Chapter 3 - Awakening, from Darkness to the Dawn

30/01/XX

In the dark and silent room, the Servant appeared. He waited, but what awaited him was nothing but silence. He lifted an eyebrow, looking around, searching for his Master and the potential reason of this unconventional summoning. Next to him was a large mirror, in which he could see his own appearance. "Not bad...not bad..." He was still wearing his comrade's Greek bronze armor, as well as his sword. He liked them, not only because they were of excellent fabrication, made of the leather of the Erymanthian Boar and engraved with silver, but also because it reminded him of his friend. Truly, for ten years, he was the only reason he didn't turn back.

Smirking to his own reflection, he finally heard a noise. It probably was there since the beginning, but it was very soft, difficult to hear even when you were focusing. A slow breathing. Tracing back the noise to its origin, he approached the bed. In it, a woman was sleeping. He was sure of it, she was his Master. It was impossible to deny the bond that linked them through which he received her prana. An orange shaded light was falling on her head from the window, allowing him to look more closely at her features when she turned on her back. She was undeniably beautiful, and seemed to be in the middle of her 30's. Her face had a severe air to it, with her thin lips, prominent cheekbones and her short auburn hair. She had summoned him in her sleep. Or so he thought, at first. But such a thing would be impossible. He looked for a potential catalyst that would have called him here, but in vain. Considering her actions couldn't have brought him here… What if it was the other way around? What if he came to her? It was unlikely. Near impossible. But the probability wasn't an absolute zero. And if it was the case, then he had to know. She rolled again, on her left this time. As her slumber deepened and dream began to fill her head, it became obvious that they weren't pleasant ones.

Her painful expression was a proof that nightmares were invading her sleep. He felt crushingly powerless in front of her pain, but he had no power over the realm of Morpheus. Back in the days, he could have asked Cassandra. He always had liked the girl… The poor thing was nothing but a toy in the hands of the Gods. As they all were at the time, but his fate wasn't as tragic as the one she was doomed to. He always had regretted the way she died...If only he had been a little bit faster, he could have stopped them. She was...what? 15? 16? Being raped and murdered when she could hardly be called a woman yet... She was undoubtedly clever, for someone with a mind as messed up as hers. Each time he visited her father's palace before the war, he always spent time with her, bringing her gifts and chatting until the sun would disappear and rise again. The way she saw the world was quite unique. She told him once that his visits were very dear to her. After all, he was the only one who didn't talked to her as if she was nothing but insane.

This sure was an immense drawback when you compared the Age of Gods with the present. Of course magic was weaker, there were fewer wonders, but the Gods weren't there. And so, humans now strive to create their own wonders. He opened the curtains, and looked through the window into the street. The light came from a nearby street lamp, a sodium lamp according to the information given by the grail. It's yellow light gave to the street a eerie atmosphere. The road was perfectly silent, not an odd occurrence for...3:26 am, according to the alarm clock at the feet of the bed. Strange… Why put the alarm clock on the floor when there was a bedside table? Seeing a flat shape on it, he guessed more than he saw a framed picture, face on the table. His curiosity gave in, and he took a look at the hidden picture, before quickly putting it back, carefully. The sleeping woman was in the picture, and there was a man with her, and she was pregnant.

No. No no no. It doesn't have the right. This is beyond evil, this is not what he wished for. If...if she still wears it, then his suspicions are founded. Please...for the love of everything that is holy, please...let it be that she isn't wearing it. They always told him that fate had a twisted sense of humor, but this wasn't funny. Not in the least. Not even to him, who laughed in the face of Gods and Heroes. He lifted the part of the blanket that covered her left hand, but deep inside, he already knew. A golden alliance was shining on her ring finger. The anger that was building inside him turned to fury. He couldn't even scream, he couldn't throw his fists, he couldn't do anything to vent out his frustration. Powerless, he fell on his knees. Fists and jaws clenching, all he could do was crying silently.

It wasn't fair. After all he had done, after going so far as sacrificing his after-life to see her again, Fate was laughing in his face. He heard him, giggling above his head. The bastard.

