Waking Waver

"Why do you refuse to wake him?" Iskandar demanded. He stood with is arms crossed over his broad chest and glared at Ulric.

"That lowly brat deserved what he got." Ulric snorted. "Besides, I don't feel like it." He walked away, leaving Iskandar to stand in the hallway and snort.

The huge Grecian man returned to the room where Waver lay, and had lain for almost a month. Aside from a nurse that came to change the IV bags and the catheter bag, only Iskandar was ever with the boy.

Waver had grown pale, and the IV and catheter were only to sustain him and rid his body of toxins. He was getting thinner, and at odd times would mumble something in a half-whisper-half-breathy sort of way. No other understood what he said at those times; only Iskandar understood the Greek words coming from Waver's pale lips.

Iskandar sat, trying to figure out what to do about his master's condition. Masters . . . masters . . . wait. Wasn't the master of that Sabre-class servant a healer?

Grabbing Waver and yanking the extra tubing out of him (this caused a soft moan from Waver, and made the IV machine cry out), Iskandar made his way out into the courtyard. His chariot awaited him there, unmoved since he'd parked it there around the same time Waver had fallen asleep. Iskandar climbed aboard and snapped the reigns, sending the oxen to a run strait off and tear a pair of matching grooves into the dirt as the chariot flew off into the sky.

"I've told you how to do it, why can't you?"

"I'm sorry, father." The boy dropped to his knees, exhausted from trying to learn the magic his foster-father was trying to teach him. He looked up as something breached the barrier of the Einsbern Castle, and moments later he was trying to dust the snow off himself from having to roll out of the way of Iskandar's chariot.

"Greetings. I am Iskandar, King of Conquerors, and faithful servant of the Rider-class. I was brought back by a strange summons from my master, Waver. Where might I find the Master of the King of Knights?"

"I stand before you." said Kiritsugu Emiya.

Iskandar frowned at him. "Nonsense. The master of the King of Knights was a woman with white hair, pale skin, and red eyes."

The boy, Shirou, looked behind him as he noticed his foster-mother and sister come out to see what the noise was about. He swallowed and held his sister back from going to poke at the oxen.

"Kiritsugu, what's going on?"

"Iri." He looked at her and smiled softly. "Apparently the Rider didn't fade as we thought he did, and . . . What happened to him?"

Iskandar had left the chariot, holding Waver securely in the crook of his arm. The boy's head had lolled to one side, and there was a bit of blood running down his face from where he'd banged his head during the ride.

"His teacher did something to him, and he is in need of a healer." Iskandar replied. He looked over at Shirou. "What is it, boy?"

Kiritsugu looked around, angrily. "Get inside."

Shirou led them into the castle, standing off to the side of the room with little Illyasvield. He knew children weren't supposed to get in the road of their elders. Too bad Illya had other ideas as she got out of her brother's grip and ran over to stand beside her mother, the beautiful Irisvield von Einzbern.

Iri walked over and checked Waver, who still hung limply in Iskandar's hold. She motioned for him to lay Waver down on the futon while she attended to the small injury on his head.

"Well, Iri?" Kiritsugu asked.

The white-haired woman shook her head. "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do. Only the one who cast this spell can undo it."

Iskandar turned and walked away, returning to his chariot.

"Where's he going?" Shirou asked, watching as the vehicle took off through the sky.

"I'm not sure." Iri replied. She returned her attention to Waver. "He's been cast into an eternal sleep, left to dream out his life." She looked confused as Waver whispered something in his sleep, not understanding the Greek words, save the most notable one, 'Iskandar'.

"Let's hope they're good dreams, and not nightmares." said Kiritsugu. He looked back rather suddenly as Iskandar walked back into the room, carrying the rather pompous and still-greasy-haired Ulric von Hellberg.

"I've brought the man that did this to my master." Iskandar said, dropping Ulric from his grip.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the mage-killer and the Einzbern homunculus." Ulric snorted. "To what do I owe the pleasure of being dragged away from the class like I was last-nights butcher-shop meat?!"

"I understand you're the one that cast this young mage into eternal sleep." said Kiritsugu. "And while I have no particular love for the other mages from the Grail War, Mr. Velvet didn't try to harm my wife or any other masters during it, and is therefore considered safe." He drew his gun and held it to Ulric's head. "You, however, are not so fortunate."

Shirou pulled Illya away, wrinkling up his nose at the older mage. "Come on, Illya. We don't want to be in the way if father has to use that."

Illya nodded and followed Shirou away from the room.

"You can't do anything!" Ulric snapped.

"We'll see. At this range, even a magic barrier would be shattered by an ordinary bullet, and it would do considerable damage." Kiritsugu cocked the gun. "So, are you going to remove the curse of endless sleep, or do I shoot you first?"

Ulric swallowed. He knew that Kiritsugu wasn't bluffing, and that the infamous mage-killer knew several ways to wound someone and keep them alive. "Fine." He placed a hand over Waver's eyes. "But I'll warn you. Anything, and I mean anything, that has happened to him in the dream world will become reality once he awakens. All injuries, illnesses, and lessons, he'll know them and have them."

Iri and Kiritsugu nodded.

"Very well." Ulric released the spell.