Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Fate/Zero or anything in the Nasuverse, any resemblance to any other Harry Potter/Fate Zero fan fiction is coincidental and plagiarism is not intended. No flames please, constructive criticism only.
AN: Alright my apologies for any spelling and grammar mistakes in this chapter. I am not pleased with this chapter for some reason but I felt it needed to be published anyway, but don't expect chapter 11 for a while.
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Harry looked up as Archer re-entered the house. Archer had been furious when she discovered the coffin had been missing. She ranted about skinning the thief alive and using it as a door mat. Harry however had slumped into depression; he knew that it was more than likely that if one of the other masters had the coffin then Yume was dead and gone.
"Let's go." she said simply, "There's a rather interesting gathering that I would simply hate to miss."
"Alright." Harry replied, getting to his feet and following Archer outside. From the usual ripples in the air, a massive, shining ship made entirely of gold moved silently towards them, and with a causal jump Archer stood at the bow.
"Well?" She asked as he stared at her in shock, "Let's get a move on, shall we?"
A golden ladder threw itself down from the deck, allowing Harry to climb aboard. No sooner did he do so than the ship rocketed forward so quickly that Harry was thrown across the deck, hitting his head on the edge.
"Ow..." he groaned, sitting up to find that they were no longer in the middle of Fuyuki. Instead, they were in the sky above a massive forest, just beside an old grey stone castle.
Archer easily jumped from the deck, leaving Harry to climb down on his own.
"What took you, Goldie?" Rider chuckled as Archer and Harry approached him and Saber. Both the woman who was pretending to be Saber's master and Waver were standing a distance behind them, both looking shock at the fact that their servants were sitting peacefully rather than fighting to the death. glancing up at the ship, he added, "It's not as if you had to come on foot, is it?"
"Even on foot, I could have outpaced you easily." Archer said simply, "However, I needed to retrieve my master. He seems like he could use a laugh, and we have quite the assortment of jesters here."
Looking around the dull garden, she scoffed, "You actually chose to hold a banquet of kings in this place? How can you expect to repay the rudeness of calling me here?"
"Just relax." Rider chuckled, holding a cup of wine towards her, "Here, have a drink in sit with us."
Taking the cup, Archer sniffed it twice and then returned it to him, "You dare to serve this disgusting swill? How can we expect to decide on a hierarchy of Heroic spirits without proper drink?"
"You don't like it?" Rider frowned, looking at the cup in surprise, "This cask was among the very best at the city market..."
"I should have known." Archer sighed, raising a hand. Her normal ripples shown above it, and for just a moment, Harry expected her to draw a sword to fight. The other masters must have had similar thoughts, as both looked incredibly tense.
Instead, a large golden pitcher descended to the ground, "Behold, and acknowledge your folly." she smirked, retrieving three cups which she tossed casually to Rider. "This is the beverage of a true king."
"Truly a fine treasure." Rider said as he poured each of the servants an equal measure. taking a sip, he grinned, "And what a treasure it is! I dare say this is the drink of the gods!"
"Only the very finest will find its way into my treasury." Archer said, sipping her own wine.
"What about us..?" Harry asked from behind them.
"Ah, yes." Archer said as if she'd forgotten he was there, "Well, you and the other two can drink that swill if you like."
"Archer!" Saber snapped, "He is but a child!"
"And children need quench their thirst as much as adults." Archer said simply, "Regardless, if you'd prefer, have your own master provide something. Non-alcoholic beverages are not found within my treasury."
"No need to be so angry, Archer, Saber." Rider said, trying to keep the peace between the two sides.
"I'll get him something." Iri smiled before turning and hurrying back to the castle.
"Honestly..." Archer sighed, "This is getting us nowhere. I should think that this alone proves which among us is most worthy to possess the grail."
"Archer..." Rider chuckled again, "Your finest drink is indeed worthy of the finest vessel in history. However, the grail is no drinking cup. Rather, it is the vessel of dreams. First, we must hear what wish you would have the grail grant."
"Do not speak as if you are above me, Mongrel." Archer said coldly, "Already, you seem to forget that we are to fight for the Grail. Regardless of that fact, the fact is it already belongs to me. Anything that is called a treasure belongs to me without exception, and all of them can trace their origins to my treasure house."
"Is that right..?" Rider smiled, "Than you would know the cup by sight? You could identify it where we could not?"
