Britannia Aeterna
The Mad King Rules Unchained
Humanity Foundation Value: C++
Location: Britain
Year: 1215 A.D.
Grail Holder:
John Lackland
Demon God Pillar: Eligos
One by one, the summoned knights fell before the red queen's sword. Lamorak. Dagonet. Galeholt. Calogrenat. Dinadan.
"Y'know, I never thought I'd get to face my childhood heroes in combat, but they're all like, sooo~ underwhelming, you hear me?" The queen in red remarked with her usual airheaded smile, contradicting the sight of her bloodstained sword.
Her opponent, a girl clad in blue, could only look in desperation as each of her knights fell, one after the other. She had tried every conceivable strategy, yet... Wait, perhaps not
every strategy just yet, but summoning
him would...
"Come ooon~ When are you gonna give me the big guys? Palamedes? Tristan? Gaheris? or..." The queen smiled maliciously as she made her way to the girl's side, putting emphasis on her next word. "
?"
Angered, the girl quickly conjured a sword with her magecraft. She lashed out, only for the queen to block her strike with ease.
"Right, right, I suppose that one is a touchy subject. Aaaanyway, I suppose that's enough playing around for now. I see what you're trying to do now." The Queen's smile faded as she dropped her usual attitude. "Acting as a distraction while the Master of Chaldea made his way to John's throne room... Are you so eager to meet death at my hands?"
The girl smiled, resigned to her fate. "Yes. In the end, I... I offered myself to act as bait. Back then, my own selfishness doomed Camelot, and now, the world tasked me with destroying this 'Eternal Camelot' that your son is trying to establish... Maybe this is the world's way of punishing me. I knew it. I knew that I've lost my chance at happiness, after everything I did. E-Even so! This time around, at the very least-"
"CEASE THAT PATHETIC DRIVEL OF YOURS!" The red queen commanded, cutting her off. For a second, the girl could swear she saw something in her eyes; something beyond her usual arrogance.
"A-Ahem. right, I suppose I've lost my composure a bit there, but it needs to be said." The red queen coughed. "By all accounts, I should quickly end you here, and make my way to the throne room to deal with the rest of those invaders. However, that thing you said just now reaaaallyy rubs me the wrong way. So screw it. For once, I'm going to make another stupid decision and take my time here to deal with you."
The queen's sword, her false Excalibur, dematerialized. The thought of lashing out with another surprise attack briefly crossed Guinevere's mind, but she quickly shot down that idea. This queen dematerialized her weapon not out of foolishness, but out of sheer confidence in the fact that no matter what her opponent does, she would be able to counter it with ease. And she's right; the mana cost had really started to take a toll on her body after those constant summoning spells.
"Ever since I sensed Chaldea's presence here through my
Court of Love, I knew they'd be trouble. However, do you know who I'm
really pissed off at right now? YOU! The legendary Guinevere, queen of Camelot, wife of the Once-And-Future-King! When I heard you'd been summoned, I was ecstatic! How could I not!? You were, and still is, one of my favorite childhood heroes! Tales of you and Artoria kept me alive, granted me hope even in my darkest days! But the girl I saw before me now..?"
Eleanor felt genuine anger in her words; something she had not felt in a long time. Yet this anger was different from the time Henry sentenced her to imprisonment. There was also a hint of sorrow. To have the legendary Guinevere reduced to an emotional wreck, constantly drowning in regrets, trapped in a dark tunnel of hopelessness with no way out... Of course, she understands
why she might be like this, considering what happened in her legend, but still-! When she saw her opponent standing before her, she did not see the majestic queen of Camelot. Insead, she saw a helpless young girl, her mind clouded in doubts and regrets. One who would give it her all for the sake of things she cared about, but would happily welcome death all the same, thinking it to be some twisted form of escape, or even a well-deserved punishment. In a way, Eleanor saw a part of her younger self in her. Maybe
that's why she's so irrationally pissed off at her... not that she would admit it, though.
"You know what? As much as I love them, I'm not one to talk about honor, chivalry, and the like. Yet despite all that, even I can see that there's no point in cutting you down here." Eleanor shrugged. "We all make mistakes, that much is certain. I'd be lying if I say I died with no regrets. Now with all due respect, the only thing that differentiates me from you, is that I
actually decided to do something about those mistakes! When John got his hands on that Grail, I was the first to answer his call! It was a chance for me to be a proper mother to him, after all the unrealistic expectations I placed on his shoulders all those years ago! Some would call my actions misguided, if not worse, and I know doing so would put Proper Human History in jeopardy, but I don't care anymore! This is a chance to grant
his happiness, which translates into
mine!"
"And you? What have you done, with this second chance at life?" Eleanor questioned. "Will you continue to rot away, drowning in past regrets without doing anything about them? How long will you continue punish yourself, saying all those pathetic excuses on how you're beyond redemption, and all that!? You're a queen, for God's sake! So act like one! Hold your head high!
BE selfish! Stop boring me with those self-deprecating remarks and
fight for the things you believe in! If you truly fight for the sake of Proper Human History, if you really think doing that could 'redeem' you or whatever, or if you simply think that fighting for Proper Human History is the right thing to do... Then do it! Prove your convictions with your actions! Don't hold anything back, and strike me down here and now!"
The red queen noticed her opponent regaining her strength, preparing for another summoning ritual.
"Looks like you've only got enough mana for one more ritual... so be it. In fact, this is more like it!" Eleanor smiled, the fury of battle returning to her eyes as she manifested her false Excalibur once again. "Show me that you truly are the Queen of Knights! The legendary Queen who ruled over Camelot alongside Artoria Pendragon!"
The two charged their Noble Phantasms. Guinevere's summoning circle began to glow with an otherworldly aura, while Eleanor's 'Excalibur' began to radiate a glorious, golden light.
Simultaneously, the two queens released their Noble Phantasm's True Names.
"
Rêve de Britannia!"
"
Assembling Round Table!"