[ A pause from Gray, her gaze drifting as her demeanor sinks more into gloom. It had become easier for her to talk about her circumstances with Shard-Bearers who clearly had no knowledge or investment in Arthurian lore. But as Howl says, he's a Welshman; it's only natural that he would have some feeling about it, however innocent. Gray tenses quietly as if anticipating a blow, though of course Howl would never.

Her own hang-ups aside, the situation in her village is difficult to explain concisely. Gray's pause extends, until she speaks again slowly. ]

They devoted their lives to ensuring that King Arthur would return as the legends foretold. In the world I came from, it eventually become impossible... but in the version of my world we passed through, they managed to make it happen. They revived King Arthur.

[ Fantastical stuff, she knows, but Howl is a wizard, so surely he won't find it too beyond belief. ]

I couldn't show myself because King Arthur and I can't exist at the same time. It would have confused the villagers.