Welcome back again to our new team's next chapter. How will Sabrina and her sly little knight fare in this Grail War?

Chapter 9 - Sabrina

Ballan, 1189

This Richard who now rode up a steep hill with a peace banner among his riders was a visibly older version. He was pretty close to the Heroic Spirit, muscles and gold-red beard and all. The only exception was his helmet which was not adorned by a crown yet. And there was another familiar face. The man in chainmail and a blue surcoat dotted with golden lilies could have been mistaken for the old Louis, but he wasn't. He was much younger and the crown he wore revealed his identity as king Philip II..

My brother Henry had rebelled a few years prior to this scene. It was his final act of defiance. He had lost everything that time. His armies, his allies, his health... his life. He had caught an illness during his campaign and died shortly after his defeat. This was the sad tale of Henry the young King. By all rights of the kingdom I was now the heir... rights my father refused me for some reason. He never proclaimed me his official successor and when I demanded it, he publicly humiliated me by refusing. I never got an explanation. Maybe he was still wroth for my revolt years ago. Maybe he was so used to using my little brother John as a proxy to control claims that he intended to make him heir instead to express his gratitude. Maybe it was a bit of both. The only thing I knew is that I could not let it happen. The throne was mine. So I had raised my arms again. I had the support of my mother. I had the support of my dear friend Philip. This time there was no brother I had to fight for... or a brother who could be defeated. I campaigned on my own, only using my most trusted knights. And soon enough I was winning. I smashed the host my father gathered and hunted his scattered forces across the countryside.

They met in the middle of nowhere. The hill was a good viewing point to watch the forest around them. Campfire and smoke was visible at two sides, with the one behind Richard much more impressive. Then they came into view. A small procession of knights with the peace banner flying above them. The knight who carried it was another familiar face, wearing his personal coat-of-arms of a red lion on green and gold.

Sir William was the first I recognized. He had declared for my father in the conflict... and he was the only one who was able to defeat me in combat. His wedge crashed into the cavalry I commanded. And God guided his horse into mine so that we clashed in full charge. It was a glorious fight and I gloriously fell off my horse. It was the first time I was unhorsed in close combat... and it stayed the only time until I died. Some people will tell you that he dismounted thereafter and refrained from killing me while I was a tangled mess of limbs and armor, only to kill my horse to send me a warning. I'm afraid that's not what happened. My knights were superior in numbers to his, so his wedge was quickly overcome and he was forced to retreat. The brawl was too confusing and there was no time to dismount, he surly would have been cut down if he tried.

Then Richard saw king Henry, his father. He had known of his illness that had caused him to only pursue his campaign half-heartedly. But seeing him now he looked like a corpse someone had mounted atop his much more impressive war horse, Richard's face fell. He looked to Philip next to him, who saw the same, but decided with grim decisiveness to ignore it.

Now there I was, wondering if this truly is how victory should feel like.

Richard rode forward, so that he and his father were directly facing each other while still on horseback.

"I am glad you decided to treat with me", Richard said carefully.

He had planned to mirror the condescending way Henry talked to him after his brother's botched rebellion, but now where he stood here, he wasn't able to bring himself to do it. His father looked pained, but he had his pride. He never wanted to rob it from him when his pride was all he had left.

"Do what you came for and be done with it", he grumbled, his voice strangely thin.

Philip fetched the treaty with the lion stamp and gave it to Richard. He glimpsed a last time at the words, rolled it together and hold it firmly in his hand. Squeezing the parchment somehow made it more real to him.

"You know what I want. I want my rights. Nothing more. None of this would have happened if you just had let the law run its course."

"You made my realm bleed", the king insisted.

Henry stared to the ground, seemingly not intending to back up his words with further defiance. He then coughed up, it was a rather ugly fit. Before he managed to get his steel gauntlet in front of his mouth, his horse shied when he coughed into its mane. And even thereafter, he looked into his left hand with resigned wonder. Drops of dark red blood were smeared across the cold metal.

He was a dead man, I realized. Weakened from battle, weakened from illness, weakened from travel.

Richard gulped and reached out with the treaty. King Henry wiped his left hand at his surcoat while taking it with his right one. The moment the prince let go of the parchment, the king did as well and the document drifted down to the ground with both silently looking after it. Henry seemed struck by his show of weakness, unable to get his eyes off the soiled treaty. Suddenly Richard was overcome by pity, feeling a sudden urge to dismount and pick it up for his father himself. He struggled with himself, because he knew he couldn't.

When it comes to chivalry, everything is about symbolism, the late king Louis had the right of it. Dismounting while my father stayed on horseback would have made me standing lower than him. I couldn't do this act of kindness without keeping face.

Sir William was of lower standing, so he had no problem to do it. He swung off his horse, picked it up and gave it to his king, making sure that he had grasped it firmly this time.

