-Sabers Pov-
Artoria stared unbelievingly at her master as she tried to hide behind a pillow, breathing rapidly. She tried again, more gently this time,
"Irisveil….Irisveil. Look at me. Please?"
Slowly two red eyes filled with fear peeked out from behind the pillow and looked into her own. They were in Irisveils room in the Einzbern castle that was outside Fuyuki. She had gotten back to the castle a bit after both her master and Kiritsugu only to find the man sitting on the front steps smoking a cigarette which surprised her since she had thought that his wife had made him kick the habit. She replayed the conversation she had had with him the day before,
"...The Grail might be cursed? Where's the proof."
Saber shook her head and folded her arms staring at Kiritsugu, "The servant I fought...didn't seem to belong to any of the seven classes. She said that-"
"You mean her master said that the grail was cursed, and you agreed to bring Irisveil-who is currently hiding in our room scared out of her wits entirely due to this unknown servant- to a meeting between the unknown servant, her master, as well as Rider and his master." Kiritsugu said flatly making Saber wince at his blunt summary.
"If the grail is truly cursed than any wish made upon it would get twisted and distorted. I know Irisveils wish is your wish Kiritsugu so let me change the question: Are you really willing to let your wish become corrupted and twisted into something monstrous through your wife?"
Saber stared at Kiritsugu as he stood up and tossed the cigarette butt into the dirt before grinding it beneath his boot. He stared into the middle distance and sighed, "...If you can convince her than sure but Maiya and I will be on overwatch the entire time ready to take whatever actions I need to to keep my wife safe. Am I clear Saber?"
Saber had nodded and walked past Kiritsugu into the mansion.
That had been yesterday and Irisveil had not left her room at all within the past 24 hours. Not even to eat food. Which led to Saber taking twenty minutes just to get Irisveil to let her into her room and another ten for the homunculus to look her in the eyes.
"Irisveil…" Artoria began slowly, "I need to talk to you...and I need you to be brave for me, Kiritsugu, and Illyasveil."
Artoria watched, a bad taste in her mouth, as her master froze in place as her instincts to hide from whatever the unknown servant represented fought with her instincts as a mother. After a minute Artoria motioned to the bed, "May I sit down?"
Irisveil jerkily nodded and started doing breathing exercises. Artoria sat down at the foot of the bed and waited for her Master to calm down. After another few minutes she heard her masters voice as she moved across the bed and set down beside her. Artoria resisted the urge to look at Irisveil just based on how hoarse and fearful the woman sounded,
"Saber…..no. Artoria…..Help me- Help me understand. Why-" Irisveil shook her head as if to clear it and scooted closer to her still hugging the pillow, "Whats….wrong with me? When I think back to seeing that servant its- its as though I-"
Artoria reached around behind Irisveil and hugged her master to herself, "Take as much time as you need to figure out what to say and how to say it." Artoria said confidently while rubbing Irisveils arm, "We'll sit here until you're able to."
"But Kiritsugu-"
"Wants to see you like this even less than I do." Artoria said firmly, "We're here for you. Both of us."
They fell into comfortable silence as Artoria continued rubbing Irisveils arm. At some point she thought the woman might have fallen asleep but glancing over she saw two red eyes staring into the middle distance. They still had fear in them but they also had a determination to figure out why that fear was there.
A while later a knock sounded on the door. Artoria looked over and then at Irisveil who nodded and sat upright letting Artoria walk over to the door. Cracking it open a bit she saw Kiritsugu standing on the other side. She opened the door fully and let the man in as he looked between Artoria and his wife. He sighed and shook his head, motioning silently for Saber to follow him. She glanced back at her master and then nodded at Kiritsugu following him out into the hall as he quietly shut the door behind them. She looked at the man and narrowed her eyes,
"What happened."
"I need to know first if you'll follow my orders if I give them to you Saber." He said looking at her. She glanced past him at the closed door and then nodded silently. Kiritsugu nodded and seemed to relax a bit as he walked past her waving for her to follow. He led her through the halls of the mansion and into the observation room where he sat down at a desk and started flipping switches.
"Within the past hour some of my familiars caught this on camera…."