"No." Archer answered, shocking the other two, "Do not judge me as you would a lesser being. My wealth is near limitless. I could no sooner identify every treasure in my possession than you could count the drops of water in the ocean. Despite that, however, the fact that the Holy Grail is a treasure means that it belongs to me. And any who would take it for themselves are nothing but common thieves."
"Your words are no different than Caster's insane rants." Saber scoffed, sipping her own cup, "It would appear as if he is not the only servant to have gone completely mad..."
Archer's eyes narrowed as she drank from her cup, but Rider chuckled slightly as he interceded again, "Let's not go that far, Saber." Draining his cup, he continued, "However, i must thank you, Archer. Your response has given me a clue as to your real identity. So then, you say that, if we desire the grail, we must first obtain your permission?"
"Indeed." She nodded, "However, I see no reason for me to reward lowly mongrels of your ilk."
"Wait just a minute..." Rider pouted, "You mean you're going to be stingy?"
"Fool." She scoffed in response, "My magnanimity is limited to my vassals and my loyal subjects. Meaning that' if you swear fealty to me, I could lend you a grail or two whenever you required one."
"Yeah, that's not going to happen." Rider laughed as he refilled everyone's drinks, "But tell me, Archer. Surely you must have no special interest in the holy grail?"
"Of course not." she replied, "But I must nonetheless pass judgement on any who would steal from me. It's just a matter of principle."
"I confess myself curious, on what are these principles based?" Rider asked as Iri returned with a pitcher of juice for Harry.
"It is the law." Archer replied simply, "My law that I set down, as the rightful king."
"Excellent." Rider said, raising his cup to Archer, "Living by one's own law is the epitome of Kingship." Draining his cup, he sighed, "Nevertheless, I desire the holy Grail so badly i can almost taste it! And it has always been my way to just take whatever I want. That is what makes me the King of Conquerors, correct?"
"Right and wrong are irrelevant." Archer countered, "If you break the law, I will punish you. There is no room for debate."
"Which leaves only the field of combat." Rider said as he poured another cup, "Well, archer, do you still want us to help you finish this drink? There will be plenty of time to kill each other after."
"Indeed." Archer nodded, "unless you wish to look down upon the superior drink I did you the honour of providing?"
"I wouldn't dream of it!" He replied, sipping the wine with reverence.
"King of Conquerors." Saber said as Rider poured himself yet another cup, "Earlier, you admitted that the rightful ownership of the grail lies with another. Yet you would just take it by force? For what purpose to you desire the grail so badly?"
Rider looked from her to Archer before draining her cup once more and sighing, "Reincarnation."
"WHAT?!" Rider's master exclaimed, running forward, "What about world conqu- OW!"
With one hand, Rider knocked his master away, "What are you blabbing about? Conquering the world is my dream to make true! Why would I leave the conquering to a mere cup? The wish i would ask of the Holy Grail is merely the first step towards achieving that goal."
"Mongrel." Archer said with her eyes narrowed, "You would dare challenge me for my treasure over something so pitiful?"
"Even if we are given form by the grail, ultimately we remain servants. I wish to live as flesh and blood, within this world that I find myself, And with nothing but my body, i will defy both heaven and earth! Succeeding in this endeavour is the true meaning of conquest! Thus it begins, then proceeds onward, and finally is finished! Such is the path of my conquest."
Evidently, that was the correct answer, as Archer laughed slightly before taking another sip. "Than the matter is settled." she said simply , staring at him, "I shall take great pleasure in killing you myself."
"No need to state the obvious." Rider nodded, "I fully intend to plunder your abundant storehouses until they've been laid bare, so be ready."
"That is hardly fitting of how a true king should behave." Saber said as she looked to Rider.
"Oh?" Rider smiled, "Than let us hear what you wish of the Grail, Saber."
"I wish for my homeland's salvation." She replied, "With the omnipotent wish granting power of the grail, I shall avert Britain's fate of destruction."
-
"What do you think we should do, Father?" Kirei asked as he looked through his servant, Assassin's eyes.
"I believe that, with Tokiomi gone, there may not be any choice." Risei sighed as he stood in thought, "Using Assassin for recon is no longer a viable tactic, as we have no one who can act upon it. Tell me, would you be able to observe Harry Potter and make the necessary decisions?"
"Easily." he answered, "But there is a slight risk that another master may realize that I have left the church. If that's the case, than it may draw attention to the boy."
"We will deal with that if it comes to pass." his father sighed, "For now, I believe it would be best to remove Assassin from the battle."
