swallowed. “…why do you always insist that I bring only you on expeditions?” I felt as though I had placed a foot squarely on a mine. There was no response.

I waited a moment. Then a moment more. She didn’t move. Was she that angry? My heart sank like a block of lead in a lake. Had I insulted her pride as a knight? Did she think I was rejecting her? I straightened and turned to her, mouth agape. Just as I was about to retract my question she entered my view. I turned to ice in an instant.

She looked me dead in the eyes. The warm aura of the fire made her eyes radiate like candles in the dark. Her shoulders were tense. “Do would you like for me to answer as your knight, or as your Servant, Master?”. There was a hint of apprehension in her voice so small that one would need a microscope to see it. I stared back at her without saying anything. She shifted in place a bit and looked out into the darkness.

We stayed like that for a moment. The woodpecker had finished its meal. Llamrei brayed as though she wanted to break the tension. I sighed anxiously.

“I’d like you to answer it as neither. Please answer it as Artoria, don’t even factor in the master-servant thing” I extended my arms in front of me and shook my hands “You always insist that you alone accompany me, but things always end up like this. The two of us sitting in silence. It makes me anxious! So like, is there a reason or…” She was looking at me now. The same stoic expression dressed her face. My arms fell to my sides slowly.

“Answer it as myself?” Her expression broke. For the first time since I had summoned her she was visibly puzzled. Her squinted eyes darted around slowly from point to point in the darkness.

“Artoria?”

“My apologies Master…” She turned slowly to look at me once again. Her expression was softer than before. “…I’m very seldom asked to think in my own interest…” her voice trailed off as she turned her head upwards. The metal lining that rests against her jaw glinted quickly. She let out a single suppressed chuckle. “… the reason is because you ask me questions like this, Master. I don’t trust anyone else to protect you. I hope that is a satisfactory answer.” She smiled slightly. Time decided to pause at that very moment.

Artoria smiles very rarely. So rarely in fact that I sometimes wonder if she only does it by accident. For her to smile right then, after saying that, to me of all people. I felt unworthy. It was true that I was one of the few people in Chaldea she talked to regularly, and the only person she talked to somewhat casually on top of that.

“Artoria…” I began with a shaky voice. I wanted to assure her that I accepted her. She cut me off before I had the chance. A first.

“I know it is not my place to speak in absolutes, but this is non-negotiable, my Master. I, The Tyrant King of Britain, have made my decree many times before. I will protect you.” She smiled slightly more and tilted her head. I stood up quickly.

“Artoria!” I shouted. She looked at me questioningly. “From this point on I declare you to be my personal bodyguard! Y-you will be tasked with accompanying me on expeditions a-and my defense a-and…” She stood up even more suddenly than and looked down into my eyes, then fell to one knee.

“I solemnly accept this duty, my master, but…” she said in an amused tone with her hand at her heart. She looked up, and in the softest tone I had ever heard her use said, “may we hurry and continue our dinner together? I was quite enjoying eating with you…”. My heart stopped as though it had been pierced by King of Storms itself.