"What did you expect? You thought you could have your "Happy end", after all you've done? After I shoved down your throat your own mistakes, you thought I would give you what you wanted? You don't deserve it. The moment you betrayed her trust, nothing else mattered. You came back? So what? Doesn't make it any less of a betrayal. Really, after dying by his hands, I thought you would understand. But no. So I'll make it clear, here and now. Look at her, look closely. Look at her pain, and now look at yours. THIS IS WHAT YOU DESERVE."

He got back on his feet, and erased the traces the tears had left on his cheeks. All he could do was support her, try to make her avoid the mistakes she had made, eons ago. But it was all but a lost cause. After all, one couldn't go against it's own Origin.


31/01/XX

She woke up to two unusual occurrences. First: the smell of something burning. Second: the noise of cooking utensils rattling. In five seconds, she was prepared to face the intruder: the runes were drawn, and her rapier as well. She closed up on the kitchen, avoiding making any noise. Entering, she saw him. He was of an average height, for a man at least. And he was wearing HER clothes. She was about to speak up, when he turned around.

"Oh! I see that you're awake. Seeing that you weren't waking up, I took the liberty of trying to prepare breakfast. But as you can see..." He pointed a pile of black goo, lying in the frying pan. "I failed quite miserably." A large curled red beard was eating half of his face and pursuing the job on top of it, giving him a rather sympathetic look.

"Who the hell are you?" she said, pointing her weapon at his throat.

"Oh right, I forgot the presentations. I'm Odysseus." The warrior flashed a goofy smile.

The woman was somehow even more confused. "If this is your idea of a joke, then I..."

"I'm your Servant." he replied, grinning even wider, as if attempting to win her trust.

"What?"

"Like I said, I'm Odysseus, your Servant." Her eyes widened in shock.

"But...I never summoned you!" She finally snapped, pissed off by his perfect self-control.

"And yet I'm here." He paused, and gave a disgusted look at his own cooking. "I'm afraid I won't be able to make any food worthy of the name. I'll let you take my place, while I try to make sense of our delicate situation."

She looked at him suspiciously, still menacing him with the tip of her sword. "How do I know if you're telling the truth?"

He sighed heavily, and began cleaning his own mess all the while talking to her. "First, I'm obviously a Servant, no need denying it. Second, I didn't kill you, which erases the possibility of my being an enemy Servant. Third and most important, your Command Seals are activated and your prana is flowing into me." There was a long, uncomfortable silence. "With this much proof, I'm sure you're convinced. Now that this is out of the way, how about putting this damn rapier away, and starting cooking? These eggs aren't going to fry themselves."

She nodded, and grabbed the ingredients Odysseus had already put in front of her. "Hu...I thought I ran out of eggs?" She wondered, and looking at him for answers.

"Yeah, I got out to buy some. That's why I borrowed your clothes, sorry by the way. Want me to take them off?" Odysseus jested as he sat down at the table.

The woman paused for a moment, trying to unhear his joke, "No, It's alright...First, mind telling me your class?"

"I'm Archer," the warrior replied.

"Okay," The lady of the house had finally calmed down a bit. "What do you want me to call you?"

Odysseus froze and looked away, before grunting: "I suppose Archer is fine."

"Alright," she felt a tad more comfortable around him now that they were acquainted. "Mind telling me what the hell happened?"

"Well, around three in the morning, I was summoned," he explained.

"What? Just like that?"

"Yes. I have no idea why. And surprisingly, our contract is perfectly made. Well, almost. To complete it, I would need your name."

"I'm Elsbet Falke. Nice to meet you." She was rubbing her temple, visibly struggling to keep up with the situation. "Wait..." She suddenly stopped, turning away from the pan to look at Archer. "Why didn't you wake me?" He was obviously trying to avoid making eye contact. "Archer...You better have a good explanation." She was ready to reach out to grab her weapon again.

Archer finally spoke, "It is common knowledge that waking someone in the middle of a nightmare is a bad idea."

She turned away, now focusing on the eggs. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

She was genuinely thankful for his carefulness. Thank god her Servant was this way, she probably wouldn't have been able to put up with it if not.

The smell of eggs was in the air. The Heroic Spirit Archer didn't need to eat, but that certainly didn't mean he had no appetite. "You look like you want some."

"Gladly," the Servant obliged.

"By the way, why did you cook? I'm pretty sure you don't actually need anything beside prana to subsist." she asked, adding goose-grease and some cep.