"I am not your enemy", Richard said miserably while he watched his father reading the lines. "I just want you to confirm that I am your rightful heir."

Henry's body was feeble, but his icy eyes were still sharp. Even he found nothing more in the proclamation than Richard intended to be in there. His birthright after his older brother's death, nothing more. Begrudgingly Henry II. waved toward Sir William and the knight gave him a lighted candle before he stripped off his signet ring. Awkwardly resting the parchment on the back of his horse he dripped a bit of the wax onto the treaty and pressed the three lions into it. Without any further word he gave the proclamation to Richard, turned his horse around and slowly rode back towards his camp. He never once looked back at his son.

I returned to my troops as well. Wondering. All the conflict, all the deaths... for what? Wriggling a crown out of the fingers of a broken man? Philip was in high spirits however. Since he had rarely anything to do with John and since I was about to marry his sister Alys, he thought a smoother succession from my father to me would start a century of friendship between our dynasties. Yeah, about that...

Two days later Richard awoke in his camp when they told him a messenger from his father had arrived. He had barely time to dress before this messenger entered together with King Philip. Much to his surprise, this messenger turned out to be Sir William. Having such a high representative of his father there, he knew immediately that something was wrong. And he dreaded was he was about to hear.

"So he truly is?", Richard said with a thin voice.

Sir William nodded with his eyes cast down.

"I'm afraid... yes. The king passed away this night."

"How?", he asked immediately.

William hesitated, he must have seen the guilt in his eyes. The knight shook his head.

"It was his illness. It had attacked his body and he succumbed to it."

"There is more. I see it in your reaction. You are a knight, Sir William, please don't lie to me, even out of consideration. The king was my father", Richard drove with his fingers through his hair, not bothering that his distress was plain for everyone to see.

"He... My lord, I..."

"I have to know it, Sir. Please."

The knight sighed and resigned to the order of the prince.

"I wasn't there when it happened, but it is said he collapsed after he received a letter... from prince John. He never recovered."

Richard frowned.

"What does he have to do with anything?"

"Well... I don't know the heart of the late king, but it is also said... that in this letter John supported your claim as the heir and urged the king to accept your conditions. It was meant to arrive before our meeting two days ago."

The prince looked down, his face full of worry and grief.

"May... May I take my leave?"

He waved in a dismissing motion and Sir William gladly escaped. Richard however had nowhere to escape. He sat down on his bad and had to think about it all.

"Don't make such a face", Philip spoke up. "You have heard him. It was the illness that claimed his life."

"My father was a greater man than to allow a bloody cough to strike him down", Richard said darkly, rage tumbling in his belly. "Illness might have dealt the killing blow, but it was only able to sneak up to him after I had him pinned down. I could as well have marched into his tent and cut his throat myself."

Philip grimaced.

"You are king now, brother. Your people awaits you in London."

"I know...", Richard groaned miserably. "I will go... in time. I need to make preparations. For my father... and my atonement."

"You still have that foolish notion, have you?"

"Someone needs to reclaim the Holy Land", he told him, defiance in his eyes. "I hope I can still count you as my ally."

"Of course", Philip dismissed his doubts with a hand gesture and a quick smile. "My sister would be struck with grief if I let her future husband get himself killed against some infidels. No, the might of France is behind you."

"Thanks", he said, not feeling very grateful.

The notion of Alys only further reinforced his guilt. He was still struggling with the fact of what had happened during her stay at Henry's court while Richard was away in Aquitaine. His father was a forceful man, who took what he desired without thinking of the consequences. His mother's fury about his escapades was well known and likely only made her more eager to support her sons in their rebellions. But what he did to Alys, Richard's betrothed and Henry's own ward by making her his mistress was something he had never forgotten. The woman was now twenty-seven years old and Richard still used every possible excuse to delay that marriage, much to the chagrin of Philip and the even the Church. He knew he should be glad that Philip's urging was not as forceful as it could have been, but it only made him more careful not to endanger his alliance by calling him openly out on it.

"Well then, King Richard", Philip then said, striding towards the exit of the tent. "I know you have to go to your kingdom, I have to return to mine. I will call my banners... the next time we see us in Jerusalem!"

"I will be there first, count on that", Richard smiled a smile that never reached his eyes.

After Philip left, Richard Plantagenet was left alone in his tent, left to his worries about whether he did the right thing.

There I was. Richard I., King of England, Duke of the Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Count of Poitiers, Maine, Anjou, and the Brittany. The only question I had left: Was it worth it? Was it worth breaking my vow and taking my arms up against my father again, ultimately bringing him to ruin? I don't know till now. And I am sure this was part of my divine punishment. All I know is that I called myself a knight. And as such I wanted to fight the evil in the world, not my allies and vassals. I wanted to go to the Holy Land, not only for salvation, but to find an easier battle. A truer battle. A battle with honor, a battle I could be proud of. A battle that could truly earn me the title of hero...

