Yesterday both her mama and Kiritsugu left to go to Japan. It was the first time that her mama went together with him and Maiya- whom she still couldn't figure out no matter how long she watched the stoic woman- and then there was that nice blond woman she had never seen before.
She rolled around lazily on her bed, shoving aside the many teddy bears Kiritsugu brought back from his travels. It was getting lonely in the castle really really fast and she really wanted to do something that didn't have to do with reading or playing with dolls.
That blond woman came to mind again. Fair skin, green eyes and a smile so gentle that she could have sworn that the woman wasn't human. But, even if that was the case…she wasn't either.
Ilyasviel always knew that she wasn't really human. Especially with how different she was compared to the others in the castle. Sure she lived like a princess and she could get nearly everything she wanted but whenever she looked at Kiritsugu, she knew that she was different.
Rolling was getting boring so she slumped onto her back with her arms outstretched. This room was really huge and really spacious…and really empty. No matter how many things she got and how much she tossed around and threw stuff against the walls, the space never filled. In fact she was pretty sure that the maids had secretly schemed to make this room look as empty as it can possibly get!
"They are also different..." she whispered. The maids were strange, always have been. They never step into her room with knocking, never smile, never complain and above all else: They never play with her!
She wanted playmates! But no~ they always tell her that they weren't allowed to because of this and that and that Master Acht didn't create them for that. She didn't understand what they meant, but whatever it was she didn't want to find out.
The ceiling looked as depressing as it always does. She never looked up much when mama was there and Kiritsugu always had her attention when he was around. Why was she looking up again?
Right. mama has gone with Kiritsugu. "Really now, why can' I have any siblings, at least then I wouldn't be stuck here all alone." a pout formed on her lips and she jumped up from the bed, then tripped on the sheets and falling on her face. A growl escaped her lips before she threw herself off the bed onto the floor. Slowly rising to her feet she attempted to stealthily walk towards the large door of her room. She carefully cracked it open to look into the hallway.
No maid in sight. Good. She carefully opened the door wider taking one last look into each side of the corridor before rushing out. Since she lazied around on her bed the entire time she forgot to put on shoes, only now noticing how cold the castle floors were. But she moved fast, who knows when they would come after her.
Ilya knew that she would never be allowed to walk through the castle on her own, too many secrets she could stumble upon and maybe somehow ruin everything, but she didn't care for those. They would stop her somehow when she got there, if she went and looked for them but since she didn't care for those her little feet carried her to the nearest closet. Inside were a pair of winter boots and a purple jacket with matching hat. She slipped into the clothes ready to go where she wanted to.
She moved fast but carefully along the walls, avoiding the candle lights and light bulbs, staying in the shadows for as long as she could -like one of those spies from the movies she saw with mama, though she wonder why they all had the same name- having fun trying to imagine her leaving the castle for good and going after her parents. Alas that would probably never happen, still she enjoyed thinking like that, at least this way her boredom would go away -for a while.
Moving down the halls Ilya nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw one of the maids walked passed her into the kitchen. Thankfully she didn't see her as Ilya hid in the last second behind a statue of her ancestor. Thankful for her short height -for once- she moved out of the shadow, tiptoed passed the kitchen – she would steal her snacks later when she got hungry – towards her true goal.
The door to the church was as massive as she remembered, she was like ten times smaller then the entire gate, though the door knob was just a couple heads above her. A brief thought went to the question to how she was going to open the door but it was dismissed the moment she spotted a chair not far from her. Hurriedly she moved the furniture - rather she pushed it, really you can't expect a little girl to have herculean strength – attempting to make as little noise as possibility as she placed it in front of the doorknob.
After trying to climb up the chair three times she finally managed to stand on the chair. Admiring the view she acquired through her own effort, she then grabbed the knob with both hands mustering all the strength she had in her little frame to turn it. She only stopped putting so much effort into her actions once she heard a familiar clicking and saw the door crack lightly. A beaming smile formed on her lips once she saw her accomplishment - though jumping from the chair to the ground unprepared was a big mistake, now her feet felt all tingly – shoving the chair aside to open the gate further.