"I have no objections." Kirei said in response.
"Than issue the following order with a command seal." Risei ordered, "Defeat the servants Saber, Archer, and Rider."
-
No one spoke for a moment afterwards. Eventually, Rider turned to Saber with a complicated look his face.
"Hey, King of knights. Did you just say that you want to change fate? To alter events long past?"
"That's right." she affirmed, "Even if it's a wish that a miracle alone cannot fulfil. If the Grail is truly omnipotent, than surely..."
She stopped as Archer began chuckling beside her.
"Saber, just so I'm clear..." Rider said again, moving his cup to the side like he'd finally found something more important than drinking all of Archer's wine, "It was back in your time that this 'Britain' was conquered and fell? under your rule?"
"That's correct." she said again, "That is why I cannot allow it. That is why I regret it, and why I wish to change it! For it was I, and no other, who was to blame!"
Once again, Archer chuckled, and this time she wasn't able to control herself. Within moments, she was laughing uncontrollably.
"You call yourself a king?" She laughed, "And are praised by all as such? Yet you feel regret? How could I not laugh at something so ludicrous!?"
"Saber.." Rider said with a faint frown, "Surely you do not mean that you would erase the marks that you yourself left on history!"
"I do!" She protested angrily, "And so what?! Why do you laugh!?My beloved country, to which I devoted my entire life, was destroyed! Why is my sadness about that humorous!?"
"Did you hear that, Rider?" She laughed, "Did you hear what this 'King' of Knights just said? The country to which she has devoted her entire life!"
"What do you find so amusing!?" Saber said, standing up in her anger, "For their country's prosperity, a true king should be willing to make any sacrifice."
"You're wrong." Rider said simply, "The king does not devote himself. It is the nation and her people that must devote themselves to the king. You have reversed the concept."
"What?!" Saber said in response to Rider's cold reply, "Those are the words of a brutal tyrant!"
"Just so." Rider nodded, "We are heroes precisely because we are tyrants. If a king regrets their rule, or the manner in which his rule came to an end, than that king is nothing but a fool far worse than the tyrant you disdain."
"Iskandar..." Saber growled, "Your reign ended with all your heirs slain and your great empire broken apart by civil war! You mean to tell me that you have no regrets about that!?"
"None." Rider confirmed with a sip of his wine, "Not if it came to pass by my own decisions and the considerable sacrifices of my many retainers. It was inevitable. I will mourn it, and shed tears over it, but I will never regret it. Let alone undo it all! Such an act would be an insufferable insult to all those who fought and bled and died beside me!"
"It is only a warrior who can glory in destruction!" Saber countered, "Worthless is a king that fails to protect the weak! A just rule, guided by just laws. That is the mark of a true king"
"So you, the king of your realm, are a slave to what is right?" Rider asked calmly as Archer tried to stifle her laughter.
"I am." Saber replied, "A king should be a martyr for their ideals."
"That is not the way a person should live." Rider shook his head.
"If I rule a nation as King, I cannot expect to live as a person." Saber said in response, "King of Conquerors, you seek the grail merely for your own benefit, therefore you can never understand that. You, who became king only to satisfy your endless greed!"
This time, Rider slammed his cup into the ground so hard that it left an indentation in the stone.
"A king without greed is even worse than a figurehead! Saber, you said you would martyr yourself for your ideals. In life you must have been something akin to the purest of all the saints. A proud and noble figure at the very least. But who can truly admire the thorny path a martyr must follow. Who actually dreams of such an ending!?
A king... A king must be greedier than any other. He must laugh more loudly, and rage for much longer. And embody the very extreme of all things, good and evil. That is why his retainers envy his very existence, and adore him as well. And why the flames of aspiration, to be just as the king is, can burn within his people!
Proud king of chivalry, the righteousness and ideals you embraced in life may have indeed saved your nation and her people once. However, surely you know what became of those who were saved, but then left to fend for themselves..."
"What are you saying...?" Saber asked, listening in shock at Rider's speech.
"You may indeed have saved them, but you never led them. You never showed them all what a king should really be. You abandoned your men when they lost their way, then alone and untroubled by that fact, you went on to follow your own pretty little ideals to the end!
Thus you are no true king. You spent your life enraptured by a false idol of a humble king that serves others. You're just a little girl."
"I..." Saber started, unable to find words to counter that argument.
