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“Can you please just leave me alone?”
That was the word Ayaka muttered to the young man before her since last night in police station.
“I can’t,” he said. “This is a Holy Grail War. You may not my master, but our magical energy linked anyway, it’ll be a problem for me too if you get hurt.”
Basically, that was how she perceived her relationship with this strange man. Now, they kept walking in pair, inseparable. It felt like… having a bodyguard.
Ayaka had trouble in remembering.
So many crazy things happened in span of short time, and she couldn’t remember her life before she stepped foot here in Snowfield. Other than the fact she’s well versed in normal human activities such as using a cellphone or renting a motel room. Also her long-lasting trauma, the very reason she was there. Filia, the girl who sent her here also briefly briefed what are magus and the Holy Grail War. She knew next to nothing aside those.
How was she usually interacting with people? Other than that… girl…. Or Filia, or the church in Fuyuki. Current Ayaka was a reserved and quiet girl. How she usually acts around highly spirited people like the strange “phantom” that followed her now?
Ayaka sighed. Well, at least, Saber was protecting her. She could tell he was genuinely doing his job like a real Servant. Even when I refused to finish the contract…
Currently, the pair of (not) Master and Servant were walking aimlessly trying to avoid the mess in police station thanks to a dead apostle. Not long after, Ayaka reunited with the man Ayaka first met when she just arrived in Snowfield. She and Saber had pretty good time in their studio, Ayaka chatted with the man’s band members, like a normal human being. Moreover, Saber told her to get some sleep there since there was no anything “magically weird” about that place.
“He is truly like a bodyguard…” Ayaka evaluated the Servant before her, between her self-depreciating thoughts. A very high-spirited bodyguard…
Ayaka saw Saber talked with himself again after she asked him regarding Holy Grail. Just in short time, that man proudly revealed his True Name to Ayaka.
“My name is Richard! Duke of Normandy, King of Britain! Maybe people today know me better as ‘Lionheart’.”
*
A man in full armour, talking in dignity.
So, he was a king, Ayaka looked at Saber. She barely knew historical figures on top of her memory loss. True Name reveal, while it was very convenient for practical purposes, didn’t do as much when the master was clueless. However, symbolically, Ayaka could tell that this was a very big, grand occasion. Why…
Why is him thinking I’m the most suitable master?
“Now, take a rest Ayaka, we have a long day ahead of us,” Saber—Richard looked around to make sure everything was okay. Ayaka slowly closed her eyes.
*
A bodyguard… a knight.
“Knight” was not something commonly found in modern era. They are people with strong faith, conscience, and honour. Ayaka could be sure that Saber was a knight because of his speech at the top of the fire truck.
The way Richard was very keen to protect Ayaka must be from his chivalric views. He seemed on the loose, but aware of his surroundings. He never left Ayaka alone out in the open. He was such an easy-going man, yet he knew boundaries. Ayaka noticed despite he can be as annoying as a fly, he never touched her without permission and always walked in certain distance.
Since Ayaka was not his master, then what did he think she was?
A subject, since he was a king, or a lord, since he was a knight?
Ayaka woke up and saw Saber waited for her. He changed his appearance, now with t-shirt, leather jacket and jeans. Strange, he looked like a normal garage band boy now, even after if you put his big templar logos that somehow embedded on his jacket into account.
"Saber," she called him.
"What is it, Ayaka?"
"Wh..." Why? That was the word she wanted to get out from her mouth, but she lacked the courage to do so. She also very curious about her own thought since last night, but she decided to wait.
"Saber, what is a knight for you?" finally she found appropriate words to speak.
Saber was surprised, most likely he never prepared Ayaka to ask him something personal.
"Knight, huh," Saber nodded. "Interesting question, Ayaka. And it's my favourite subject too."
He smiled, a very familiar smile for Ayaka now that she had been stuck with this guy for almost two days. She wondered how much longer that smile will hold such familiarity.
"My mom used to tell me heroic tales," he continued. "To me... being a knight is one way to step in as a hero."
"You are from the Throne, you are certainly a hero, no?" Ayaka asked him again.
Saber laughed. "I wonder," he turned to Ayaka. "A knight is a way of life. Life to devote yourself in something you believed in, and act according to code of chivalry. Hmm... I make it sounds too complicated, I mean, uphold your belief, honest in action, do it honourably."
Saber looked at Ayaka who was still confused.
"Is being a knight... transactional?" Ayaka asked again.
"It depends," Saber nodded. "For me, it is an act of devotion. Similar to the priests at the churches."
"Devotion... to whom?" Ayaka titled her head. "I mean, especially now, when you are no longer with your past comrades."
"Hahaha, don't think too much about it now," he said. "Let's get out of here and start an alliance."
"A-alliance?!" Ayaka couldn't really grasp the idea, but knowing this man was a king made her decided to trust him on stuff like this, strategies and such. I wonder if I was not a clueless girl and a proper knowledgeable master. Ayaka back at her self-depreciating thoughts.