The first thing she saw inside were the blinding lights shining through the top windows, near endless appearing rows of black benches and a large altar at he end of the hall with a white fabric and the family crest stitched on it, half falling and partially covering the front. Ilya came here a few times, with her mama, but she was still small and couldn't remember the church being as big as it appeared now. Maybe it was because mama carried her on her arms or because Kiritsugu never let her look at everything more carefully but she felt really really small in this place.
And while it was still day, it felt as if night never ended here. The light was cold the church empty and her stomach felt a slight knot forming. But she wouldn't stop. Here her mama and Kiritsugu summoned that blond and she wanted to find out how! No really, it bugged her how much the adults never told her anything and all her grandpa did was glare at everything and anything even when he was sleeping and she pained doodles on his face…oh the scolding she got afterward-mama protected her then but she was sure would she do the same without her parents then it would be very very scary.
She walked slowly towards the altar, taking notes about how the light didn't reach her feet and how the ceiling was as boring as the walls – weren't churches meant to be really really pretty with paintings of angels and Jesus and window decorations in different colors? - she pondered only a little feeling colder and colder with each passing step.
She reached a slight clearing in front of the benches and right before the altar. For a short moment she felt warm but didn't know why as she stepped right between benches and altar. She could still smell the Prana in the air and a familiar presence she couldn't quiet recognize. She raised her finger to her lips trying to place this unknown feeling somewhere in her little heart. But since that was a waste of time she instead looked at everything and anything.
"Need's to be investigated" she whispered feeling like a detective in one of her mama's novels. She tried to look for a way to climb up the altar, wanting to get a better look at everything from a higher viewpoint but since her human ladder -Kiritsugu- wasn't here she wasn't sure if she could make it, looking down to her feet and feeling defeated she pondered if she should just go back to her room and watch a sappy romance movie instead.
Until her red irises saw something on the ground. She crouched down getting as close to the object of her interest as possible. She practically pressed her face to the pavement looking at a near impossibly small thin line of light. It was probably residue Prana from the summoning her parents had performed and her tiny body jolted upwards with joy at finding what she was looking for. She even did that embarrassing dance her mama thought her with the fist bumping in the air for her job well done.
Now she needed something to draw the line after. Looking around half excited and half frustrated since she forgot her crayons in her room -foresight before rushing wasn't her forte after all – but then her eyes landed on something equally useful.
It was a box filled with that strange and disgusting smelling powder that they sometime use in the sermons. She wondered if she could use it to draw the line after -then decided to just do it like her mama taught her and from one moment to the next she grabbed the box took two hands full of powder and threw it onto the ground. If her studies of Magecraft that those sleazy old maids taught her anything than that a summoning circle would draw the nearest material it could find in -only a small amount that it would make it look as if nothing happened at all - and since fragments were still there she could at least hope that some of the incense would get sucked in – now that she thought about it but sucking always gave a pretty disgusting sound especially with those toilet stamp thingies.
And just as she had hoped small amounts of the incense disappeared, making it clearer and clearer where she had to gather the scattered powder to form real lines.
Once she was finished she looked at a five headed star with two circles around it and some runes sprinkled here and there. Huffing in satisfaction she put both hands to her waist and bumped her chest up to show how proud she was of herself. Until she heard a loud cracking from the gates behind her. Ilya nearly jumped out of her shoes when she heard it and slowly turned her head to look at no other than her dear and beloved very gentle and totally terrifying grandpa. She stepped backwards nearly tripping over her own feet when she saw him – still avoiding her handiwork on the ground, as if she would ruin her own hard accomplishment!
Old man Acht gave her a glare that could freeze the entire world -if it wouldn't snow like everyday outside anyway- approaching her slowly with a few dozen maids following after him. She knew that he was going to scold her, maybe command the living dolls behind him to bring her back to her room immediately. She didn't expect him to slap her face.
Ilya was on the ground clutching her left cheek which started to pulsate with tears leaking out of her eyes. She tears fell onto her handiwork- now destroyed due to her flying over it from the force he hit her with. She looked back at the old man who gave a disdainful look as if he had touched dirt before looking at the summoning circle she attempted to make.
