Disclaimer: I don't own Fate Stay Night or Dragon age.

Chapter Two: A Whole New World of Problems

Shirou awoke with a gasp, his eyes opening to blinding light before closing instinctively. Opening them again after a few moments he took in his surroundings. Saber and Illya rested not even a hands span away from him both unconscious. They were in a field of what he could tell was wheat, the ploughing was roughly done not at all like the precision work of the modern era. There was a perfectly round circle of wheat mowed down surrounding them where they lay. The wheat was pushed back in a perfectly symmetrical pattern with himself and his companions at the center of it. It seemed they had somehow been transported out to the middle of nowhere…Second Magic but that couldn't be possible…could it?

Saber rested near him his hand still gripped fiercely in his own, her face was fraught with concern and worry. Her dress was ripped and damaged along the hem and parts of the sleeves were also torn. Shirou couldn't believe what he was seeing how was Saber still here? She should have disappeared with his final use of the command seal. Whatever the reason he couldn't help but praise whatever god, goddess or deity was responsible.

Looking to his immediate left and spied Illya's silver hair splayed out about her head like a halo of some child-like deity; her expression was one of peace and serenity as she slowly breathed in and out. The dark circles around her eyes belied her peace however signalling either profound exhaustion or some other malign insidious cause.

"Saber?" he questioned as he sat up, his voice was indistinct to his ears, "What happened?"

Saber's eyes sprang open in either concern or surprise, he was still a bit too woozy himself to be able to tell which. She quickly took stock of her surroundings her eyes sharpened as she fully roused herself to a standing start. He could tell she was pushing herself to react as quickly as possible for his sake and Illya's.

"Shirou...I…I'm still here?" she stated with both wonder and concern, her eyes narrowed was the grail truly destroyed? She should have dispelled the second the supporting presence of the grail was ended.

"The grail it was destroyed right? You struck it using the power of the command seal, it has to have been destroyed!" Shirou paused and tried to recall his last few moments consciousness before everything whited out, "No…the grail was destroyed, it exploded and we…we were consumed in the explosion."

Saber agreed they had succeeded but she hadn't expected quite such an explosive reaction, she had poured enough power into her attack that it should have been completely annihilated. Her eyes narrowed as she analysed her surroundings. If she didn't know better she would swear she was back home in Britain in some poor farmer's wind scoured field. How they had been transported started ringing alarm bells in her mind, this could mean any number of things if something as powerful as the second magic was involved.

"We can figure out the specifics later Saber, its getting dark we need to find some place to stay, Illya needs shelter and when she wakes up food." Shirou curled his arms around Illya's small frame and lifted her up with him as he stood. Saber nodded and moved quickly through the field using her sharp eyes to look for a nearby home, a farmers field needed a farm house, she imagined it should be nearby.

Cresting the hill her stomach dropped…she had spotted the farmhouse and it wasn't what she was expecting. A small thatched building of wooden construction with white wall colouring, perhaps they liked old style building construction she reassured herself. Regardless it eerily reminded her of Camelot and the surrounding farms and villages she had been responsible for as King of the Britons. The distant city illuminated by the sunset also made the tight feeling that had slowly released itself return with a vengeance…were those walls?

"Saber?" Shirou settled alongside her with Illya resting in his arms his eyes found the farmhouse and frowned…it seemed rustic and western in design to his eyes. Looking off in the distance he could see what could only be described as a large city, it was far too distant for him to make out any details other than the large citadel and walls that surrounded the city. A stone settled in his gut…this wasn't just a western land it certainly wasn't modern whatever it was.

"Oh…"

"Shirou…are we in the past?"

"….Kami I hope not…they don't have flushing toilets!"

Saber winced. She herself had grown used to the luxury of the future she really did love everything about modern life…toilets…toilet paper…baths whenever she wished…pure running water...lovely food. She almost visibly shuddered at the thought of having to return to that level she truly was spoiled for her time in the future. Setting her face into a resolute stoic mask she strode down the hill ready to confront whatever reality wanted to throw at herself and Shirou next. There was still some remote chance that this was in fact some grand amusement park devoted to the way of life and architecture of the medieval era. Silently she pleaded that this was the case even as she got closer to the farmhouse the chances of that grew more and more remote with each passing step as more and more detail became apparent.

Shirou sighed as he watched as Saber confidently walked down the hill to confront whatever might meet them. She was always so determined and fearless. He watched mesmerized as her royal blue dress swayed and scintillated in the light of the sunset. He started after her as he suddenly remembered he should be following her. A light smile crossed his face, whatever happened Saber was still with him and he could be content with whatever happened as long as she was with him.

Saber confronted the wooden planked door to the farmhouse it was rustic and solid looking, well made enough to even keep out an attack from a small battering ram. Placing her knuckles against the door she knocked on the door with a perfectly composed expression.