He flipped a final switch and rapidly typed into a keyboard as a nearby monitor came to life. It was a recorded film from one of the familiars he had throughout the city. Saber watched the screen as she saw a man in blue robes walking openly through the streets as a man with orange hair skipped alongside him. The view changed several times until they vanished from the cameras view.
"Where are they going?" She asked crossing her arms and looking at Kiritsugu who gave her a flat look,
"They look to be coming here by their continued direction."
Saber firmed her lips and turned on her heel feeling the injury on her hip flare up. Hissing under her breath but not breaking stride she left the observation room. The injury wasn't deep and rarely impeded her movement but it was also in an awkward spot in that if she performed some more advanced or complex movements or strikes there was a chance it would open further. As she walked back to Irisveils room she felt something cross one of the bounded fields of the mansion…. and then another….and another….
Not waiting for Kiritsugu she turned around and summoned her sword as a massive explosion sounded from the front of the mansion. She ran to the main hall and saw Rider in his chariot having just blown through the front door and surrounding wall.
Her eyebrow twitched as she saw Waver stand up almost foaming at the mouth with panic,
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING RIDER!?" The boy shrieked as Rider rolled his eyes and reached over to flick his master in the forehead, knocking him to the floor of the chariot. As he did so he was quickly surrounded by combat homunculi but he didn't even give them any attention as his eyes found hers. He broke into a wide grin,
"As one King to another, What say you to a dialogue?" He reached behind him and hefted a wooden cask as he arched an eyebrow at Artoria who weighed her options. An enemy master was right there and she was fairly sure she could kill him before Rider could retaliate but….
"What would we discuss?" She asked neutrally. Rider brightened and laughed heartily.
"I would do what kings would normally do over good drink and fine company: Discuss each others reigns and...compare notes."
Artoria felt her interest pique at this, briefly thinking back to her own rule and how that ended.
She found herself nodding and agreeing before she could stop herself, "Very well." Saber made a gesture with her hand and the homunculi dropped out of their combat positions to begin cleaning up the rubble. She looked back at Rider and Waver in the back as she felt herself smiling, "Waver. I find myself curious as to what became of my country after I died. I've read the various accounts but would rather hear from one of my own countrymen. Would you be so kind as to tell me?"
Waver stood up, massaging a red mark on his forehead, and shakily nodded, "I'm not the best person to ask but I'll tell you what I know."
At this Saber nodded and vaulted the banister to the main floor landing easily. She motioned for Rider and Waver to follow her and moved through the halls to the courtyard. As she did so she felt something shift in the mansions fields but shook her head focusing instead on leading Rider and his master to the courtyard.
Walking into the courtyard Saber saw that a table had been set up with three glasses. She nodded as Rider dropped the cask with a thud. He broke the lid with a quick punch and then Saber tossed him a glass which he caught easily. She walked over and tried to hand Waver a glass only for him to shake his head,
"Thank you but I'm not old enough to drink."
Saber raised an eyebrow as Rider gave his master the stink eye and shoved his own full glass into the masters hands. Waver looked up at Rider who nodded and the Master sighed as he shakily took a sip only to stare at the drink in wonder.
"...This is really good." He said as Saber dipped her own glass into the alcohol and took a sip as well. It was clearly wine but it burned on its way down her throat like some of the bourbons she had had at the Einzbern family home in Germany. Rider grabbed the third glass and dipped it into the liquid only to drink the entire thing like a shot, humming appreciatively.
"Now then," Saber said gesturing at the table, "Let us compare our reigns."
"Every reign is but a dull stone compared to my legacy, mongrels." Came a haughty voice as all three people looked at where golden particles started to gather into the form of a man with golden armor, red eyes, and yellow hair. The new arrival tilted his head back to look down at each of them in turn before looking at the table and wrinkling his nose. He walked to where the head of the table would be and opened a golden portal above the chair which was swiftly reduced to not more than matchsticks as a golden throne slowly materialized in its place. The golden servant sat down and leaned back,
"However even the dullest stone may spark amusement. Speak."
Rider and Saber looked at each other and then back at the servant before Rider walked over to a chair, pulled it back, and sat down in it. Saber followed suit at the third chair. Waver slowly backed away from the group but none of the servants payed him any mind.
