The Alewife
7-year-old Rin Tohsaka looked around quickly before making her way as quietly as possible to her Father's workshop. To avoid making a sound, or getting caught on anything, she had shed her nightgown, leaving on just her underwear as she moved in the dead of the night. She carried only a single page she tore from her father's book translation of the Epic of Gilgamesh, and hadn't had a chance yet to see what page she got. Hopefully it was someone who Archer would listen to and not blow off, like her when she threatened him to protect her Father or else. She had to do this tonight, tomorrow Father was sending her and Mother away and would only have that creepy fake priest and Archer for company.
Reaching the summoning circle in her father's workshop, Rin grinned as she set down the piece of paper in the summoning circle. "Now I can summon a Servant who will make Gilgamesh behave and protect my father."
"Is that so child of my summoner?"
Rin jumped up in shock and bit back a scream barely lest she wake up her father. Turning around, she saw Archer sitting nonchalantly in her Father's chair, drinking her father's wines. "How did you sneak up on me?" Rin asked as she covered her chest with her arms.
Archer smiled, "I am just as much a Magus as an Archer, and in fact, a far more accomplished Magus than your father could ever be due to my Divine Parentage." Getting up, Archer walked towards Rin who stood her ground, glaring at him. 'Ah, unlike her Father, she has no pretensions or deceit, and though she commits lese majesty, I shall indulge her.' Archer thought to himself as he picked up the sheet of paper.
"That's my catalyst for summoning a Caster, put it back." Rin protested as Archer unfolded it.
Archer ignored her as he read the page and stopped suddenly. "I see, you would summon Siduri with this. Given the poor state of this time's drinks, I will allow this."
"Siduri?" Rin asked as she took back the catalyst.
Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow, "Reckless as well as bold, and lucky. If you had been foolish enough to attempt to summon Ishtar, I would be most cross with thee given what she did."
Rin pouted, "You didn't answer me. Who is Siduri?"
"A dear advisor of mine when I was King, and mother to my son and successor Ur-Nungal. She has much skill in Magic, and you would make a great apprentice for her. As a King I know potential when I see it, and you have much potential Rin, therefore it is my duty as a King to see that your potential is not wasted hiding away like your father intends, but cultivated and fermented. I shall help you summon Siduri."
Rin's annoyance fell away, and was replaced by joy, "Thank you your majesty. Let us begin then before father wakes up."
"As you wish, but first we need a proper catalyst for Siduri," Archer answered as he reached into his treasury and pulled out Siduri's sheer black facial Court Veil and handing it to Rin. "And this was hers when performing court business."
Taking the veil, Rin trialed the look herself by holding it to her face and getting its feel, before looking at Gilgamesh as she held it to her face, "Wait a second, if this was Siduri's, then why do you have it? You aren…"
"Nothing like that child, as a member of my household, I outfitted her at my expense. In addition, I trusted her with access to my treasury, no one else did I so trust. Rejoice, as her apprentice, you too will gain access to my treasury." Gilgamesh replied as he pulled a key on a chain from his vault and draped it around Rin's neck. "This is a key to Siduri's personal vault, where her garments, jewelry, cosmetics, and personal hygiene supplies are kept. Siduri has high standards, and you will be expected to meet them."
Removing the veil from her face, Rin grinned and struck a Sentai Pose, "Very well then King of Heroes, lets summon Siduri without delay. I will need 100 pounds of mercury…"
"I have enough indium for the ritual instead of inferior mercury. Unless you want to spend all your time sleeping from Mana Drain. Indium will allow Siduri to manifest fully capable of regenerating Mana on her own. Be brave Rin, the use of this element will temporarily cast you into the Akashic Records. It is a place mortals were not meant to see, and you must keep your eyes shut and wait till you feel Siduri's hands take yours. No matter what, keep walking till Siduri takes your hand." Gilgamesh explained as he opened his vault and filled the summoning circle with Indium.
"Wait, Akasha is the dream of all Magi, and you can send me there? Why not send father and avoid the war?" Rin spoke as she was hit by that revelation.
