Karna was not happy to be in Chaldea.

It wasn't that he was unhappy, exactly. It was more that he was… discontented. Karna reflected on it as he tucked his scarf in around his neck, looking at himself in a mirror. The face of a child looked back at him, thin and frail with large blue eyes.

"I'm not really a child," Karna told his reflection. His mirror self just looked solemnly back. "…" Karna turned away from the mirror, feeling sad. He wasn't like Hans, who took the form of a child because childhood was when he'd been happy. If anything, Karna's childhood had been miserable and lonely. Oh, there had been good parts, mostly revolving around fishing. But Karna didn't want to go back.

Unfortunately his wants didn't matter, something that was made clear to him, again, by his Master.

"Hello Karna!" her good cheer was slightly forced. Karna could see it, with Discernment of the Poor, and knew his Master didn't really like him. Well, that was fine, most people didn't. Georgios was with her, looking a touch uncomfortable. "This is Georgios, I'm sure you know that – " Karna nodded. He knew everyone now. "He is going to tutor you in the Rider class." …

"I do not need a tutor. I know how to ride Aruna," Karna said with a frown. Georgios knelt down to look him in the eye. Karna though he seemed very nice and yet…

"She means I can tutor you on your class skills. You need help with them," Georgios said gently and Karna knew it was true. His mana burst was pretty bad. And his Riding skill was only a B minus. It ought to be higher and Karna knew exactly why it wasn't. Still.

"I don't want you for a tutor," Karna said flatly and Georgios was taken aback. "If I need a tutor I want Francis or Teach. Then I can go on a boat and fish." That was the truth as far as it went. There was a huge lie in it too but that was alright. Karna could lie, especially as a child. As an adult he mostly hadn't needed to.

"Karna, don't be rude!" His Master exclaimed and Karna just looked at her. If speaking your mind was rude then he would always be rude.

"No, Master, it's fine," Georgios said with well-hidden relief. Karna spotted it though and he knew why. St George didn't really like him either. That was fine though, not many people liked Karna. "You should consult with Francis and see if she will take him on. Perhaps Bonny and Read. Teach would be… not optimal." Karna wanted to sigh but held it back. Did they really think Blackbeard could teach him anything he didn't want to learn?

"Well… I suppose…" his Master said doubtfully and Karna could guess why. She thought Francis Drake would say no. But Karna had a hook.

"If Drake is going to teach me we should do it on a boat. She can take me back to her home," Karna said, knowing that Drake would jump at the chance to get out of Chaldea. "Blackbeard can come too as part of the crew." Drake would LOVE to get to step on Blackbeard a bit. And Teach would come because he liked getting stepped on. They were kind of strange people but that was alright, that was why Karna wanted to be around them.

"Well, maybe… I'll ask her," his Master said and Karna nodded. He was sure it would go the way he wanted. He left them then, reflecting on it as he moved silently, the way Hassan had taught him. People forgot the ways Discernment of the Poor could be used. If Karna could see the truth of those around him, he could manipulate them into doing things the way HE wanted. He just hadn't done it before because adult Karna had thought it was wrong to use his gifts that way. Also, it was kind of hard when you weren't good at talking to people. Child Karna was getting better at that though and he wanted to learn more. That was one reason he wanted to be around Francis and Teach. They talked a lot.

Karna felt the familiar power before he saw it and hid himself, ducking behind a potted plant. Karna deliberately slowed his breathing and found absolute calm, invoking his Presence Concealment. Then white crossed his vision as Arjuna walked past, completely oblivious to the little boy hidden behind the plant. Karna could have tried to get him from behind, jumped on his back and run his little knife across Arjuna's throat.