"Before I speak I would ask: What servant class are you?" Rider said looking at the golden servant who responded by looking at Rider like he was an idiot,
"That you don't know who I am by my very presence is insulting enough." The man said frowning but then he sneered, "However I find myself interested enough to look past that: I am Gilgamesh, King of Heroes and the one true owner of the Holy Grail."
Saber blinked and leaned forward in her seat, staring at Gilgamesh, "Why say 'owner' and not 'winner'?"
Gilgamesh scoffed and looked at her with self-evident pity, "How can one 'win' something that it already theirs by right? Every treasure on the planet is mine." he scoffed as his eyes fell on the cask. He firmed his lips and a golden portal opened above his shoulder through which a gold jug fell through into his outstretched hand. He set it on the table as three more portals opened depositing three golden chalices.
"I don't even need to drink that piss to know it is not worth my time. To show my superiority let me provide you all with quality drink as it is more than you deserve."
Saber felt her hackles rise at the barb but said nothing as Rider took a chalice, filled it with amber liquid, and sipped it. His eyes widened and he stared at the drink,
"Truly delicious.." He said softly as Saber felt Gilgamesh look at her. She sighed, took a chalice, and poured some of the amber liquid into it. She drank a bit herself and felt her own eyes widen at the breadth and complexity of the drink. She stared at the liquid as Gilgamesh chuckled,
"And thus my superiority is established."
Rider looked up sharply at this and set down his drink, "You may have the better drink but I intend on taking the grail for myself. As for whether or not its yours to begin with…" Rider smiled a smile that was all teeth, "I will take it regardless. As I will always do for whatever I want"
"You would aim to plunder my vaults despite knowing who I am?" Gilgamesh asked softly as his eyes flashed dangerously. Rider met his gaze and his own smile widened,
"I would not be King of Conquerors if I didn't."
"Then what is your wish Rider?" Saber asked curiously. Iskandar sighed and looked up at the stars twinkling overhead.
"I would wish to be reincarnated."
A pindrop silence followed this before Gilgamesh began to laugh, "You would wish to stand among the living again? I am compelled to ask why if only to not be bored."
Iskandar met his gaze evenly, "I would resume my quest to conquer the world," He shook his head and frowned, "I saw Oceanius but turned back at the last moment. I would rectify that by not only seeing but conquering it and everything beyond it as well."
"Then what of you little girl? What wish would you have for my property?" Gilgamesh asked with some mirth. Saber ground her teeth together and stared at the table,
"I would wish for someone else to have pulled the sword from the stone."
Silence echoed across the courtyard as Iskandar leaned forward, "You would forsake your reign in its entirety?" He asked quietly as Saber nodded. He shook his head at this and glanced at Gilgamesh who was looking at her with a curious expression,
"Then I was mistaken to think of you as a King." Rider said flatly causing Saber to look at him sharply. As she was about to retort he continued over her, "To be a king is to be everything a human can be to its extreme. Joy, sadness, anger, despair. You must embody all of these and more as a King. You must inspire both respect and fear from those under your rule but you must never serve them as they exist to serve you. You must rule and leave no regrets behind at your death. For to regret your rule is the same as saying that your rule was wrong to begin with."
Iskandar shook his head and looked sharply at Saber who just clenched her hands in her lap,
"That is not ruling as a king….that is being a tyrant." Saber retorted angrily causing Iskandar to shrug, "I was called all that and more during my reign but," He held up a finger, "I still will never regret what I did."
Saber ground her teeth together as Gilgamesh stated his opinion. She felt herself growing more and more angry at both of the other Kings until,
"So based entirely on what you both are saying: My kingdom would not have fallen, Camlann would have been avoided, My people would have remained safe….if I had been a Tyrant. If I had ruled with force from the start." Saber glared at Gilgamesh and Iskandar in turn as her head throbbed and her vision swam. Her vision shifted and she saw the view she had seen from her throne in Camelot but she felt...wrong. Tainted. The walls were blackened. The air itself was tinged with power...and despair. She ground the heel of her palm into her forehead as she once again felt that part of her that was pure twist and contort.