Einzbern, 2006

Sabrina awoke with unease and a slight headache.

So much for Henry II. and the rebellious Lionheart.

She wondered whether all fellow Masters had those weird dreams, even Kai and his mighty Ramesses. She also wondered whether all those stories felt the same. It was rather odd to her that this proud knight, who looked like the idealized picture everyone has of the Lionheart, the guy who intervenes at the end of pretty much every Robin Hood story to help the heroes get their happy end, had himself such a troubled past.

I wonder if that was part of being a hero. That a hero doesn't have it easy. Or was it because Saber was successful at the end of his life? Did he ever find an easier way of heroism in his crusade?

Anyway, it was clear to her that he was a warmonger either way. No matter whether it was pride or grief that drove him onwards. Sabrina stood up, rearranged her hair and went to the window. The sky was turning a bright orange. She knew it was time. She was eager to set out and continue her own war she had to fight. She grabbed some warmer clothes for the night and went down to Saber, who had already expected her in his spirit form. When she squinted into his direction, she was able to see the blurry features of his armor.

"Can you sense anyone close bye?", she asked the knight.

He shook his head.

"No, petite lionne. Like always, our enemies hide their presence."

"Or they are not here at all...", she sighed. "Kai said he has met Archer only yesterday. It might be we were the first and the other participants haven't even arrived yet."

"There must be at least one other."

He was right, she realized. The beasts that had attacked her in the forest.

"Yes, but that one is very elusively. Preferring to use his minions instead of going out and fight himself", Sabrina stated grimly while she left the house and locked the door.

Saber grunted in agreement, walking at her side when she walked down the streets of Einzbern. She never had any real aim, mostly heading to the edge of the town, making half a circle before returning the way she came. This time her first destination was the school. She dreaded the sight, but she simply had to see what the fire department was able to salvage. Coming close to it she saw that the police had cordoned off the front yard and the entrance with signal tape, making the school building look like a wrapped birthday package. A heap of broken chairs and tables was piled up outside, glass from the broken windows was also there waiting to be brought away.

It doesn't look so bad, actually... Ah, who am I fooling? It is the backside of the building that saw all the fighting. They won't let anyone enter the school tomorrow and not for quite a long time anymore...

She looked questioning at Saber, but he shook only his head. They were still alone. Sabrina went on, silently. The streets of Einzbern had emptied themselves quite a lot, she met few people and few paid her any attention. And there were even less the closer she got to the edge of the town.

"Maybe there simply is no other Master in our corner of Einzbern", she told Saber. "What do you think about taking the bus to the other end? To see if we are more successful there?"

"I have no objections, petite lionne. Covering more ground is always advisable."

She then led the knight to a bus stop near the school where they waited for a while in the darkness, only lit by some street lights. Sabrina felt her eyelids turning heavy and she yawned more then once, but she kept herself going. The few other people on the street were far away and the silence was only shortly interrupted by some guy bragging with his accelerating motorcycle.

"Did you become the hero you wanted to be?", Sabrina suddenly said.

"What?", Saber seemed confused.

"I... I'm sorry, I didn't want to confuse you. I just... there were those dreams. Bits of your history. Bits of what drives you forward."

She heard the invisible ghost chuckling.

"Yeah, I had those dreams as well. I admit I found them very amusing, petite lionne."

"What?", Sabrina was aghast. "You can't mean, I... I never thought you could as well..."

"Do not worry, my lady, I haven't seen all that much and certainly nothing improper. Not that I believe I could find such anyway. You are still young, you have your whole life in front of you. I am the deceased fellow here."

Sabrina snorted. Sure enough, if she had glimpsed into his life, it was only fair he did the same. Except for some minor conflicts with her parents she was sure there was nothing near as spectacular to entertain the knight as she got from him.

"You didn't answer my question", she said after a brief silence.

Saber kept the silence for a while, leaving Sabrina to wonder whether he was contemplating an answer or refusing it completely.

"You have witnessed what King Louis had told me? About being a knight and a king?", he then asked back.

"Yes...", she replied unsure. "He said something about both titles standing in conflict with each other."

"That is true. Thus I made the same experience. Oh, I found some honor in my time, but it grieves me to think about how much I had to squint my eyes before I was able to see it. And if you ask me whether I found a good cause to pledge my life for...", she heard him sigh. "I have the feeling it is right in front of me."

Sabrina frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"I pledged my life to your cause, young lady", the knight said with utter sincerity.

Sabrina felt the blood rising to her cheeks.

"Don't be silly. I... I don't fight for anything worth fighting for..."

"You fight for yourself, don't you?", Richard asked back.

