Fate: Hero and Sword

Unfortunately, she was bound to err due to her current lack of knowledge.

"You don't even know where the nearest village is from here?" Vincent said in surprise.

She frowned, but couldn't deny Vincent's inquiry. Instead she could only be truthful.

"Growing up," she began slowly. "I was raised in hiding for my own protection. Sir Ector, my Guardian at the time never stayed too frequently in well known towns and settlements. Other than in my childhood, I was raised in general isolation."

When she spoke, it was with a tranquility and solemnness that stunned Vincent for he couldn't comprehend where the regality of her aura originated from.

He swallowed, glancing away as he felt shameful that he may have had brought up difficult memories.

"Sorry for being inconsiderate," he immediately acted to correct his mistake.

He was never an indecisive person and was keener on being straight forward. In a political sense it wasn't in his best interest as an heir of a dutchy, but he never liked politics anyway. He already had plans to delegate such tasks to a loyal follower more adept at the art.

Arturia smiled lightly, the edges of her lips creating small dimples that added to her character.

"You are a good man," she complimented. "Sir Ector had always warned me in my youth about Nobles who speak with two faces, yet its clear to me that you speak only with one."

"Ah yes, well, I'll just take that as a compliment," Vincent said uncertainly, yet inwardly he felt pleased with himself.

Still, he knew when to be serious and when not to be.

Eyes glancing around, it was with clarity that he recalled that he was nearing the place where he and his entourage had been sneak attacked.

"Careful, it's just up ahead," he warned.

Arturia's expression shifted back into a calm slate. She had already thought everything out after agreeing to help. Using her last encounter with the assassin earlier as a basis, she theorized that the relative strength level of her adversaries wasn't enough to bypass her innate physical defences. However, her past experiences in her memoires and her intuition were warning her to never take anything for granted.

Consequently, she raised a hand and decided to play it safe.

"Wait here for a second," she whispered.

Communicating inwardly, she tasked Tristan with scanning ahead. Of all her Knights of the Round Table, she had only taken Tristan from out of the perimeter they had set up around the Mausoleum. Lancelot and the others were more proficient in combat rather than recon which was why she chose Tristan to accompany her in the shadows due to his Independent Action, Archer, and Ranger Class.

The news she received from him moments later was rather grim.

"There's a large congregation of men just outside the forested region of this mountain, friends of yours?" She inquired doubtfully.

Vincent's expression darkened as he cursed. "No," he said flatly.

Although he didn't know how Arturia was able to garner such information, he had already chosen to trust her and he wouldn't go back on his word. Arturia's natural charisma probably had a lot to do with it.

However, if what Arturia said was true, then his situation was hopeless.

"Those damn bastards," he clenched his teeth. "Do they wish for power and influence so much that they would condemn a fellow countryman?!"

He was venting and he knew it, and yet what else was he supposed to do?

"The only good new I can tell you is that the people that followed you on this hunting trip were let go back into the forest in hopes of luring you out," Arturia explained, listening silently to Tristan's reports and deductions. "Yet this plan backfired as your men chose to bitterly toss themselves into the rapids to make their escape."

"Serves the bastards right," Vincent complexion brightened somewhat, but he still wasn't very hopeful.

No matter how high a regard he had for Arturia at the moment, he understood that even famed Holy Knights like Remedios would have trouble facing numerous opponents. More so when he had already deduced that they wouldn't be just standard mercenaries, but trained soldiers instated by other powerful Noble Families.

"Is there any chance I could use the same method of the river to escape?"

Arturia shook her head.

"The river is being attended by rotating sentries. You won't get close before getting spotted."

Vincent closed his mouth before placing his back against a tree and falling into a seated position. His hands ran through his hair trying to think, but no matter what he wasn't able to come up with anything.

"Was it wrong for me to not have chosen a side?" He muttered with a tinge of regret.

He hadn't intended for Arturia to hear it, but her enhanced senses made that notion impossible.

Teal eyes stared across at him in curiosity before words exited a mouth.

"Why are you being hunted down?" Arturia inquired.

At first, she hadn't been very interested, but after taking note of Vincent's character, she decided that he wasn't an individual that she wanted to see die without reason.

Reluctantly, Vincent explained the current situation of the Southern Kingdom and the numerous disputes between the Nobility vying for power.

Meanwhile, Arturia only listened silently, not commenting and only nodding when Vincent expressed his view to remain neutral from the political fighting.

When Vincent finally finished and Arturia understood the entirety of the events, she couldn't help but frown.

This was too cruel. Of course, in her time of ruling in Britain, the majority of Nobility were united in their goal to drive of the Saxon, Angle, and Jute invaders, but despite some hostilities they were still able to put up with each other.

Vincent's situation however was simply going too far. As such, she made up her mind.

"Do not give up hope on your beliefs," she spoke with conviction, causing Vincent to focus on her.

What he saw nearly made him gasp in surprise if not for the fact that he was too shocked to even breath.