"She always said...Penelope always said that smelling food cooking when waking up always calmed her down. I thought I'd at least try."

"Well...Her advice probably didn't apply to burned omelet." She said chuckling, which made him smile.

"Yeah...Probably not." The silence settled in, only broken by the sound of the grease creaking. Archer noticed from the corner of his eye that Elsbet was hesitating to speak up. "What is it?"

"What was she like?" She was desperately trying to avoid his gaze, looking down on the pan.

Archer tried to feign ignorance. "Who?"

"Penelope...Your wife," she murmured.

His jaws clenched, but he still managed to mumble. "Why do you ask?"

"Don't know..."

Lie.

"Just felt like asking."

Lie.

"You know...since she's kind of the model wife in Greek legends."

You're the only one who thinks that.

"Does it bother you?"

Yes. "Not at all. What do you want to know?" 'Well, it seems like I will not be the only liar in the team,' thought Archer, as he tried his hardest to look the same.

"Hum...How you met, I guess."

That's not what you want to know. "I was on the way back from the gathering of Helen's suitors. Since I was only the king of Ithaca, claiming her hand was impossible for me. But this way I managed to lay eyes on the most beautiful women in the world." He saw his Master tensing up, and almost decided to play with fire, but it was neither the time nor the place. He continued.

"Anyway, I was traveling back to Ithaca with the uncle of Helene, whom I had befriended. His kingdom was on my way, so he offered me his hospitality. She was his daughter."

She filled two plates with the omelet, and pondered for two seconds before asking him:

"Want some coffee with that?"

"What does it taste like?" Odysseus inquired, noticing that the information the Grail provided weren't completely thorough.

"Bitter."

"Hmm...Might as well try." Elsbet brewed the coffee, and brought it with the eggs. She smiled broadly at her new companion, and began to eat.

He wondered... Was it that way for Penelope too? Holding the pain inside, keeping it to herself. Just an empty smile, stapled on her face for all to see. She interrupted his thinking.

"Well?"

"What?...Oh yes, it's very good. Thanks." And it was. The ingredients were simple, there was nothing really sophisticated about it, but it sure was good. Nothing beat the simple wine-dipped bread Penelope made, though.

"That's not what I wanted to know. You stopped right in the middle of it earlier. Tell me what happened next!"

'I'm done. There was nothing more to say. Let's end this already. Talking about her will only bring despair, for her and for me. The only thing I can do, is try to make her avoid her mistakes. And the biggest one will surely be...' "Before that...I want to ask you something." He took a deep breath, ready to hurt her feelings if needed. He already knew what her wish was, but he hoped that he was somehow mistaken. That all the evidence of the ridiculous trick fate played on him were just an illusion. Maybe, just maybe, everything would be fine. He would help her to the best of his abilities, they would fight, and he wouldn't try to delve into her past, prying open emotional wounds along the way. How wonderful would that be. "What is it that you would wish from the Grail?"

Eslbet's expression turned from eagerness to confusion. "Why would you want to know?"

"I cannot fight for you if I what you'll wish for is opposed to my ideals. If it was something like mass destruction, or the End of Mankind..."

"I would never wish for something like that!" she yelled, looking as though he had just spit in her face.

"How would I know? I've only known you for an hour or so. I need you to tell me what it is."

She sighed, and conceded.

"Fine, I'll tell you, since I haven't got much of a choice anyway."

Her eyes gazed out of the window. I could see in her eyes the reflection of the clear blue winter sky. This moment...She had the same look in her eyes. This look had haunted his mind for nearly twenty years, and seeing it up-close was all the more painful to him.

"I want… to bring two people back from the dead."

There was no mistake. He couldn't deny it now. He heard the wood of the table creaking under his fist's pressure as his worst suspicions were confirmed.

"Alright...Then I have to tell you this. I think you're making a mistake. I think this wish will only bring you despair. But I will help you nonetheless." He rose from his seat and declared as if announcing the beginning of a war.

"And I will do everything that is in my power to change your mind!"


Here is Chapter 3! As usual, review if you have anything you want to say, or if you have any advice. The next chapters should come really soon. I hope you like the characters, and want to know more about them.

Thanks for reading!