"Why did you make this?" he asked her slowly, still not looking at her "Why did you come into the church even though I forbid you? Why are you here and drew this summoning circle?"
She didn't know what she had done wrong and she certainly didn't know what he was talking about. She only wanted to come here and see and feel what her parents felt. She wanted to experience what they did and wanted to share her goals with her mama, wanting her to tell Ilya that she did something good and gave her all the warm hugs and kisses and she only wanted to be with her mama and Kiritsugu and feel them close to her. She didn't want too feel pain, she didn't want her grandpa angry at here!
"Answer me little homunculus." the glare he gave her nearly made her leak into her dress. She didn't like him, she didn't like those emotionless dolls always doing nothing but work, work here, work there and never playing with her, never talking with her and never showing anything other than that slight bow that annoyed her.
As she didn't answer him the old man crouched and grabbed her face forcibly digging his fingers into her cheeks. It hurt.
"Your turn won't come until either you parents fail, be they alive or dead." he said coldly standing up, dragging the girl with him forcibly. She wanted to protest and scream that he wasn't allowed to badmouth mama and Kiritsugu but the only thing that left her were more tears and a silent plea that everything should go back to how it was.
But it will never be.
The summoning circle once destroyed flared with white light, reforming itself. She looked back at it feeling the presence from earlier twofold, threefold even, remembering now where she had felt it.
When Ilya ran after her parents that day, she did expect them to pack everything they needed. She didn't expect a blond woman wearing a black tuxedo to be in her mama's room. The woman looked at her briefly before smiling gently. Her mama came from behind her and lifted Ilya up to eye level with the newcomer.
"This is my Ilya." her mama said proudly making her blush slightly "And this is Saber." her mama said handing her to the blond. The newcomer looked a little unsure at what to do but Ilya was having none of it and actually jumped from her mama's arms into the blond's who caught her instantly.
"Hello" she greeted making the blond blush but with a smile "I'm Ilyasviel."
"Greetings Ilyasviel, I am Saber." she blond said with such a clear voice that Ilya was sure she could sing the best lullabies ever- well after her mama.
"Are you going to protect mama?" Ilya wasn't stupid, she knew her mama was going to become the grail -since they had talked about it before many times- but it didn't mean that she couldn't worry for her and hope that she'll be safe.
"Of course" the blond said without hesitation handing her back to her mama before bowing to both of them "I solemnly swear that I will be her sword and shield and that no harm shall befall her."
This was the feeling she had when Saber promised her to protect mama. The feeling of a knight in shining armor who would risk everything to protect their princess.
And in fact a knight appeared. Together with a white mark on Ilya's right hand. The knight was clad in silver armor and red fabric hoisting a silver sword at their side while it knelt in front of the altar. Most notable about the knight was the helmet it donned: a silver helmet with horn growing to the backside upwards and three small slits for breathing and seeing.
The knight remained unmoving, for but a second it looked as if it was empty, until it lifted itself to stand in front of everyone in the room. Ilya felt safe, the moment her eyes laid on the knight -incidentally also being the moment Old Acht let go of her face – immediately running to them to hind behind them.
The knight looked down, moving its head slightly, to look at the child that clung to its leg, the white marks on their hand shining ever so brightly. It moved its hand and moved it over the child's head. A pat.
The child looked up with curious eyes almost seeing the knight's eyes as they were obscured by the helmet. Ilya didn't know why but she felt that she was the safest with the knight before her. Maybe they could get out of here together and go after mama and Kiritsugu.
"Impossible." Acht whispered from where he stood frozen. Ilya couldn't believe her eyes, this was the first time that the old geezer had shown anything other than his glare and it was the most glorious sight she had ever seen -minus maybe the time she rode on that bear her father ran away from screaming for forgiveness (Why did that happen again?)- and she relished the fact that she accomplishment yet another thing today.