Karna wouldn't do that though. He reflected on it as he waited for Arjuna to be safely gone before leaving the sanctuary of the plant. Karna didn't hate Arjuna at all. He wasn't holding a grudge or anything like that, although a lot of people thought he was. Karna didn't trust Arjuna. Karna was… afraid of Arjuna. If Arjuna died tomorrow he'd be awfully relieved because then Arjuna wouldn't be around anymore. That thought made him feel a little guilty because he shouldn't wish bad things on people, but Karna squashed the guilt. Arjuna had cut his head off. He shouldn't feel bad for wishing bad things would happen to him. It wasn't like wishes had any power anyway.

Except they did sometimes and Karna blinked as he realized where his feet had been taking him. He stopped in front of the sealed door and looked at it for a moment. The seals there were really strong, too strong for him to break. Too strong for anyone to break, not even Arjuna. Because that was where they kept the Grails they'd captured…

Karna shook his head and turned away. He couldn't have one of those. He didn't really have a wish yet. He would someday though, Karna was sure of it. His life had been… too short…

Shivering a little, Karna went to look for Hassan. He liked the assassin a lot, he was patient and didn't treat Karna like a little kid. He couldn't find him though and Asterios told him why.

"He is on a… mission." The Berserker said in that halting way of his. Karna bit his lower lip. He hadn't been on any missions yet and he knew why. His Master thought he was too weak to bother with. "Would you like to… come with me?"

"Uh? Where?" Karna asked, startled. Asterios smiled. It might have been scary but Karna knew he meant it to be friendly.

"Climbing… the mountain," Asterios said and Karna considered it. It was cold outside but that didn't mean too much if Karna spent a bit of his mana to keep warm. And it would be nice to spend time with Asterios. Karna had a list of people he was interested in and Asterios was on it.

"I would like to," Karna said and Asterios smiled again before offering him a hand. Karna smiled back and took it, enjoying the way Asterios' big hand enfolded his. They went through Chaldea and on the way they passed Arjuna again. Karna cuddled up to Asterios, ignoring his 'brother'. It was kind of stupid – Arjuna could mash Asterios like a bug – but it still made Karna feel better. If Asterios noticed he didn't say anything and then they were out the door.

Outside was super cold and Karna could see his breath puffing in the air. It wasn't hard to fix, though, and Karna concentrated on himself for a moment. A gentle warmth filled him and he was comfortable again. Asterios didn't seem to feel it at all as they headed out, walking through the snow.

It was a clear, beautiful day in the mountain valley of Chaldea. The sun shone down and made the snow shine in a beautiful way. Karna was dazzled by the beauty as they climbed the rocks, looking for better views. He should do this again. In fact, he should do it a lot, it was nice! The air was so crisp and cold and clean too. Chaldea could get stuffy since they were trying hard to keep it warm.

"Karna… good?" Karna blinked as he realized Asterios was looking down at him. He was lagging behind a bit because it was so pretty and he was smaller, he couldn't climb as fast. He smiled up at Asterios.

"I'm fine, it's just pretty! Are you good Asterios?" Karna called and the Berserker glanced over the valley before nodding.

"I am… good. Prettier… at top." Oh, that was right, it would be! Karna concentrated on his climbing, quickly reaching Asterios. Then they continued together.

"Ooo," Karna breathed, looking over the valley from the top of the mountain. They could see Chaldea from here, the great domed buildings. They were glazed with snow and ice and glittered like a jewel. "It's beautiful." Karna breathed. He could honestly say that in all his life, he'd never seen anything like this. But he'd never climbed a mountain so far before. Karna couldn't remember doing it in any of the Grail Wars he'd experienced either. He was so glad to do it now.

"Pretty," Asterios agreed, taking a seat in the snow. Karna stayed standing, he didn't want to get his clothes wet – "Sit on… me?"

"Oh!" That was nice of him to offer. Karna smiled as he took a seat on one of Asterios' legs – he was so big – and rested against his chest, gazing out over the valley. "Thank you, this is nice," Karna said graciously and Asterios ruffled his hair with one big hand.