"May I say something?" Harry asked as Saber struggled to find words
"Of course!" Rider said, "the words of all are welcome at a conference of kings!"
"Your goal is to use the Grail to save Britain?" Harry asked Saber, and Archer was pleasantly surprised to see that he was torn between anger and frustration, "Even a kid like me can see that's childish. Nothing last forever, not matter how much you want it to..." A vision of Yume's dead body flashed before his eyes, and his voice broke slightly, "Everything disappears in the end... and there's some things that can't be fixed. No bandaid can stop a mortal blow, and no king can save a country from destruction. Not Archer, not Rider, and certainly not You."
As Harry stepped back, having said his piece, Saber looked shell-shocked from his declaration, while both Rider and Archer smiled at him.
"Well said, boy." Rider smiled.
"I disagree that you have lumped me in with these two mongrels." Archer said as she drank another cup, "However, your sentiments are correct. Immortality is a useless ideal, whether for a king or a country. Something only has value because it has an end." Smirking at the two kings, she added, "Indeed, it would seem that I and my master have the right to possess the grail. Whether by strength of arms or strength of heart, we have you defeated. Thus, the hierarchy is determined, correct? You mongrels may deal with second place as you wish."
Rising to leave, a sense of malice shrouded the area, something which neither of the other servants missed either.
None of the masters missed the change in demeanour amongst the servants as they looked around to find the source. It was Waver who realized what it was when Assassin appeared behind him.
"Ah!" he screamed, running over to Rider's side as one by one, more and more assassins appeared around the garden.
"Is this your doing, Goldie?" Rider asked, looking around at the servants who outnumbered them ten to one.
"No." Archer replied, "I have nothing to do with these mangy dogs who would dare to interfere with our banquet."
"W-W-What the hell..?" Waver stuttered as he looked at them all, "Why are there so many assassins everywhere!? How is this fair!?"
"We are one, divided into many." One of the black figures said from behind them.
"An army, and also one." Another announced boldly from the side.
"A servant with many shadows, and one." A third added.
"A servant with multiple bodies for each of his personalities?" Waver asked, "Rider, what do you.."
"Calm yourself, boy." Rider said without any fear, "Even those rude enough to interrupt our banquet may yet show us which is the worthy king."
"So, I take it that you are intending to ask them to join us as well?" Archer asked with a smile.
"Of course." He beamed, "A king's words are meant for all to hear and absorb. If they've come to talk and drink with us, it matters not if they are friend or foe." Holding a cup of wine from the previous barrel, he called out, "Any who would speak with us, come forward and take a cup! This drink is as your blood."
After a tense second, a knife flew from the shadows, breaking the cup in half and spilling its contents onto Rider.
As the assassins laughed together, Rider got to his feet. "Very well." He said calmly, "As I said, this drink is as your blood. If it is your desire to spill it here tonight, than that is your choice..."
A sudden gust of wind announced Rider's change from peacekeeper of the King's Conference to Rider, Servant of the Holy Grail War. The stained t-shirt was replaced with the armour and sword, as well as his trademark red mantle.
"Saber! Archer!" He called out over the billowing wind, "Here is our Banquet's final question! Must a king be alone?"
Archer heard the question and simply smiled, unmoving from his seat beside Rider, while Saber, standing a small distance away and guarding her 'master', replied, "A king must indeed be alone!"
"No, no." Rider chided her, "You don't seem to get this at all! Allow me to show you."
Rider was suddenly engulfed in a sphere of light that expanded outward rapidly until it covered the entire garden.
When Harry finally opened his eyes, he was not standing beside one of the plants, but was standing in the centre of a vast, never-ending desert. The assassins that had them surrounded before were now grouped together a little ways away.
"A... reality marble...?" Iri gasped as she looked around, "That's impossible..!"
Harry remembered the term from one of the books in Tokiomi's library. It's a mental image that, through sufficiently powerful magic, is brought to life around the caster. It's a high level spell that should not have been possible for anyone outside of the caster class if his understanding of the grail war was correct.
Closest to the army of Assassins, Rider spoke, "My glorious armies once rode across these lands. A place where all those who stayed with me, through joy and sorrow, can never forget. I can make this place as real as real can ever be..." multiple tremors sounded from far behind them, and all turned to face it
What they saw shocked everyone but the ever-stoic archer. In the distance, for as far as the eye could see, thousands upon thousands of soldiers walked in formation towards them, weapons drawn.
