The evening air was crisp in the carefully selected town. The soft hum of life all but smothered by the rising night. To the west, the ships of the humble port where rocked gently by the tide, to the east, the vast woodlands were filled with but rustles, no creature dare make a noise. They could sense the magic crack through the air as it filled their valley with an almost electric presence. Four remained unsummoned until the eve of the event; the hosts, and one frightened guest.
Another silent gust of magic swelled through the sky near the southern tip of the boundary, an otherwise uninhabited section of woodlands. The sudden flash of light followed this large magical output, coating the area in bright whiteness.
A hush fell over the previously illuminated but dilapidated hovel at the center of the magical anomaly. Henning, the cowering master, kneeled within, covering his eyes as the light dissipated. Henning lowered his sleeve to look about the rotted structure. Blinking, Henning couldn't quite adjust his eyes to the brightness that still stood before him. At first, he figured the light of the ritual still remained, however, this hypothesis proved to be false. Henning's heart nearly stopped as he realized exactly what he was looking at. Looming over the summoning circle Henning gaze fell upon his servant, caught in awe at the beauty of the man that stood before him. The servant was tall and delicately muscular with a lean stance. He stood out against the inky blackness of the evening with fair feminine white skin. Along with long platinum blond hair and beard. Both were braided elegantly in a style and complexity foreign to Henning. His clothing was also light in color, almost shimmering, and clung to his body tightly with the exception of a loose bit of drapery that attached at his waist and hung open in the front, mid-calf. The servant was silent at first, slowly breathing in the unfamiliar air before acknowledging the master that was before him.
"I hope you had a good reason to summon me, mage." He said in a voice as cool and calm as a pool of undisturbed water, meeting Henning's stare with his striking violet eyes.
Henning was caught off guard by the servant's words. He'd never read or even heard about a servant behaving in this manner upon first summoning. At least in the preceding Grail Wars. But even as Henning tried to gather himself to explain the situation, the beautiful servant seemed to put the pieces together, noting the command seal, summoning circle, and the cloak that lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. All as the predetermined knowledge assigned to the servant seeped through his mind.
"I have no interest in your petty quest." The servant spoke firmly.
Henning blinked, still stunned. "But I-" He managed to say.
"I will not humor your delusions little mage. I do not know how you managed to summon me, but there ins't anything magic could provide for me." The servant finished, turning away from his master.
"Hold on!" Henning pleaded, "You don't understand, I didn't have a choice!"
"Then why are you here, little mage." The servant spoke coldly. "There isn't any wish the this ceremony can grant that you cannot live without."
"I don't care about the wish!" Henning shouted, standing up. "Months ago, this... this mark appeared on my hand. My family was agast! We thought it was over. Told it was dismantled, banned. But here I am!" The master explain, his voice cracking with emotion, "I don't fight, I never have. But I've lost everything..." He trailed off.
The servant turn back toward it's master, intrigued.
"If you don't want to do this, I understand. I won't use a command seal to make you change your mind." Henning said softly, lowering his head " I wouldn't want anyone else to go through this."
A silence hung between the two as Henning gazed down at his own feet, unable to look at his servant as he bit back tears. However, he felt a hand rest on his shoulder.
"You want to survive." The servant clarified.
Henning slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with sorrow.
"I just want to go back to what I was. Return to my friends and family, forget about all of this." Henning "If there were any other way, I'd have done it by now."
The servant studied it's masters expression for a few moments.
"You are sincere in your desire, and I understand your predicament." The servant explained, "But I cannot guarantee you'll put this behind you."
Henning opened his mouth to speak, but the servant continued.
"While I may have chosen me to serve as Lancer, I am no hero. Remember that, little mage." He added, "I will keep the two of us alive, and nothing more. I have no desire to win, but I will protect you until my inevitable expiration as your servant."
"Lancer…" Henning murmured, testing the word by letting it roll off of his tongue.
"I can only guarantee your survival." Lancer repeated. "But if by some miracle, you obtain your wish, do with it as you will."
"Is that a contract then?" Henning asked suddenly, uncertainty riddling his expression.
"Yes, I suppose it is." Lancer finished.
Henning let out a breath and nodded. "Alright."
