She was entrusted to the king's vassals and was to be raised as the child of a mere knight. It is said in the legend that Arthur was left in Merlin's care as the price for his assistance in ensuring the success for Uther's love of Igrane, saying 'I will properly guide this child, one bearing a great destiny, and protect him from the crisis of the royal family.' The true reality was that Altria was not a boy, so the king could not make a child that was not male his successor even if she was fated to one day become a king. The king, believing in Merlin's prophecy, yearned for the birth of his appointed successor, but the child born was no the one he desired. Altria was born into this period as the heir to the throne, the daughter of the King of Britain, Uther Pendragon, and the wife of his servant, the Duke of Cornwall, the blue-eyed, Igraine. This time of barbarian invasions and self destructive strife between clans started a long period of war that would later become known as the 'Dark Ages. Once the country lost the empire's protection, it could not escape becoming independent, causing it to break into smaller countries soon after. In preparation for the war against the barbarians, the empire deprived her island country of any military forces. It had been believed to be indestructible, but it was only awaiting its destruction at the hands of invading barbarians. In Fate/stay-night, the legendary King Arthur has been reimagined as a young woman rather than a man, and deeply burdened with the responsibility of upholding her ideals as what constitutes a rightful king.Īltria was born into a time of chaos and war that began with the demise of an empire. Saber's true identity is Altria Pendragon, better known as Arthur Pendragon and King Arthur.

Saber fate stay night