"What is the meaning of this?" Acht demanded before a sword appeared right at his throat. Eyes widened as he watched the knight threatening his with impalement -okay maybe this wasn't going as planned-
"Please don't kill him" Ilya said to the knight who looked at her. They shared a look, she was sure of it, but she couldn't tell what the knight was thinking and she didn't what him to hurt anybody -sure Acht was a piece of art but he was still her family no matter how much she wanted to scribble on his face and kick his shin. Thankfully the knight dropped the sword, still threatening the room and still being the most powerful appearing presence but less bloodthirsty.
"Why is my Master hurt?" the knight asked his voice coming of as a mix of bad sound-effects and Kiritsugu's smoke induced coughing. Ilya wondered who was behind the mask but pushed those thoughts out as she wanted nothing more than to get out of there and look for mama.
"So you truly are a Servant? How is this possible, all seven have to be summoned by now?" Acht muttered, unfortunately ignoring someone whom he shouldn't ignore.
"I asked why my Master is hurt." the knight pressed lifting his sword again. This time the old geezer couldn't ignore it and immediately looked at Ilyasviel.
"Ilyasviel stop this Servant of yours!" he demanded but the little girl only raised an eyebrow before sticking out her tongue while she pulled one of her eye lids down -maybe he shouldn't have hit her, she thought smirking inwardly at his panicked and gradually bleaching face.
It was priceless seeing the cold and meany grandpa looking like a little girl in tears after getting their heart broken thrice by the same guy without any good reason only for him to go back and slap her face -and what movie did Ilya watch that it immediately could be associated with old Acht's face?- anyway it was glorious to see him panic like that.
Alas it couldn't last and grandpa composed himself again to look as prim and proper as he did before, the maid behind him pulling out Javelins and Axes out of god-knows-where pointing them at the Servant.
"So you managed to break the system Ilyasviel. Good, very good. Prepare your Servant and leave for Fuyuki then" the man said motioning for the maids to wait. Ilya was confused, she didn't know how fast her grandpa could change his moods and it unsettled her a little that he was again cold and calculated.
She felt her head being pat again.
Ilya felt her hands relax at the motion and looked up at the knight. Said Servant just held her sword to Acht's face again not even hinting at stopping anytime soon. Her eyes wondered to grandpa who looked even more stone-faced than usual.
"Don't want to." the knight said into his face who contorted with popping veins everywhere. The glare he gave the knight was so frightening that Ilya was contemplating whether this should go on or if she should listen to him. "I only listen to the commands of my Master and last time I checked she was the one with the Command seals and not you geezer. So f*ck off" the knight continued nearly making Acht and Ilya's eyes fall out. She giggled when she heard the Servant insult her grandpa- still shocked over the choice of words and she'll need to ask mama what it meant-. She never got to see many people and didn't know what was going on here but any form of relieve was just that and she would love to see Old Acht getting insulted everyday -but she didn't and she wanted to get out if here.
"I want to leave. I want to find mama and Kiritsugu." she whispered, barely for anyone to hear and she feared her words would crawl back into her mouth at how timid they were. Until she the hand that pat her lifted her onto the knights shoulders. She quickly grabbed the horns on the helmet in fear of falling down but noticed that a hand was still on her back.
Acht was furious and was about to say something, alas he was stopped the moment the sword on his neck began to glow crimson "You wouldn't dare!" he actually shrieked making Ilya laugh out loud. But the knight didn't answer him swinging the sword instead just barely missing Acht and throwing the benches which Ilya believed to have been dug into the pavement through the hall.
"She said we leave, so we are going to leave and you will let us." the knight said gallantly making grandpa take a few steps back. Whatever was going through his head in the moment didn't matter as he let her and her Servant walk past them.
"I'll expect results Ilyasviel!" he screamed just as the now duo left the church.
The knight didn't turn his head as it attempted to speak to her again "Where to now Master?" he asked and Ilya pondered hugging the helmet. "Master?" now that she could actually go wherever she wanted, Ilya was both confused and afraid. She didn't know what to do and mama or Kiritsugu aren't here to help her. She felt the hand on her back reach upwards to her head, patting it gently.