"Saber, is alliance also part of knight things?"
"Of course!"
Saber explained more as they walked towards the forest.
*
After Richard and Enkidu's battle.
"You really worry about small things, Ayaka," said Saber.
"Also, please don't think of me as a good person."
That words struck Ayaka like a cold arrow. She still couldn't grasp his idea about "small things", let alone Richard as a bad person.
Before, he mentioned he was not good as a king, but a seasoned war veteran. Maybe his "big thing" was governing?
In the forest, they immediately formed an alliance with Lancer and Assassin, an unlikely group that could only have formed during this Holy Grail War.
Ayaka shared her magical link with Assassin. Such an interesting group, consisted of two factions that once fought in the past. Of course, Ayaka didn't realize all of that.
"Saber, I'm sorry," she said.
"Huh?"
Saber awkwardly accepted her apology. He seemed bewildered with all of Ayaka's normal "apologies". Was that why he said he was not a good person?
*
A knight.
There are several definitions of "knight". However, for Saber—Richard the Lionheart, most likely meant as a man devoted to the service or someone who belonged in an order.
"You know, Saber," Ayaka said as they walked to the Mansion. "I think today, a knight like you is no longer exist."
Ayaka lost her memories, but some reason had confidence in her common knowledge about today's society.
"Really? Maybe they just changed the name."
"No, I mean knight orders that out in the open... you know, Saber, I think..."
Ayaka stopped talking. She saw Saber grinned at her.
"Is there anything wrong?!" she panicked, mostly because at this point she knew Saber's tendencies to joke around.
"You're still a charming lady when you speak a lot," he said, didn't remove the big smile from his face.
"Wh—what?!" Ayaka stunned. "Stop it, Saber! Okay, let's run to the Mansion now!"
"Wait, Ayaka!" Saber caught up to the girl who barely moved even though she ran as fast as she could. "What you said... I want to hear it!"
"Dummy, you brought that upon yourself," Ayaka sniffed. "Anyway, since I'm a nice girl as you said... Saber, you are like a bodyguard."
"B..bodyguard..."
"Saber?!" Ayaka did not expect this reaction.
"Ah... my honor as king..."
"I'm sorr—"
"Just kidding," Saber smiled again. "I respect you, Ayaka, since you gave me magical energy."
"That's not any different with bodyguards who got paid to protect," Ayaka pouted.
"I see, so that's how you feel," he sighed. "Well... maybe for me it is a mix of feeling of duty and guilt."
"Guilt?"
"Because I made you got captured and stayed in that horrible room back in police station," he let a dry smile. "And..."
Ayaka saw his eyes dimmed. His smile was still on. "A guilt, from my past self."
Ayaka titled her head. "Huh?"
"What? This doesn't suit me?" Saber talked to "himself".
Must be his phantom comrades again, Ayaka thought.
"What?! Hey.. hey!"
"Saber, are you right in the head?"
"It's nothing," Saber sighed. "We need to catch up that Assassin Lady quickly or I'll fail my chivalric King again!"
The two walked with all of their might, following the swift assassin.
Inside his mind, Saber thanked the Throne that let him manifest as a heroic spirit.
Because there is no way his human self could quickly caught up the current events after a weird realization he concluded from his brief chat with his "comrades".
"Your chivalric responsibility is truly outstanding, My King," said his quick comrade, Loxley. "However, what do you see in that lady, honestly?"
"Yes, King Richard," his mage comrade Nimue replied. "She indeed provided us with heaps of magical energy, but you seem different with her, not even you were like this with Lady Bérengère."
"You didn't even refuse when people from the tavern (these panthoms thought that bar was a tavern) asked if you are her boyfriend."
"My King, just a quick lesson. Boyfriend means beau."
"This isn't like you, King Richard."
"You need to remember your goal, My King."
They were probably just teasing Saber, because Richard was actually always like that, being good in romance and all. Also those comrades wore a big grin every time they spoke.
"What?! Hey.. hey!"
And that's how their conversation ended.
Funny fellows, Richard sighed. "My purpose here is to protect Ayaka."
"You murmured again," said Ayaka.
The shadow of grand wetland Mansion started to appear. "Almost there, huh," Saber smiled. As soon as they heard glass breaking and a bang of light...
*
Wetland Mansion, Bedroom
Bodyguard, huh. Richard couldn't care less with teasing from his subordinates, but Ayaka? He wanted to uphold... Certain honor as much as he could.
He smiled as he opened a book about his brother John.
"Being a knight... Or a king."
Richard sighed. "I live to devote my knighthood. And right now, the person who deserve that devotion..."
He looked at the sleeping glasses girl on the bed, smiled. What was inside his mind, or his head? No one knows yet, not even himself. But one thing for sure...
"Ayaka, please think of me at least as your knight."