The door opened and whatever hope she had of this being some elaborate fantasy was shattered, the man that opened the door smelled something fierce. The strong smell of animals and body odour radiated from him. The obvious lack of light fittings or modern appliances behind the man also told her all she needed to know. They were in the past or in some world that hadn't yet progressed to the same level as earth.

He was an older aged man with a heavily lined face, he was missing a few yellowed teeth. Saber was glad she was not so close as to smell his what was sure to be rancid breath. He grasped a long knife in his right hand.

"What'd ya doin ere? There aint nothin yeh can steal here yeh hear!" his gravelly voice sounded like broken glass being gargled. But one thing confirmed some of her suspicions he was speaking English…or at least an older version of it.

"Good evening kind sir, might you give us directions to where we might find a place to stay for the night?" the old man eyeballed her with a sharp look trying to discern her intentions, he looked past her at Shirou who came to stand behind her.

"Ee looks strange that one, is Ee an Antivan or somethin?"

"Yes my companion is an Antivan. We are in great need of a place to stay for the night, the young girl, our companion is ill and needs bed and rest." She kept her voice even yet let some of her desperation out, she was not above subtle manipulation if absolutely necessary. They needed a place to stay and regroup but they also needed a source of information this man might serve all these needs. The weathered man locked his eyes on the "young" girl and his gaze softened.

"Hmmph, I can put yeh up for the night yer ladyship but yeh got to get gone tomorrow as am goin in ta the city." He pulled the door backwards allowing them inside his humble home. He watched them like a hawk as the entered his home. Saber felt relief at the very least Illya wouldn't have to endure a night outside in the cold after her experience with the grail. She was grateful to this man; he was noble in nature even if he was wary. If she was correct and this era was as she suspected this risk taking gentleman would be the exception not the norm outside of nobility. She would have to find some way of repaying him for his charity.

Shirou watched the conversation in dread not only was it possible that they were in some distant era of history but his grasp of the language being spoken was limited at best. The old mans' broken English was even harder to puzzle out for him than Saber's regal tones. He followed Saber into the living room and stood by her shoulder as she took a seat by the fire. He laid Illya by the fire and searched for something soft to lay under her head.

The old man plodded into the room clutching a wooden plate with some old-ish looking bread and cheese.

"Here have this, it's all I can spare yeh, and my name is Harlen by the way just so you know" he grumbled then offered the plate to Saber who graciously accepted the gift of food. Saber tore off some bread and cheese and offered it to Shirou. He took it with whispered thanks and turned back to Illya and thinking about their situation. She then took some for herself and offered it back to the old man. Harlen waved her off shaking his head as he settled back down into an old and uncomfortable looking chair. He watched them both closely, to his eyes they acted right weird, the noble lady offering food to her manservant before taking any herself? And their clothes she wore something that might be fit for a queen, fine royal blue velvet with gold fittings. The young manservant though wore some strange form of long sleeve tunic made of a material he couldn't recognize…maybe some kind of foreign produce.

"Harlen we have some questions we've traveled from a distant land and have found ourselves here quite by accident. Could you tell us the name of this land?" Was the polite question that came from Saber in her stately tones. To Harlen it was a strange question they were a fair ways inland and it didn't look like they had come from a shipwreck. Regardless of the oddness of the question he answered.

"This be Fereldan under the good King Cailan and his Queen Anora, tis a wet land, with good fertile lands for farming." His response caused a myriad of odd expressions to cross the lady's face, a few spoken words in an odd language to her manservant and his expression also fell. Near as he could tell both seemed to be inwardly distressed at the news.

"I'm afraid we don't know where that is…what continent is this?" came the next question. What continent? Were they serious, not having this poor old man on were they? Nope their faces seemed particularly intent on his answer, it seemed they were dead serious.

"Continent?…Well that's a strange question this here is Thedas of course…now where might you two have come from to be asking such strange questions as those?" The lady's eyes widened she murmured in that strange language again to her companion. His eyes narrowed trying to discern if there was some foul play at work. Near as he could tell they seemed quite innocent in their questioning.

Saber glanced at Shirou, they most certainly were not in some amusement park devoted to the life like portrayal of the medieval era. Shirou's muttered response just about summed it up.

"Well shit…."

Author's Note:

This chapter is a bit longer than the last. I will keep updating around about this size of chapter, I honestly hate stories that keep releasing massive chapters it means I end up spending nearly a whole day reading =_=.

Anyway Shirou and Saber have confronted the reality of their new situation and Shirou quite handily sums it up.

I'm grappling with the plot right now so you might see another chapter before they slow down a little bit as I begin planning in earnest.

Spoiler:

Next chapter will see Saber travel into town with Harlen to investigate. Shirou will also experiment with his magecraft in an attempt to help awaken Illya who remains comatose.