Gilgamesh stopped and sighed, "Child, it is a place Mortals are not meant to see and for good reason. It can't give you wisdom or knowledge, it can only give you a most terrible truth, and even then it won't give you the context to understand it. Alaya blocks it for your protection. Beware child and heed my warning, do not look at Akasha. I can't help you like my Mother did when I foolishly gazed upon it. It is the one thing I fear above all others. If I sent your father to it, he would not return. Do not look as you cross it."
Rin looked at the ground, "So my father's plan for attaining the root, sending my sister away, and using the last command seal to get you to commit suicide to power the Grail enough to send him to Akasha is all for naught?"
"Yes," Gilgamesh answered evenly as he lifted her chin gently. 'That son-of-a-bitch! He is beyond mad and sacrilegious. Once Siduri is here, I will send Rin to bed and have Siduri alter her memories while I deal with Tokiomi and his wife. To think the man not only throws his precious treasure of a young daughter to another family so carelessly, but to dare to use I Gilgamesh as a human sacrifice which I banned in my reign!' Gilgamesh fumed silently in his head. Rin had proven herself interesting to him, Tokiomi had lost Gilgamesh's interest.
"Well, Siduri is from the Age of the Gods, so I will still have the consolation of learning better magic than all my peers. They'll be so jealous." Rin cheered up. "Let us continue your majesty."
Gilgamesh smiled, Rin was so eager, fearless, bouncing back from disappointment with greater resolve. "Now please stand in the center of the circle and hold Siduri's veil in your left hand and hold out your right hand."
Rin did so and Gilgamesh continued. "Now close your eyes and call out Siduri's name."
Rin closed her eyes and did so, immediately she was wrenched from reality as the circle glowed, 60 seconds passed, then Siduri appeared holding a mana exhausted Rin in her arms. Upon re-appearance, Rin fell asleep. Gilgamesh smiled, due to her age, Rin's mind was more easily able to be molded to a false narrative of being a street urchin adopted by Siduri.
/My King, you called for me?/ Siduri asked in Sumerian.
/Indeed Siduri,/ Gilgamesh responded as he placed his fingers under her chin, lifting aside a bit her court veil in the process. /I need you to erase her memories and give her false ones of being a street urchin with her sister till her sister was taken by another family and you adopted her as your daughter and apprentice. She has much talent and the boldness to use it, but lacks the wisdom to avoid recklessness./
Siduri cocked her head to the side and frowned in the manner Gilgamesh always found cute (Then again Siduri was one of only 4, now 5 people he let get away with that), /And you let her perform a dangerous ritual to pass through Akasha? She is a child Gilgamesh. You could have easily done the summoning yourself. That aside why do you look like a Tramp and shaved off your beard? You're the King, set an example./
/I am technically not alive Siduri, being summoned to this age as a Heroic Spirit. So I could not pass through Akasha to reach you. This child, however, had the courage and the skill to make it through. I owe her much and she shall want for nothing as you did./
Siduri's face softened a bit, /That you do. She was a wreck when she reached me, time is different beyond the world, and she pushed through to me despite it while keeping her eyes shut. As for dealing with your summoning in this era, I have just the thing in my stock of ale./ Siduri pulled out a bottle from her private stock that not even Gilgamesh touched without her permission and handed it to him.
/Ah, the wine of your Garden by the sea. Guaranteed to refresh the soul of any man who drinks it./ Tipping his head back, Gilgamesh downed Siduri's wine.
….
Rin stood in a Tavern and gazed upon a weeping man, with hair unkempt, beard littered with debris, and caked in dirt and minor scrapes. A veiled woman, Rin recognized as Siduri, held him in her embrace and spoke soothingly to him.
"Oh Gilgamesh, where are you going? The life you seek you shall never find. When the gods created humankind, death they appointed for humankind, and life in their own hands they retained.
Gilgamesh, let your belly be full, enjoy yourself day and night, every day make merry, dance, and play.
Let your clothes be clean, let your head be washed, bathe yourself in water, gaze upon the little child that holds your hand, and let a wife enjoy your repeated embrace.
For this is the lot of men."