"Yes, sure... but...", she grimaced, thinking about the only stupid wish she had in the back of her head, a wish the knight surely would laugh about if she spoke it loudly. "I'm nobody important and I have nothing world-changing I want to use my wish for... There is no reason for you to put me on such a high pedestal."

The knight grunted.

"That might be right, little one. But like you I have nothing worthwhile to wish for as well. Only to satisfy my longing for a noble cause. I don't care for the Grail. This battle itself already fulfils my wish. Comparing my strength in battle with heroes from across space and time, and all this to protect an innocent lady, don't you see the poetry in that?"

So that's what he's going at...

Sabrina's eyes narrowed when she looked at his ones, knowing exactly where he was.

"Oh great, so I'm the weak and innocent you vowed to protect", she crossed her arms defensively. "Very chivalrous of you. That might have been poetic in your time, but I don't want you to see me like some helpless victim of this war. Yes, I have not chosen myself to participate. Nevertheless I have decided to make the best of it and I was the one who decided we should strike out! I'm more aware of what we're doing here than you give me credit for."

She looked intently at the place he stood at until his features were absolutely clear for her to see. Much to her confusion he seemed not surprised about her answer at all. He laughed as if she had made a stupid joke.

"If my words have given that impression, I humbly beg your pardons, petite lionne", Richard said after he calmed down. "I am your sworn sword. I pledged my loyalty to your cause. If I haven't found you worthy of that loyalty, I wouldn't have accepted the bond we share between Master and Servant. You know my history, you know that even the bonds of kinship were not a guarantee for me to accept the doings of my father. You however are nothing like my father. You have a good soul, little lady, and that makes me not only the protector of your person, but your interests."

Sabrina grimaced.

"Yeah, you want me to see you as my knight in shining armor, right? Just because I am unable to defend myself against the likes of you and need your protection..."

Saber shook his head, he grew much serious from one moment to the next.

"Forgive me, young lady, but this was never my intention. You do me injustice by claiming it was. I believe it is no shame to have to rely on my sword since I honestly doubt any human in this world is able to cross swords with a Heroic Spirit and survive the encounter. So there is no dishonor in me protecting you. And don't think I cannot see your strengths just because I am a knight. A single glance into your eyes was enough for me to see. You have a fire only few women in my age had, but I should know. One of them was my mother."

His mother? Come on, that's what you see in me?

"So that's... wait, your mother was locked up in a castle for years, you said yourself it was like in some fairy tale! That's not in any way better!"

Saber leaned back, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Have you seen how she got out of it?"

"Huh? No, I'm afraid not."

His amusement was plainly written across his face.

"Shortly after the death of my father I've sent Sir William to the castle she was confined in with orders to release her. And it turned out I never needed to do so. She was already set free at the time he arrived in England. The queen ordered her captors firmly to release her... and they did!"

Sabrina gulped.

"Sounds like a pretty forceful woman", she admitted.

"Aye. She was quite infamous for her temper. She never in her life raised a sword, mind you, but this never stopped her to command her own troops during the second crusade and overrule poor Louis at every decision... some chroniclers liked to portray her as Amazon Queen Penthesilea come again. A quite fitting portrayal if you ask me", the knight smirked. "Even if I heeded her advice in regards of ruling more than her advice of tactics."

While Sabrina was thinking about his words, the long awaited bus turned into the street. Since there were several other people in there, she thought it was better to cease her conversation with Saber until after they had arrived at the other end of the town. So she kept quiet and silently watched the dark shapes of lantern-lit buildings and streets trail past them as they crossed through Einzbern. A quarter of an hour later they had arrived where Sabrina wanted to lead them. After she stepped out of the bus and watched the vehicle and the motorcycle following it disappear together with the lights they've emitted, darkness swallowed the place. It was a deserted industrial park, that was pretty much the only thing she knew about it. Until now Sabrina was rarely in need to visit this place.

It is perfect, she assured herself. A battle here would draw no attention at all.

She took one of the side paths and left the more frequented main rode where the occasional car had burst through the darkness. Saber was at her side, glancing backwards with a worried expression.

"What is it?", she asked him. "Have we already been found out?"

It was exactly what she had planned, but the prospect of the battle in the darkness made her shiver nonetheless. Her knightly companion however grimaced.

"I am not so sure", Richard said. "I have just the feeling that we're being watched, but there is no-"

He stopped and turned around. Sabrina herself followed his eyes to the front. She didn't saw anything, but she heard something. A distant roar of many mechanical engines. And it came closer.

"Is that-"

"Yes", Saber said abruptly, giving her a confident smile. "We are being challenged."

Instinctively Sabrina clutched her right hand, covering the red sword-symbol marked on it. She was a Master. Not one by choice, but it was her decision to make the most of it. She wouldn't back down. She would stay and fight.

"Very well, let's show that one what we've got, Saber", she returned his smile, hoping she looked as confident as he did.