"Because it still exists deep within our hearts!" Rider finished as the army stopped before them. "Behold! My endless armies! Their bodies utterly destroyed, and their souls offered up to the current world as heroic spirits of old, and yet still, these valiant warriors pledge their loyalty to me! My bond with them is my ultimate treasure! My path to kingship! The ultimate noble phantasm that I possess! Ionian Hitiroi!"
The Assassins only just now were able to see the depths of the army assembled against them, and all were in absolute shock.
A single riderless horse broke free of the army and galloped to Rider's side.
"It has been a very long time, partner." he said, running his hand through the horse's mane before climbing into the saddle and turning to address his soldiers, "Hear me! A king must live a grand life, and embody his people's image of admiration!"
"Ai!" The army cried out as one.
"He who is worthy of all heroes envy, and he who leads their way! That is a king! Therefore, the king is not alone, for his will equals the wills of all who would follow him to his ultimate goal combined!"
"AI!" the soldiers roared again.
With the massive army gathered at his back, Rider turned to address the assassins, "Now than, shall we begin our battle, assassin?" He asked, "As you can see, this place is a vast plain, and with our superior numbers, we have the advantage."
Harry could only watch in absolute awe as Rider swung down his sword and shouted, "Annihilate them!"
Some of the assassins tried to flee, but many simply lowered their weapons. The battle was over before it even began. All that followed was a bloody massacre.
Within minutes of the start of the battle, the assassins lay in the sand, missing body parts and staining the sand red with their blood.
"Victory!" Rider roared, holding his sword up high. His many retainers joined the call, and their shouts echoing even in the vast desert. A second flash of light erupted from around Rider, and the realty marble faded away, leaving them exactly as they were before Assassin's appearance.
"That ending wasn't as enjoyable as I thought it would be." Rider said as he refilled each of their cups.
"Perhaps." Archer nodded, "But than, dealing with mangy dogs is never an enjoyable task."
"So, King of Knights." Rider said in a slightly mocking tone, "What say you to the boy's words?"
"It is exactly because I cannot save my country." Saber answered, "I will instead find one who can-"
"You didn't get the point at all." Harry sighed, "Maybe you're right. Maybe you could find someone who could have saved Britain. But tell me, what if you failed, and the result was many times worse than what has already occurred? If I'm remembering correctly, you pulled the sword from the stone after many others tried and failed, correct?"
"Indeed." she replied, "However, it seems that I too was unworthy.."
" So, if the most worthy mong them was unworthy, what does that say about the rest?" Harry asked, "You made your choices, and your kingdom prospered. That's all there is to it. In the end, you're not trying to do what is right for your kingdom. You're just running away from the fact that your actions have consequences. King of Cowards is a more fitting title."
Saber's face flustered at Harry's words, to which both Rider and Archer stifled a laugh.
"It seems that you've been defeated in a battle of words by a mere child!" Rider laughed, "Well said, Master of Archer. A king who does not take responsibility for their actions is nothing but a coward. I believe that we've said all that needs to be said."
"Wait just a minute, Rider!" Saber said as the other kings got to their feet, "I am not do-"
"You may keep silent." Rider cut her off, swinging his sword and calling his chariot, "The purpose of this conference was a discussion amongst kings, but i no longer recognize you as a king. No one can truly say whether the actions you took were right or wrong, but the are the actions YOU made. If you cannot take responsibility for that, than I will never acknowledge you. King of cowards, I bid you good day."
"Waver, hold on a minute." Harry called out as Rider's master hurried towards the chariot
"What is it?" He asked, turning to face him.
"You know Lancer's master, right?" Harry asked him with a dark look on his face that sent shivers down the spines Waver as well as Saber and Iri.
"Lord El Melloi?" he stuttered back, "Yeah, i guess you could say that..."
"He's mine." Harry said simply in a very grave voice, "Stay out of it."
"W-W-What are you saying?!" Waver shouted, "Do you have any idea just how powerful he is? He'll rip you apar-"
"Like I said." Harry turned away from him, "Stay out of it. He's mine."
"Boy." Rider said to him as he walked towards Archer, "I know not what reason you have to pit yourself against this foe, nor have I any right to stand in your way. However, seeking vengeance will not lead you to anything resembling happiness. I hope you won't live to regret what you are about to do..."
Harry paid the King of Conquerors little attention as he walked over to Iri and said, "Thanks for the juice."
"No problem..." she replied, slightly shocked at his tone as he walked back to Archer's golden ship in the sky.