It was strange to him, to be walking up the same path the innumerable pilgrims had taken before him to see the holy relics, when he himself had a relic following close behind him. Henning remembered studying it, entire towns were built around the grand cathedrals, all benefiting from the travelers who came from every kingdom in Europe to see the shawl of the Virgin Mary, the nails that held Christ against the cross, hairs of hero's, body parts of saints, or any other fantastical piece of religious history. More often than not, these relics were little more than frauds, and a vast majority of the real relics were heavily guarded than made attractions. Regardless of they were real or not, the footprints of those all-believing pilgrims soon made paths, then cobblestone roads, all leading to the heart of every city, it's cathedral. Walking these roads was haunting. Even as the evening darkened, Henning could still feel the shimmering presence of his servant as he followed in the heals of his master in his spirit form. He still wasn't sure how to feel about the uninterested Lancer he now commanded. They hadn't exactly spoken that much since they'd sealed their contract. Lancer was not exactly talkative; he merely followed his master silently. Which did little to quell Hennings anxiety over the situation the two were preparing to walk into.
As they rounded behind a particularly quiet building, Henning finally spoke up.
"Lancer, if you have no interest in this ritual… why were you summoned?"
The servant did not materialize.
"For the same reason you intend to participate in this war."
Henning frowned, but kept walking, uncertain what Lancer meant.
"So you've lost something dear to you?" Henning pressed.
"No, little mage. I simply know regret." Lancer answered simply.
"Regret?" Henning thought, unsure of what to make of the response.
As the mage pondered upon the servant's words the two made their final approach the the cathedral. It was larger than Henning remembered it.
The buildings sharp black outline stuck out against the inky night sky, gnarled with towering spires of brick and stone that reached toward the darkened heavens. It stood testament to hundreds of years of Christianity, a daunting and terrifying form of unmatched Gothic style. Henning found himself petrified as he stood just outside it's gates. The half illuminated structure would be the final resting place of his former life, as displayed in the portal that ribbed the massive wooden doors; the last judgment. It didn't help that the glass rose window, meant to assure mankind with images of hope, wasn't lit.
"We cannot wait here all night, little mage." Lancer murmured.
Henning gulped and placed one foot over the threshold of the gate. His body felt heavy as he continued to move across the courtyard and up to the door. He could feel every hundreds of eyes fall upon him, real or otherwise. Every carving and statue seemed to gaze at him and his invisible servant as he made his approach, from saint to gargoyle. Even as his trembling fingers reached for the large iron knocking handles on the door he was suffocated by guilt. As he pulled back the ring of metal he felt the door jolt forward, and henning nearly jumped out of own skin. Releasing the handle, Henning stepped back and the door swung open.
A man of African descent loomed in the doorway, clad in in the traditional black attire of a priest. He was considerably taller than the rather meekly sized Henning. But his voice was calm and comforting.
" I would presume you aren't here for Sunday mass." He said in an even tone.
Henning swallowed, " I-I I'm here for the Cornucopia"
The man nodded, and too a step back, motioning for the master to enter the cathedral. "The meeting will begin shortly."
Henning bowed his head slightly and stepped across the threshold. But Lancer's spirit did not follow. Henning whipped around when he noticed the servant's absence only to find a closed door behind him. As well as a still calm priest.
"Servants will remain outside of this neutral ground." He clarified.
Henning sunk back, a bit embarrassed.
"T-That makes sense." The master chuckled, turning his attention back to the interior of the cathedral. "Have any other Masters arrived yet?"
The priest nodded.
"Follow me."
I've been excited to start this project and use this host of FSN Servants and Master's I've been developing for a few months! While I'm well versed in a majority of the Nasuverse in relation to Fate Zero an FSN I'm still something of a novice, so I'd appreciate any advice or critiques. To clarify, all but 1.5 are OC's with the exceptions being the upcoming Saber and The Berserker leaning on a preexisting character from the most recent FSN mobile game who isn't a Berserker in the game, but her story lends very well to the requirements of that class. I'm a bit of a history and mythology buff so expect a whole bunch of fun figures from history and fantasy alike. And enjoy guessing who they are! Most will be very blunt about it, but a few are fairly secretive. Also expect a cover soon!
Otherwise, I'll be using this little authors notes section to keep track of who we know in regards to the Masters and Servants.
Current Masters/Servants
Saber: Unknown
Lancer: Identity Unknown | Master: Henning Anolen
Archer: Unknown
Caster:Unknown
Rider:Unknown
Assassin:Unknown
Berserker:Unknown