Then they waited. The distant roars came closer, but it seemed to take them forever until they were able to see them. And when they came into view, Sabrina's eyes narrowed. A surprisingly large number of lights shined into her eyes, blinding her. It were motorcycles.

So many? I thought Masters are supposed to work alone, only letting their closest allies know what they've got into.

She took a deep breath and faced the tide of bikers unflinchingly, even after it had parted around her and they began to circle the young girl, shouting and yelling incomprehensibly. They thought they could look menacingly, but if they waited for Sabrina to be cowed, she intended to disappoint them. And after her eyes adjusted to the rotating cones of light she realized it weren't all that many bikers after all. Eight at most, even if the darkness made it difficult to properly count.

Then the circle halted.

Directly in front of Sabrina stood a biker wearing a leather jacket with purple insignias on it. It was a woman with long black hair and while her left hand gripped the handle of her bike, her right hand held a long spear with a glowing golden tip. But it was her face that caught her attention the most. It was a long, but sharp face with red eyes. Sabrina had to admit she looked strikingly beautiful.

Is this supposed to be Rider?

"So it is true. The other Master is just a little girl?", another voice spoke up.

Sabrina turned to its source and saw another woman following directly behind the Servant. She wore a similar jacket, but this one had a purple Mohican hairstyle, marking her as originating from the current time to Sabrina. If she was the Master, it was difficult to see because her arms were completely covered in tattoos. Sabrina frowned about that. She looked around and saw that roughly half of the bikers were female, but all of them looked at her rather grimly.

"As it seems. This Grail War is a stranger affair than I had anticipated", the spear-toting woman spoke back.

Her tone was clear and commanding, effortlessly overcoming the noise of their still running engines.

"My age is of no matter to you", Sabrina spoke up, both to the Servant and to the woman she hoped was the Master. "I have come to battle you, this is all that matters."

The Servant on the bike just looked past her.

"Show yourself, coward! Or are you hiding behind the skirt of your little Master?", she demanded.

It grated Sabrina that she was being ignored and hoped Saber was going to teach her a lesson. As if on cue the crimson knight materialized, his eyes focused on his opponent, his smile having turned slightly sinister. But he seemed not eager to jump right into battle. His right hand rested on the hilt of his sword, his left one with the shield hung casually in the air.

"I could turn that question very well around. I came to face a Heroic Spirit of great renown, but all I see is a pretty flower pretending to be a knight", Sabers unusually harsh words caused Sabrina to shoot him a confused glance.

The enemy Servant's gaze however could have killed a lesser man.

"You are a fool if you truly believe my spear is not as sharp as that of any man."

"And you are a proud one at that. Interesting", Saber chuckled. "I don't doubt your weapon, fair lady, I doubt the strength of the arm wielding it. I fear for my honor being stained if I drench my sword in the blood of a woman."

"Fear not, since it will be your blood which will be spilled!", she replied darkly, nodding to the other bikers.

They took the sign and moved their bikes away, making room for the battle to happen. With all the spotlights being turned away from them and even the enemy Servant disappearing into the darkness in front of them, it was as if the night reclaimed the street they were standing on and swallowed them.

She wants to charge us..., Sabrina realized aghast and turned to her companion.

On the first glance he seemed to completely ignore what was happening, watching the enemy Servant with a smug expression and remaining in his composure that made him look like he wasn't bothered by the threat of assault in the least. But there was more to it. Sabrina had spent enough time with him to know the signs. All the muscles in his arm and his chest under the mail were strained and tense in anticipation. Whatever his strategy was, it confused her.

"Saber?", she said.

"Don't move", he whispered.

They silently watched how their enemy turned her bike around. Now it was only a single blinding spotlight facing them. Sabrina gulped when the supposed Rider let her engine roar and charged them head on. But she trusted Richard's grasp on the situation and stayed where she were when the light became faster and faster when she accelerated. The shining bronze tip was lowered into their view, a dark thorn promising murder. Sabrina tensed, her body urged her to jump away, but through sheer force of well she kept her feet where they were, only following the charging warrior with her eyes. It all happened in within seconds. Sabrina whirled around, the noise of a muffled impact and something sharp scratching wood in her ears. The Servant on the motorcycle had attacked Saber, but he had effortlessly pushed the spear with his shield of red and gold away, only to bring himself out of harms way with a few fast steps. Sabrina was still able to feel the gust of wind and the smell of burned fuel after she had passed them. Their attacker turned around as well, pulling at the handlebar so hard the bike slid sideways across the asphalt. Saber never let her out of his view when he faced her again, but his sword was still sheathed, he had only blocked with the shield.

"A very pitiful attempt of a charge", the knight said dismissively. "One would assume using such a modern vehicle would make you able to overcome your physical limitations. Say, my lady, shan't we better find a more suitable opponent for you to face? Mayhaps a young boy or a fellow woman?"