"I know you are… strong… but you are small. Like Euryale," Asterios said and Karna nodded. Euryale was very small for a woman. To him at least… to the ancient Greeks, she was the ideal of womanhood but most of the Greek men were pretty short too. Karna knew that because Hector had once said he'd been awfully tall when he was alive. In Chaldea he was just average.

"Euryale is nice. Medusa is nice," Karna said, which was true, although neither of them interested him. They were both good in a way that Karna already knew and understood. "Asterios… can I ask you something? Something that might hurt?" Normally Karna wouldn't have said that but he was about to pry into something that wasn't his business. Asterios tilted his head, looking at him curiously.

"You may… ask," he said and Karna looked out over Chaldea again as he spoke. It was so pretty and pure, nothing like the things he was talking about.

"You were the Minotaur. They fed you children, you killed and ate them to live." Karna wasn't going to judge that. Had Asterios had a choice, really? Or would they have just let him get so hungry he'd kill the children because he had to? "But you're trying to be better now." Karna looked up into red eyes. "Why?" he asked simply and Asterios blinked before glancing away. He seemed to be thinking about it, deeply.

"Because I am… Asterios. That is who I… am." Asterios finally said. Karna was dissatisfied with that.

"So you were never Minotaur?" Karna asked, looking at the Berserker intently. He shook his head, his shaggy mane moving in the breeze.

"No, that was… who I was. Asterios is who I am… I want to be… Asterios," he said and Karna thought he understood.

"You want to be the best you could be. You want to bring the good things out," Karna said, turning to gaze over Chaldea again. "Asterios… would you think it's wrong if I said I want to be more like Minotaur?" There was a dead silence. The only sound was the errant breeze, gently sending snow drifting the air.

"If that is what you… want… but why would you… want that?" Asterios finally said and Karna felt a deep sorrow well up in his heart. He snuggled more firmly against Asterios, seeking comfort, even if it was false.

"I don't know if you know my story… but I just feel like nothing worked out," Karna said, still gazing over Chaldea. It was so pure. Karna vaguely knew that his own heart should be just as pure as the snow, yet, it wasn't, not here and now. "I don't want fate to be a thing. I want to make my own choices," Karna said, his tone suddenly fierce. He felt that strongly, an urge to rebellion. And why not? Karna had always rebelled against restraints placed on him. Why should he just tamely accept his fate? "Being good didn't do ME much good. Maybe I want to be bad." A hand touched his hair and Karna looked up into Asterios face. He seemed solemn and a bit sad, his eyes downcast.

"Being bad was no good for me," Asterios told him and Karna felt a sudden shame, biting his bottom lip. "You can… be bad if you… want. But are you… sure?" …

"No, not yet. I'm still thinking about it," Karna said honestly. That was the real reason he wanted Drake and Teach to 'train' him to be a Rider. They were both very bad people and Karna thought he could learn a lot from them. He could also learn a bit from Cu. He wasn't a bad person but he was kind of selfish, something Karna had never been. "I'm still deciding what I want to be." That was weird for a Heroic Spirit, Karna knew. They were supposed frozen, captured at the perfect moment. But that couldn't be entirely true, could it? Asterios wanted to change and Karna was just a child. He still had decisions to make, even if he could remember how things would have gone. Then a big hand ruffled his hair and Karna blinked.

"It is good to be able to… make that choice," Asterios said and Karna nodded. It was good to have choices. "Will you be my… friend?" Karna thought about it for a moment, tilting his head. Then he looked up into Asterios face.

"Yes," Karna said simply and a warm smile lit up the Berserker's face. It made him look so happy.

"Good," Asterios said and together, they looked out over the valley of Chaldea. They stayed there until clouds began to form and it started getting boring and cold, before going back. In Chaldea, Euryale was waiting for them with hot chocolate and Karna deeply enjoyed it, holding the mug in his gloved hands.

Even if he was thinking about being a bad person, Karna could always have good friends.