A Food-Lover's Personal Hell [Open]

[everdistant_utopia]

When she made her contract with Alaya -- the part of the world that governed humanity -- the girl known to history as the King of Knights had understood that it would involve certain sacrifices. She had been pleasantly surprised to learn that in eras well into the future of her own, good food would not be among them. In fact, the cooks -- she was hard-pressed to call them that -- of her own time were so terrible that she had wondered if food was merely a form of punishment. It was only after she had been summoned as the Servant Saber in the Fourth War for the Holy Grail that she had been awakened to a new reality: eating could be a pleasurable experience. That is, if the food was pleasant to the taste.

Whatever this 'food' was that was foisted upon her was decidedly not pleasant by any stretch of the imagination.

It did not seem to be an unreasonable thing: the little blonde was not especially picky about food as long as it tasted good. A simple but tasty (and large) meal was far preferable to a fancy but bland (and small) one. The indecipherable mass she was served was the worst of all worlds: unidentifiable, small... but worst of all, tasteless.

She accepted her 'meal' with her usual impassive expression, seating herself in silence. Yet, she made no move to begin eating, staring at the slop with no change in her stony mask. However, those sensitive to supernatural phenomenon -- or even those who were simply observant -- would most certainly feel the heavy weight of a killing aura surrounding the otherwise proper and elegant young girl as she sat in morose silence.

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[nevergetscredit]

Seeing that flash of sorrow, she reminded Merlin of Arthur a little - of how he was whenever his people were suffering, or in danger. "I'm sorry," he said softly. He wished he could ask her if her country was alright now, but...what was the point? It would be gone now, like all their worlds were gone.

Like Albion was gone.

[everdistant_utopia]

Somehow, the next spoonful didn't taste quite as bitter in comparison.

"Still, I will not relinquish my dream so easily. It was already something impossible..."

A slight frown marred the girlish face as she remembered Rider's -- Iksander's -- words to her. Did it even matter if she was merely "a little girl who liked to dream", in the face of her failure? No, she decided, remembering Irisviel's reassurance. Even a new reality changed nothing. She would simply have to start from the very beginning once more. If she did not have a wish to fulfil, she had nothing and she might as well return to the Throne of Heroes... if indeed it still existed in some other plane.

"There must be some way to undo this," she said with determination. "If I must spend eternity searching, I shall."

[nevergetscredit]

"You think this can be undone?" Merlin asked, surprised. "But everything's already been destroyed. How could we restore it?"

As much as Merlin hoped that Camelot could come back...it was almost too much to hope for. And even if it did, how would he ever be able to save it from the dragon?

[everdistant_utopia]

"My own kingdom had been destroyed," Saber explained. "There is... or perhaps was... an artefact with the power to grant any wish. While I suspect its physical form was destroyed, it might exist elsewhere. And if not... "

Her otherwise stony expression hardened with her determination. "...Then I will find something else."

[nevergetscredit]

Definitely a noble, from the way she talked about her kingdom. Maybe even a Queen, or Princess, Merlin judged.

But while with Arthur he would have asked her about what the consequences of using an artifact powerful enough to grant any wish would be, Merlin had learned to be more careful when questioning the actions of other nobles.

"Hopefully we will find something," he said, smiling weakly.

[everdistant_utopia]

The King of Knights was, for better or worse and in spite of her more logical inclinations, bull-headed and stubborn. Once she had made up her mind about something, there was very little that could sway her. Unknown to her, Rider had decided that he must be the one to defeat her, or else she would continue on her righteous path and consign herself to a never-ending hell of seeking the Holy Grail.

"We shall," she said with the absolute certainty of her convictions. "While the Holy Grail might very well be no more, that is not to say that another way is impossible. It is merely a matter of searching and finding it."

[nevergetscredit]

Definitely like someone Merlin knew as well then.

"Right, well good luck with that," Merlin said, before turning to eat some more of his slop. Somehow, he had the feeling that the Lady wasn't going to have much finding this 'Holy Grail', whatever that was.

[everdistant_utopia]

That was definitely odd; even those who were ignorant of the true nature of the world knew of the legends of the sacred relic, the very same thing that most magi could only dream of. Those seven who were selected by the Grail to become Masters were the closest to realising that goal, though only one would win it. It was the way of the War they called Heaven's Feel.

A puzzled, uncertain expression flickered across her face for an instant; had he truly never heard of it? Even in Camelot, in her own era, it was legendary, if only that.

Nevertheless, staring was hardly chivalrous, so the questioning glance was trained on the slop, where it swiftly became a stony façade to hide her immense displeasure with it.