Did he just say 'mayhaps'?

The fierce and beautiful warrior snorted derisively.

"You will pay for your haughty words, fool! Mocking me will only increase my satisfaction with killing you."

Rider charged again, this time with fury. And Saber again blocked her blow easily and sidestepped the motorcycle while Sabrina's feet felt glued to the ground. She looked at his right hand. It didn't rest on the pommel anymore, it had gripped the whole hilt. In a vast contrast to this careless facade he gave Rider, his hand was twitching. He was nervous.

"Truly, slaying you would bring great shame upon me. Maybe me and my Master should just take our leave", he said.

"If you don't care to fight back then at least take down that shield and die", the enemy warrior hissed, turning her bike around for a third charge. "I don't have the patience waste my time with such an annoying fool."

Saber got ready, obviously intending to use his shield again. And Rider came, her spear in front lowered to skewer the horseless knight who had to face her on foot. Sabrina knew he was at a disadvantage this way, he needed to-

Oh no...

Shortly before Rider reached her enemy, she made a sharp turn. And a fraction of a second later Sabrina was facing a shimmering golden spear-tip rapidly shooting into the direction of her face. She stumbled backwards, but the whispered warning of Saber rang in her ears. She knew escaping herself was nearly hopeless considering the supernatural aim of a Heroic Spirit. So she stood and waited. And saw the crimson knight tackling into the motorcycle basically at the last second. She breathed terrible relieve as she watched the bike scraping across the asphalt, only stopping when it reached the sidewalk. It was a bike without rider then, since the Servant had jumped off it and landed gracefully a few meters in front of Saber who himself idly stood next to his Master.

"Ah, I see. So you are not completely rooted to the ground you stand at, swordsman. I had already started to wonder...", she said teasingly, a vicious smile on her face.

Saber's grin had vanished, he looked at her sourly.

"Where is your pride now? I thought you took yourself for a knight, woman. My Master is not for you to attack", he said angrily, before turning to the shadows of the other bikers who stood in a very wide circle around the battlefield. "This goes to all of you as well. Lay a hand onto my Master and I will show no mercy. Your life will be forfeit, that's my word as a knight."

He turned back to his enemy, her smile hadn't faltered one bit.

"How chivalrous of you. I am sure your charge greatly appreciates your protective attitude. At least it gives you some motivation to show me more than empty words and taunts. Not enough to draw that pretty sword of yours, to be sure, but I will see how long it can remain sheathed before I kill you."

The knight grunted, but tried to return to his previous smile:

"What confident words from a Rider without mount. Say, shall I wait until you have retrieved it so that you can regain the advantage? You seem to have a great need of one if you need to retort to threatening a child in your struggles against my shield..."

"Oh don't make me laugh, you would have never let me touch your Master, no matter the circumstances", the enemy warrior claimed. "And I will disappoint you with your assumption, useless fool of a man. Fighting on the back of a mount was an advantage I graciously gave you. Your thoughtless words have rid you of that."

Then suddenly the woman was engulfed by a shimmering blue light. After it had disappeared, her leather clothes were replaced by a darkly golden looking armor Sabrina assumed was made of bronze. Her long black hair was now hidden under a helmet with long cheekpieces and a green crest on its top and she wore a crescent shaped shield in addition to the spear she had already shown to them. Saber next to her grimaced slightly when he saw that and Sabrina thought she knew what that meant. He had missed the opportunity he was looking for.

"So you are not Rider", Saber stated in a worried tone. "Lancer then..."

Damn... so she was toying with him? Without 'Riding' as an ability fighting on a motorcycle she was just... well, a superhumanly strong ghost with a magical spear riding on an ordinary motorcycle. Seems she learned to ride that thing during her time in the modern world.

"Finally, realization dawns", Lancer commented darkly. "Now it is time for the fool to die."

She disappeared the same instant, her last movements making it look like she jumped foward. Sabrina's heard raced, this time her feet heeded the call. She hastily put some meters between herself and Saber so that she won't get caught into the crossfire. Behind her, she heard the impact. And she heard the scraping of metal on metal.

Wait, those sounds...

She turned around and could not believe her eyes. It must have happened in these precious few seconds of Lancer's jump, because when she had reached Saber, he had already greeted her with his blade. Excalibur was drawn. And the sword of legends was singing. What glimpses Sabrina got from Lancer's face made her distress clear when Saber drove her across the street with his powerful blows. Her own weapon was constantly knocked aside, every time causing the tip to cut a deep furrow through the asphalt whenever it touched the ground. Saber continued with his onslaught. Each step caused the ground to tremble and the sandals of his opponent buried themselves into the ground just from the force of impact whenever the sword crashed into the crescent shield. Sabrina had seen Saber fight Archer on equal grounds, but this was something different. He had caught her off-guard and it showed in that he utterly dominated the fight until that point. Within the next few seconds the street under their feet was completely devastated and the way she was pressed backwards caused the bikers around them to gape in disbelieve.

