Chapter Text
Arturia was suffering from a terrible headache.
Lack of sleep and regular nausea made this condition worse.
The dark circles under her eyes had invaded her face and her poor appearance gave the impression that she was ill. In the morning, when she was being prepared, they tried to improve her complexion with makeup and tricks. But the illusion had ended up not being effective any more and the people who crossed her in these circumstances showed themselves worried, rumours circulated and she heard the murmurs on her passage. So Arturia had decided to reduce her public appearances to only the bare essentials, thus limiting the embarrassment around the royal couple... until time would calm everything down.
But her condition was not improving.
The servants finished undoing her crown and hair for the night. They brush her hair carefully while she looks in the mirror and sees only a shadow of herself. A tired woman... A walking corpse.
They help her to undo her clothes for the bath, they soak and wash her body in perfumed water and once she gets out they finish putting her in a lighter, more comfortable outfit for sleep, Arturia signals with her hand to dismiss them.
The tension in her shoulders eases when she is finally alone. Her somewhat skinny hands pick up her shawl sitting on a chair that she puts over her shoulders and as she walks across the room, she has glanced at the bed with a sideways glance.
So tired... she fought sleep and looked away to the balcony.
The night was cool, but the queen didn't mind as she enjoyed the gentle evening breeze on her face. The starry sky was beautiful here, yet so different from her memory of watching the world with Merlin. She recognized a few constellations that should not have been so high in the sky and the North Star was only visible from the other side of the ziggurat.
Everything here was different, everything had a different flavor, different colors, different mentality and know-how. All these things she had learned to appreciate in a certain way.
Snuggled up in her shawl, she sat in a soft armchair. She was enjoying this moment of tranquility and was fighting as best she could against her urge to sleep to avoid ruining everything. She would be alone again tonight and she had her own misfortune... but she didn't want to anticipate what would happen, again.
Enjoying the present moment, she repeated herself indefinitely.
Minutes pass and heavy footsteps are heard behind her, the queen slowly turns around to see the huge beast moving into her room with tranquility.
The old lion had learned to open doors long ago, and it had been a long time since he regularly visited Arturia in the hope of getting some tenderness. The queen smiled, she reached out her hand and the old lion gently rubbed against her, savoring the gesture in her mane. He shows his affection by licking her fingers and purrs softly as he rests his head on her lap.
"Anbu... what would I do without you?"
The animal just closed his eyes while she stroked his fur. This moment was the greatest comfort she could hope for, so nice and it brought her some warmth in this cold night.
The queen settled more comfortably in her armchair while caressing her furry friend. He so faithful and so close to her.
Although another presence would have been preferable for this night.