Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Fate/Stay Night franchise or any element of the story created by Type/Moon.

This story is set during and after the ending of the Fate/Stay Night anime.

Prologue: Beyond the Continuation of the Dream

Avalon, Conclusion of the Fifth Holy Grail War

Emiya Shirou's eyelids fluttered in a foreign land.

An endless expanse of hills, where fragments of prana danced and swirled like glowing petals.

Avalon…

The name came naturally to Shirou. His artisan hands had once recreated this phantasm, a magnum opus that he could never again replicate.

His last memory had been that of Saber with Excalibur shining a midday sun. Its radiance had swallowed everything: the crackling splinters, the oppressive heat, the burning Ryudo Temple, and even the Grail that overflowed with corruption.

"Shirou…"

Her voice beckoned him to journey across the landscape. Soft young grass cushioned his feet, each steps send him soaring like the wind.

"Shirou…"

Saber stood at the peak of a grassy hill, underneath the branches of a mighty oak tree. She blossomed into a smile upon the sight of him, radiant and glowing like she had never been in life.

A miracle allowed them to meet for the final time, a brief reunion, but her rightful was place was here and his was back in the living world.

"…With this, I believe that everything has ended. Both the war and my oath to you…"

"Yeah, the grail…..The war…everything." Shirou replied. His heart swelled with a sense of accomplishment. "You've done well, Saber. I couldn't have made this far without you."

"Call me by name, Shirou. Here, I've already shed my burden of being a Saber," she corrected. "...So allow me to speak not as your sword nor as a king, but as a woman."

The golden sunlight provided a stunning backdrop to the field of their parting, just like the final scene of a play before the curtain fall.

"I wish to thank you. While seated on the throne, I'd never thought that I would learn the joy of living an ordinary life, of going on a trip…and of falling in love." She paused and closed her eyes to relive those fond memories. "Shirou, what are your feelings? I wish to hear it in your own words."

"…I love you." He had said these words once before and did so again without any hesitation. "From now until we meet again, I'll say it as many times as you like."

"Shirou…"

Altria's wide-eyed surprise at his optimism soon turned into acceptance, not out of sympathy or kindness, but out of wish to hold to that very same hope. No matter how farfetched, some part of her truly wanted to believe that one day he would set foot in the Avalon as one of its rightful denizen.

"Wait for me. I'll see you again. I'll definitely come for you, so…" Shirou concluded, firmly, without a shred of doubt

"You have no need to worry. No matter how long it takes, I will wait for you here," Saber responded in kind.

They both realized that Emiya Shirou would do everything within his power not to let their story end with a tragic parting.

Shirou took Saber's outstretched hands and pulled her into an embrace. She stiffened at the foreign sensation before surrendering to it. Only a few days ago neither would think it was possible that his presence could transform the King of Knights into a love-struck maiden.

Her dainty form belied a great strength, but the absence of her usual armor left her soft and vulnerable to his touch. The girl in his arms was no longer the King Arthur of Britain. All that remained of the king was Altria, an ordinary girl in love.

"Shirou, I…" She looked up with moistened eyes and felt his lips pressed against hers, softly gently, melting into her.

He didn't let her finish. He had no need to. There was no need for words with the emotions that resonated between them. The gesture alone conveyed all that they needed to tell one another; the bitterness of separation and sweetness of hopeful reunion.

Their few seconds stretched to an eternity.

Then the magic was over.

Shirou realized the growing weight on his consciousness. The drowsiness was overwhelming. His eyelids grew heavy like two falling curtains.

That simple kiss altered his fate. Shirou realized that the bearing of his life had taken an abrupt turn. It might be no more than a distant dream for an ordinary magus to crave for the rights to enter into the dwelling of heroes, but he would devote the rest of his life to see it through. The serene landscape of Avalon was exactly where he had hope to spend an eternity of his afterlife.

Forever with Saber by his side…

"I'll see you again, Altria..."

"…No matter what it takes?" Saber whispered, snuggling closer for the final embrace.

"No matter what it takes." He answered with the last of his breath.

For her sake and hers alone, Emiya Shirou made a wish to become a Heroic Spirit.

A/N:

I wrote this story in part to address of the element which I feel is lacking in Fate/Stay Night. This story will depict a the culmination of Shirou's ideal of heroism and re-explore the relationship dynamics between Shirou and Saber in greater details.

Once thing I'll say in advance is that the mechanism of the Holy Grail in this story might diverge from the canon material. I have done my best to learn the canon and incorporate the changes that will happen in this story into that framework, but, since many of the subsequent events in this story will go beyond the canon, much of it will consequently be my own interpretation and extrapolation of the information I have. Please feel free to call me on it, if you feel that I have made any errors on this part.

Lastly, thanks for taking your time to read this story. Hope it was enjoyable and please drop a review, if it's not too much of a trouble. Since the story structure I have in mind is still rather loose, I'm currently very open to incorporating any valid suggestions into the story.

-EB