Go, get her!, she thought triumphant.

But it was just too good to go on forever. At some point, it all happened far to fast to actual see it, but she saw the repercussions, Lancer had managed get her spear up again without it getting knocked to the ground and struck at Saber's head. He evaded, though it gave him enough pause so that he lost his advantage and Lancer was able widen the distance between them with a few quick stabs. Realizing to have utterly lost the opportunity, Saber didn't try to follow up and let her retreat. When the two Servants faced each other again, Sabrina realized the huge bleeding gash on Lancer's right hip. Neither of them paid the wound much attention, but Sabrina was sure her companion had struck deeply and straight through her armor.

"Ah, that's what I wanted to see!", the crimson knight called out with an acknowledging smile. "What pride! And you have the sense and caution to justify it! A true warrior queen as expected."

Lancer looked startled at this unexpected praise.

"Your words will never balance out your initial insults, fool. What are you trying to say?"

Richard made a face under this red beard of his, seemingly unhappy about her reaction.

"I am very sorry if my mocking words cut deeper than my sword, my lady", he made a deep bow. "I just wanted to prove a theory of mine after I first lay my eyes upon you. That you are more than a mere warrior, but a member of the legendary tribes the ancient Greeks feared so much. And I needed to see that well know pride of yours with my own eyes before I was able to judge you as a worthy opponent."

Him wanting to see her messing up her defence in her fury was more likely.

"Taunts?", Lancer said aghast. "You must think yourself for a very sly creature, bastard."

"As I said, I am deeply sorry if I hurt you", he chuckled. "You however never really took me for the fool I made myself look like, don't you? Or at least it hadn't tarnished your combat effectiveness."

Lancer snorted, but didn't answer.

"Well, I got the answer I had sought. You are truly an Amazon, a legendary pagan warrior who traces her lineage back to their god Ares, that's what I thought when I first saw you. And your well honed instincts betray that lineage. You are one of these prideful woman warriors who had enslaved their men or only took that of neighboring countries when they were in need of children. A folk of woman, more warlike than any other Greek state."

"People fear cultures they don't understand. And the Greeks were especially fond of embellishing their stories to scare their children and to keep their wives down", Lancer groaned, she lay on her spear. "Their fear of our spears was more justified though. Something you are going to learn today. Getting killed by me is an honor I even doubt you are worthy for though."

It emitted a golden light clearly to see for everyone in the street. Sabrina decided to step further away from Saber, nearly running into one of the bikers in the process. This magical glow was not a good sign. It reminded her far too much of the glow Excalibur bore when it was activated.

She is going to use her Noble Phantasm. Look out, Saber...

Likely hearing her thoughts, Richard tensed and put his shield forward again. Excalibur was at his side, ready to strike out.

"Now then, I promise you the time of falsehoods is over. Let us begin the real battle!", Saber said confidently. "On fair ground like the Heroic Spirits we are."

Lancer nodded. And jumped forward. Both disappeared in a whirl. Sabrina could not help but only gape at the spectacle in amazement. The movements of both warriors were far too fast to follow. All she could see were strikes of gold and silver clashing against each other while the red and the bronze coloured figures danced around each other. Excalibur was singing again. And the cursed spear of Lancer as well. And their music was thoroughly destructive. The street burst open, bricks of the sidewalk were sent flying after they had danced toward it and even a street light was cut into pieces when they came near it. The bikers must have realized as well, whenever the two combatants just threatened to come near them, they took their bikes and fled in haste. Nobody was eager to get caught in the crossfire. Sabrina herself also retreated after the first pieces of debris headed her way. She knew she had to watch the fight, but she preferred to do that from somewhere where she didn't feel so vulnerable. While she headed towards the shadows of a nearby alley she heard the shout behind her. It was the voice of Lancer:

"Diffidentia!"

Sabrina whirled around. Her eyes widened when she saw Saber stumbling backwards, a small, but profoundly bleeding wound in his right shoulder. He managed to bring his shield between the two and interrupted the attack she tried to follow up with, but the damage was done. She had cut through his mail and successfully used her Noble Phantasm on him.

Saber...

"It's okay, petite lionne. It's okay. Just a scratch", she heard his voice in her head.

It's not okay, who knows what nasty magic she cursed you with?

"I don't feel a thing except for that little cut, so for me it's okay. Don't worry and look for a safe hiding place. I can handle her."

Sabrina gulped and nodded, not caring that he couldn't see her. Not bothering about any repercussions of the Noble Phantasm, Saber charged again, Excalibur with its runes in the air. He still hadn't activated, maybe he thought he could take her on with his strength and ability alone.