"I've decided." Gilgamesh announced loudly. Saber's vision snapped back into focus and she found she was staring at the floor of the courtyard. She shook her head as the feeling went away again, "I will kill you myself Rider while you are at your strongest."
Iskandar laughed in response to this, "Then I will fight you for your treasury in its entirety."
Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes at the audacity clearly about to respond when Saber watched him stiffen and look to his right at the wall. Gilgamesh narrowed his eyes and a golden portal spawned over his shoulder. Out of it a sword extended, vibrating with barely contained power, and then shot out to strike a window….
Only for the window to squelch and turn into a tentacled horror. Saber watched as the monster fell off the wall of the mansion and landed into the grass its blood dissolving and tainting everything it was splattered on. She narrowed her eyes as more portals opened around them while Gilgamesh seethed,
"You would interrupt me, The True and Only King, with your abominations?" He ground out as more weapons extended from each portal. Saber sensed Irisveil panicking through her connection and began to run from the courtyard as the door slammed open and homunculi staggered out half dissolved as more monsters crawled over their bodies into the courtyard. She swore under her breath and summoned her blade at the exact moment Gilgamesh launched his weapons.
-Wavers PoV-
Waver had been feeling uneasy from the moment he stepped into the courtyard. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched from multiple directions by multiple sets of eyes. As the Kings had had their discussion he had been subtly scanning every inch of the courtyard trying to find out where he was being watched from. He had felt panic as what he thought was a window morphed into a monster and had run up next to Rider as the man pulled his short sword from its sheathe moments before Gilgamesh launched a 360 degree barrage into the courtyard around them.
"What are they." Rider ordered as Waver mentally ran through everything he knew. He watched as for every monster that was killed by Gilgameshs weapons three more seemed to pop into existence. It was as if every blade of grass could be an enemy. He shook his head and refocused watching as one of the monsters was sliced clean in half and its blood almost seemed to burn the air as it dissolved whatever it landed on. He firmed his lips and yelled above the commotion,
"They're summoned familiars!" He yelled as Rider sliced three of the monsters in half while skillfully dodging the blood, "Their blood is caustic and melts anything it touches so don't let it touch you." Waver kept his mind running as individual bricks were now turning into the monsters, "They can disguise themselves as anything non human! We could be totally surrounded and not even know it."
Rider grinned down at Waver, "Then we must take care of everything that might hide them. Saber!" He yelled causing Saber to glance at him after she sliced five of the monsters in a single slash, "Go find your master! I might not see you as a king-" Sabers eyes narrowed "But as a warrior who I have shared a drink with I will not let you die so easily. Get your master and bring them here-"
A window from the fourth floor was riddled with bullets and shattered as a man jumped through it holding a woman with silver hair in his arms. He landed in the courtyard as Saber ran over to the pair. Waver watched as they talked quickly to each other and then refocused on scanning the enemies.
"There are simply too many we don't know the location of…" He muttered.
"You there! Sabers Master! How attached are you to this house?" Rider bellowed over his shoulder,
The woman with white hair blinked and look askance of the man who nodded. She looked at Rider,
"Not...particularly. Why?"
"Excellent!" Rider sheathed his sword and pounded his fists together as Waver felt his servants mana surge. Suddenly he had sand in his mouth and a bright flash made him cover his eyes with his arms. As he lowered them he saw he was on a tall sand dune in the middle of a desert that extended seemingly forever. He looked up into bluest sky he had ever seen and then noticed that Rider was no longer by his side. He looked around rapidly only to see that Gilgamesh, Saber, the white haired woman, and the man were all standing nearby. The man in particular was eyeing everything and it finally clicked for Waver that he was in a Reality Marble.
Suddenly he felt his attention being drawn forward to the land beneath them and he watched as Iskandar stood there his arms crossed. As he did so he heard the woman gasp and he looked up to see the Mansion opposite of Rider except….
"What the hell…." He heard the man mutter as the mansion itself began to separate brick by brick into undulating monsters until they had all but covered the area opposite Rider who spoke as his voice seemed to come from everywhere,
"I am Iskandar! King of Conquerers!"
