#im ready...

        he didn’t move; kneeling beside her, with her head against his shoulder and her hand gripping his, he dared not to. his muscles tensed momentarily from the unfamiliarity of the contact, but he tried to relax, allowing her whatever comfort it brought her, as he didn’t know if he knew the right words to properly console her.

        ❝i cannot speak on the past, for i was not there.❞ he knew little of her story. she had confided in him before that she believed herself to be more than she was, to be more than just a legend, rather she was a queen from the stories of old. he had seen her dreams—bits and pieces of her memories. and from the grail, he knew some of her legend, just as he would know other servants’ tales, but that was all there was to it. history often took many liberties, and depending on who wrote it, even a hero could appear to be a villain—it was something to be taken with a grain of salt.

          the one detail that stood above them all was that she had been led astray. loyalty ran rampant in his veins above all else, but he knew some people were weak to other passions, and that assassin resented her for it, even after centuries and the damage had been done.

          ❝what kind of person you were does not matter to me. the person you are now... you are my master—,❞ he started, the words were not so comforting, but they were the truth, if nothing else, stated plainly for her. ❝—and you do not have to apologize. it was my carelessness that got you hurt, so i should apologize to you.❞ he glanced down at her leg then, appraising the wound with narrowed eyes. it wouldn’t kill her, but it needed to be tended to quickly. the piece of cloth he had wrapped around it would not suffice for long. he was just glad that, even in his haste to protect her, he managed to wound assassin well enough that he wouldn’t be chasing after them—for tonight.

         he removed his hand from her grasp, then lifted it towards her face, hooking a finger underneath her chin to force her to look at him. he saw the glimmer of tears in her eyes and his features softened ever so slightly.  ❝… but if you believe yourself to be weak, then you should practice. learn to steel yourself, because we will have to face assassin again in the time to come.❞