Maybe he knows what he's doing. Lancer's reach is both her best advantage and her worst setback. If he manages to close in deeply, he might be able to take that Amazon out with one swift stroke.

Sabrina retreated into the shadows, leaning against the edge of a ruined building so that it gave her some amount of cover from the debris. The bikers at least saw the same problems and fled to all sides when fighting became tense again. Even in the darkness it was visible how much of a wasteland this part of the street had become in so short a time, she didn't want to see how it looked like under the light of the sun.

Come on, Saber. Don't let me down! I know you can defeat her!

She was so busy in her silent prayers she never saw the shadow overcoming her. It was the stink she smelled first. It reminded her of wet fur and excrements and... wild animals in a zoo. With a chill in her bones she turned around, but at that point it was already too lade. A huge brown paw struck into her neck, claws tearing through both her skin and the fabric of her jacket. Sabrina's legs gave way and she was pushed to the ground by the impact, the pressed out of her lungs. She looked up, coughing. And she looked into the green eyes of a huge bear.

What the-

It tried to snap at her, but this time Sabrina was faster. She rolled to the side and then jumped onto her feet. She ran, past the beast and deeper into the shadows of the alley she had found herself in. Everything was instinctive, she only cared for her own live. Howls and growls accompanied her steps when more green eyes emerged from the shadows around her. Wolves. Lots of them. It was the attack in the woods all over again. The attack Saber needed to save her from. Aghast she realized she was running into the opposite direction of her saviour. And directly into a sounder of boars which were running towards her from the front. Four of them, huge beasts with horribly sharp looking curved tusks. She realized she was encircled, whirling around she looked into the fangs of a wolf jumping at her face.

"Saber!", she screamed.

A blue flash illuminated the alley and the jumping wolf was struck down by a crimson figure. Crimson were also the drops of blood Sabrina was splattered with by the dead creature. She even got some into one of her eyes and she rubbed the stinging fluid of it while the noise of Excalibur cutting both air and flesh was audible all around her. When she had opened both of her eyes again, Saber stood in front of her and she was surrounded by numerous massacred animals of all sizes, all of them evaporating into black mist.

"Good thing I hadn't had to jump so far", he commented with a reassuring grin. "Everything alright, little one?"

He looked not at her face, but at the scratches on her throat. They weren't very deep, the creature didn't manage to land the deadly blow it wanted because of her falling to the ground.

"It's okay, I'm fine, I-"

Their conversation was abruptly interrupted when Saber gasped in pain, going to his knees. Not knowing what to do, she wanted to catch his fall with her arms, but he pushed her roughly away and whirled around, raising his sword into the air. It all happened within seconds, but the bits and pieces were immediately for her to see. A single wooden arrow was deeply stuck in his shoulder. And when her eyes followed the trail of his sword, see saw the silhouette of a man standing above them on the roof of one of the buildings. The man had a bow in his hand.

Archer?, she realized aghast.

Saber didn't give him the chance to strike again.

"Excalibur!", he screamed and a golden beam of light swallowed the darkness in front of them.

It was so blinding, Sabrina's eyes took several seconds to adjust the sudden return of the darkness thereafter. The silhouette was away. And the upper floors of the forgotten industrial building looked like the cracked shell of an egg with deep tears running across the structure.

"Is he-"

"Away", Saber grunted immediately, then looking back towards the street they came from. "And my dear friend Lancer as well."

Sabrina couldn't believe what she had just witnessed. It was far too confusing.

"Immoral bastard, attacking a Master while we were busy fighting a fair duel", he cursed, his expression pained and angry.

She too focused on the arrow to pay him any attention. It was a simple thing with a feathered shaft and a lightly coloured wood.

"Shall I?", she said unsurely.

"Go on. Push against my back with the other hand, so that you need only one strong pull."

Sabrina nodded and proceeded the way the knight proposed. It was a horrible affair and the wound began to bleed quite a lot before it had closed itself with his magical healing abilities. But it was worth it so that Sabrina could take a look at the arrowhead before it evaporated in a blue mist.

"Bronze", she said with wide eyes. "So it is true."

"Nothing is true, we have an alliance", Saber said grimly, but his nervousness about the fact was clear to see.

"You saw him yourself! It was Archer! He betrayed us!"

"Impossible. He wouldn't act so dishonorable", he shook his head, looking miserable. "We have an alliance."

"Oh to hell with the alliance, you saw what he did! There is only one Archer and Ramesses is from the Bronze Age!"

Anger flared up in her. Anger at Archer for his cruel jape of a contract. Anger at Kai for looking too innocent for his own good. Anger at Saber for being far too trusting. And most of all anger at herself for allowing all this to happen. Sabrina promised to herself that she wouldn't let that treachery go unpunished.