"Don't worry Master,let's first find out where your parents are." the knight said making her feel calm and protected again. The walked for a while with Ilya giving the knight directions as to where her room was -the only place she actually knew every nook and cranny of. She motioned for the knight to let her down again, since the armor she sat on was actually pretty uncomfortable. Letting her down both of them took a good look at each other.
The were now in her room. Still as spacious-maybe even more now since it looked as if the maids cleaned everything again. Without a warning the knight knelt before her-though the sword disappeared from one moment to the next – pulling a gloved hand over his chest.
"We actually forgot our formalities" the knight said taking Ilyasviel's hand with the utmost care and tenderness "I am the Servant Saber. It is my honor Master."
Ilya blushed a little -she read enough stories over knights to know that this was a big deal already!- still wondered a little about a certain thing the knight said.
"My name is Ilyasviel, but please call me Ilya" she said with a smile hearing a light chuckle from the knight "But what do you mean with Servant Saber? I thought Saber went with mama and Kiritsugu?"
The knight looked up at her "Pardon?"
"I mean…I- ahh" she felt embarrassed "Uhm, before mama left she introduced me to that blond woman and she called herself Saber and then they left and I was lonely and nobody wants to play with me and I feel lonely and I want to go back to mama and Kiritsugu already…" Ilya felt alight nudge on her head, the knights hand which slowly traveled down and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
"It's okay, now I understand." the knight said reassuringly.
"Can I see you face?" she asked feeling the hand on her cheek stiffen a little but then the knight nodded. The helmet slowly dissolved into thin air, revealing blond hair tied roughly in a ponytail with long bangs framing his(?) face. Ilya now realized that the knight in front of her was actually a woman and even more shocking was the resemblance he had with her mama's companion.
"You look just like Saber." Ilya concluded with wonder in her eyes and voice but they had the opposite effect on the knight whose eyes widened with shock.
"What?" the knight asked, but was stopped short when Ilya touched her face gently.
"You're so pretty." she said making the knight blush slightly.
"Stop it, I'm a man." Ilya tilted her head in confusion.
"But you're pretty."
"I don't like being called that."
"And you're a girl."
"Only my body, but I feel and life like a man."
"So you are a man with the body of a girl?" Ilya asked with childlike enthusiasm which apparently made Saber unable to look t her straight.
"Yes." the knight answered with a gruff tone- though Saber's cheeks were getting red-.
"Okay." Ilya chirped surprising the knight who looked at her as she counted the things they needed to do now "Should we pack stuff? I mean we need to go find mama and Kiritsugu and Maiya and what do we take with us? Can I take my plushy?" the knight stopped her with a gentle smile and a pat.
"We should take what we need and leave the rest here" Ilya looked at the knight in horror, stealing a giggle in return "I know you want to take as much as you want but if you lost something during our journey wouldn't you feel even sadder?" the argument worked and Ilya begrudgingly nodded "Also I have a pretty good idea where your parents are."
"Really? Where?"
"Where else but Fuyuki. If they have a Servant then it means they are taking part in that ritual." the knight said making Ilya bounce around in excitement. She ran over to her closet while Saber walked after her.
They packed Ilya's favorite clothes and a spare thingies into a large suitcase. They continued to farther put stuff in until she noticed something crucial.
"Do you also want to wear a tux?" she asked Saber who looked at her slightly confused. Then thoughtful. Then contemplated the options on each hand. As Ilya watched her antics she began to giggle and laugh "Can I call you Onee-chan?" she asked before cupping her mouth.
The knight looked again, unsure which question to answer and opting to do both "As long as I wear that tuxedo-if you have one hear that is my size-so long are you to call me Onii-chan got it." the blond said with a smug smile but Ilya was having none of that pointing at the Disney Princess dress behind her with a thumb -Cinderella was her favorite.
"Onee-chan, or you're going to wear that princess dress." how she knew why threat would work against her Servant she didn't know, what she did know now was that Saber's face held the purest form of terror at the mention of a princess dress. The blond hung her head feeling as if it was no use to argue with Ilya.