The wind seemed to pick up as Waver watched,
"Their bodies may return to ash, but their spirits still hear my call!"
He watched, his mouth falling open as soldiers began to materialize behind Iskandar. He performed a scan on them and every single one was a Servant. He heard Saber mutter behind him but he didn't hear what she said,
"These men are my legendary heroes- my loyal Followers!
They're my true friends- breaking the rules of space and time to fight once more at my side.
They are my treasure within treasures; They are my right to Rule!
They make up Iskanders mightiest noble Noble Phantasm-"
An army. His entire Army had formed behind him. Waver watched entranced as the army parted for a black horse to gallop forward while the army slammed their weapons against their shields making the entire desert shake. The horse came up to stand beside Iskandar who reached up and ran his fingers through its mane. He mounted the steed that was almost as famous as he was and drew his sword as he yelled and charged forward towards the mass of monsters as his army yelled and charged with him,
"IONIAN HETAIROI!!!!"
The sounds of war echoed all around them as Iskandar and his army slaughtered every single monster to their last. After what felt like forever while also feeling like a fraction of a second it was over. Waver blinked and found he was standing where the courtyard had been in the ruins of the castle, he looked around and saw his servant drinking more of the wine they had brought with them. He walked over, too stunned for words, as his Servant looked at him and then past him. Waver watched as Rider moved faster than his build would suggest and pushed Waver behind him right as he drew his sword to block the red spear that had been going for Wavers heart. The sound of weapons clashing was heard as Waver fell forward, hit the ground, and turned around to see Rider fighting with Lancer.
Waver was about to stand up when he sensed something from nearby. He stood up slowly and glanced around him eventually looking into the forest below them and into the eyes of a pale man in dark blue robes. The man smiled at him, razor teeth shining in his jaws, as he held out a hand and a book shimmered into existence falling his grasp. Waver's eyes widened and then, for a reason he would never figure out, his body reinforced itself and dodged to the right almost entirely on its own causing a dagger to cut the air where he had just been. He kept what few circuits he had activated as a man with orange hair and bloodstained hands seemed to appear out of thin air. He grinned at Waver as he palmed the knife in one hand and then lunged at him as he tripped backwards on something.
I'm going to die.
Was Wavers first thought as his vision narrowed onto the gleaming knifepoint slowly inching towards him. He felt like he was falling in slow motion as the knife slowly crept closer and closer and then gold. Gold flashed through his vision at an angle and everything returned to normal speed as the man with orange hair was split in half, his momentum causing him to fly in two different directions on either side of Waver.
Waver remembered how to breathe and started breathing again inhaling a sharp ragged breath as he watched Saber nod at him and then turn around to jog away. He remembered his servant and sat up sharply about to call out when he saw Rider sitting nearby glowering. Waver crawled over to Rider who looked at him appraisingly and then grinned at him, clapping him on the back and knocking him chest first into the ground,
"We're- We're alive right?" Waver asked as he picked himself out of the dirt and looked around, "Wait- Where's lancer!? Where's Gilgamesh?"
Rider grunted and shook his head, annoyed
"Lancer escaped with his master. The man who was beside Sabers master moves quickly. You should watch out for him. As for Gilgamesh…" Rider shook his head, "He vanished right after my Noble Phantasm ended but not before cursing the name "Tokiyomi". So I would assume something happened to his own master."
Waver nodded and swallowed nervously
"Lancer broke off from our fight and vanished most likely due to something the man beside Sabers master did. Not long after Lancer vanished the man with the gun came back, grabbed the woman with white hair, and left telling Saber to stay behind to help out where she could." Rider said matter-of-factly as he sighed and stood up looking around the ruins of the mansion, "We need to get going as well."
"Where are we going?" Waver asked as his heartbeat began to beat at its normal rhythm. Rider looked at him and arched an eyebrow, "First we must rest and recover. Then if I remember correctly we were going to go to that cafe with the Fire Woman and her Master tomorrow."
Waver groaned and stood up gingerly rubbing a still forming bruise as Rider swung his sword to summon his chariot. A few minutes later they were airborne and heading back to the house Waver had been living in for the last month.