"'Kay, but don't even dare mention that nefarious clothing ever again." Saber said with a pout. Ilya just laughed and tackled the Servant with a hug. The knight didn't reciprocate at first but put his arms around her anyway. Ilya could have sworn she saw something in those green eyes but maybe she was still to young to understand what it was. But when the knight smiled she couldn't help but beam.
The finished packing up. Despite Ilya's expectations a Maid was waiting for them on the other end of the hallway. Saber pulled Ilya's luggage behind him following her dressed in an open black tuxedo -which laid around in the closet thankfully- and black shirt which was only half buttoned up- also showing what little bosom he had-, black gloves and black pants with black leather shoes to complete the outfit.
The maid motioned for them to follow her, and Ilya wonder what was going through their heads. She imagined that some of the maids had created their own society with the plan to upsurge Acht from his position in the family so that they can conquer the world. Saber's hand on her shoulder stopped her train of thought. She followed the knight grabbing his soft hand in the process. The blond didn't look at her hiding green eyes behind golden locks – she was smiling though.
When they arrived at the front gates Ilya marveled at the sight of a long white limousine, though she contained her excitement since she had the feeling that grandpa had something planned. Just a few steps between her and the outside world. Her tiny feet took one step after the other, stopping short in front of the cold air. She hadn't felt this intimidated when it was her and Kiritsugu.
Why was she scared now?
A gentle thumb rubbed the back of her hand. She looked up and saw the green eyes focused on her -an unspoken promise on his lips, reassuring Ilya that no matter what happens she wouldn't be alone- taking the step together with her.
"Do you have horses here?" Saber asked making Ilya look at him in confusion -he wasn't going to ride with her on a horse through the cold was he?
"No, all horses were attacked by wolves the last time they were ridden. Master Acht wishes for both of you to use this vehicle trusting in your driving ability and that you will safely arrive at Fuyuki before the dawn of the next day. There are also tickets for a flight directly to Japan inside." the maid explained.
"How far to the next city?" Ilya stared worriedly at Saber, having a vague idea what the blond was going to do -half for and against it- but the knight only walked to the car, opening the driver side door.
"Around half an hour drive, there is enough fuel in the tanks to drive you to Munich or Vienna depending on the airport you want to take. Maps are on the passenger seat." the maid bowed "I will leave now to inform the master of your departure and we wish you the best of luck."
She walked past Saber to Ilyasviel taking one look at her with a nod "Good luck Ilyasviel" she whispered so softly that Ilya wasn't sure if her ears were playing tricks on her -so they do have feelings- joining Saber as she sat on the driver seat pulling a pair of sun glasses from somewhere and putting them on.
"You look neat." Ilya said taking seat right on Saber's lap- somehow climbing up people was easier than chairs- , who then placed her on the passenger seat and buckled her up. Ilya was swaying her legs happily before the engine ignited. A gut feeling told her that it was going to be dangerous -if Saber's driving was anything like her mama's than she would need to prepare her stomach- but the blond just patted her head.
"I was never known for reckless driving," Ilya smiled at that "Only for reckless fighting." her smile disappeared.
"Fighting isn't good" she said with a gruff at which Saber just laughed lightly.
"I guess you're right." the blond whispered slowly driving away from the castle. Ilya took one last look at her home of eight years, she felt as if she was never going to see it again -maybe for the better- but wherever this journey was leading, she was sure that she was going to see her mama's smile.
Part one: Ilyasviel's Big brother or Sister?
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A/N: This story was born from the desire of vengeance! No seriously, when I thought back to all the children that were massacred, mutilated, violated, murdered…the list goes on, I felt one burning desire in me and so its here!
I'm solely relying on my readers to give me tips where Ilya's journey leads her first :Germany or Austria or someplace else on the way to Japan?
So give your votes and to those waiting for an update to True Love, place wait until the end of the month.
Also this story isn't Ilya focused per se so the next chapters will be dedicated to the other children who have a bone to pick with the adults.
So please do me the favor and R&R
Yours dear
Sha Yurigami