Note: Revised 1/22/22
Hello, and Welcome to Fate/Foundation! This is the first full-length story I've written, so please provide feedback if you have something constructive to say. Before we get to the story, let me say a few words.
It struck me that there are very few stories covering the time between the drawing of Caliburn and the foundation of Camelot, so this is my effort to change that. I will be primarily drawing on the original Fate/Stay Night VN and Garden of Avalon for material, with a mix of legend and real-life history to fill in the blanks. Hopefully with research, continued revisions, and a little luck, I will tell a good story while doing justice to the characters. Please enjoy.
Shirou
Step. Step. Step.
This was it, the final battle of the war. At the end of this long staircase, Kirei would be summoning the Holy Grail with the unwilling aid of a sickly little girl, abducted from my home by the insane priest. Whatever form the Grail took, it had to be bad news. The entire mountain pulsed with magic like a diseased human heart, and some unknown light source cast down a ruddy glow from the mountaintop, staining our path blood red.
Step. Step. Step.
Climbing the stone steps one by one, I tried my best to ignore the heaviness in my heart. Win or lose, there was one inevitable result of the upcoming clash. When the dust settled, Saber would disappear.
I glanced sideways at the golden-haired knight. She ascended the stairs with a determined glint in her eye, silent as the grave. There wasn't a hint of fear about her form, even knowing the opponent that awaited her at the temple.
For while Kirei was my own unbeatable enemy, she would have to face Gilgamesh.
Saber was one of the greatest swordsmen in human history, a king so powerful and so skilled that even fifteen centuries had done little to diminish her legend. She was a god of the battlefield, an invincible warrior that slew thousands of foes in the name of protecting the people of Britain.
But none of that prevented Gilgamesh from mangling her with a storm of blades, or overwhelming her holy sword and blasting her across the pavement.
It had taken our combined efforts and a miraculous discovery to escape that first encounter, and Lancer's sacrifice to escape the second. But now she would be facing the golden king head-on.
I could only pray that my gift would be enough to see her to victory.
The temple gate loomed before us, signaling the end of our journey. Before passing through to the battle beyond, I stopped short, taking this final chance to speak with my partner.
"Saber…" I turned to look at the servant. When her emerald eyes met my own, an irrational urge to run away from it all seized me. Why did she have to die? Was there some other way to stop Kotomine, so she could keep on living, so she could stay with me?
But as soon as the notion appeared, I crushed it. Beyond being selfish, it would be a betrayal of everything each of us stood for.
"Saber, this will be our last fight together. Good luck."
"And may fortune favor you, Shirou. I suppose we both will need it." She smiled softly, clutching an armored hand to her chest. "Though our battles must be separate, I am glad that you will be with me in spirit."
I grinned in turn, thinking of the sheath linking us. While I could not stand by her side, there was one way for me to help her, projection. The other day it had produced Caliburn, giving us the power to defeat Heracles together.
And this time, it duplicated her sheath.
That blue and gold miracle had been the one thing to give Gilgamesh pause, so each of us would be armed with a copy. This way, even separated, one could protect the other. My projection, as good as the original, would see Saber through her battle, while she could protect me with the real article.
Because that was what partners did, watch each other's backs.
"And I'm glad that you'll be with me. Just promise me one thing: Win your battle. Don't let that rapist beat you."
"Of course I will, my pride as a king and heroic spirit demand it." A flicker of worry crossed her face. "Just remember to be careful. That priest is not to be underestimated."
The weight hanging from my belt grew even heavier. "Don't worry, I won't let him get away with what he did to Tohsaka."
With that said, we passed through the mountain gate.
If anything, the pulsing mana grew even more oppressive, sweat beaded on my forehead and trickled down my face from the pressure in the air. But the suffocating magical energy was immediately forgotten. Baleful red light illuminated the entire mountaintop, evoking memories of the Blood Fort.
Everywhere that was, except for a pit of darkness behind the temple building.
My instincts screamed in terror. Something told me that this blackness, whatever it was, was made for killing humans. It stagnated the air, blighting it with an aura of death.
And standing in the center of the courtyard was a familiar avatar of arrogance, waiting patiently, as if the overpowering scent of rot meant nothing to him.
"You are finally here. I have been waiting for you, Saber."
Saber's face was carved from stone. "Gilgamesh, what do you intend to do? What wish could you possibly gain from that monstrosity masquerading as the Holy Grail?"
"I have told you, I have no wish, Kirei is the one with a use for that trinket. No, my one desire is you."
Hundreds of portals rippled into existence, revealing countless weapons ready to be fired.
His face took on a sinister cast. "But I cannot say the Grail is useless, I have been waiting for this opportunity. It will be a pleasure to pin you down and force its contents down your throat. To see you go mad, debasing yourself and begging at my feet!"
Saber was unmoved. "Well said, then you will have no objections to suffering the same fate."
"Oho! There it is, that indomitable spirit. Even in the face of certain defeat, your pride is undeniable."
The gold-plated servant waved me off. "You, lowlife! Kirei is waiting for you by the altar. Get out of my sight, I will accept no distractions from my victory."
I glanced at Saber, and she nodded my way. "Have faith master, I will be with you shortly."
'Right back at you.'
There was no place for me here, my opponent was behind the temple. I left Saber to her task, setting out to fulfill my own.
As I hurried towards the back of the building, the two servants finally clashed.
Behind the temple, there was a lake. Local legend said that a dragon used to live beside the pristine water, teaching martial arts to the monks. True or not, it had been beautiful, crystal clear and surrounded by vegetation.
But that was in the past. The lake had been stained by the horrifying blackness, which covered it like a vile oil slick. All the trees and plants had withered and died, the grass fading to a dirty brown.
As for the cause of this?
There was a void in the sky, ringed with red light and sucking in air like a hole to outer space. But more concerning was what came out of it, pitch-black sludge riddled with curses poured into the lake, adding depth to the carpet of corruption.
And hanging before the hole was Illya's naked form, presented as a sacrifice on this altar.
I snapped my gaze to the priest, waiting idly by the shore.
"Let her down Kotomine!"
The madman smirked, spreading his arms wide. "Welcome Shirou Emiya, the last surviving master. I am afraid I cannot do that. For my wish to be granted, she must suffer this treatment until she dies."
I nearly sagged in relief. She was alive, it wasn't too late to rescue her. But I needed to act fast, there was no way she'd last long in this evil place. "Then I'll just have to take you down, and stop this mud you wished for."
His face flickered with amusement. "Oh, this is not my wish, this is the true nature of the Holy Grail, the way it has been from the beginning. When she dies, that mud will surge out and bury the city beneath us. That is the real power of the Holy Grail, to unleash all the world's evils."
His words chilled me to the bone. This is what everyone fought over, for all these years? Then there had been no chance for a wish in the first place, nothing this evil could do an ounce of good.
But if this wasn't what he wished for…
"Kotomine, what is your wish?"
He smiled blissfully. "I believe I told you during our meeting at the church. In a word, entertainment."
And so, he explained his wish.
How all entertainment is the work of human beings, so humans are the source of all entertainment.
How a human's beauty was greatest when they died, burning like flickering flames in their final moments.
How the death and destruction of the Fuyuki Fire filled him with excitement.
How this sick desire meant that nobody loved humans more than him…
That does it. There was no way this man could be allowed to live, not when he was laughing in satisfaction when picturing people suffering and dying in vain!
I focused power in my feet, ready to jump at a moment's notice.
"Fine. So that means I can kill you!"
I leapt forwards with all my might—
STOP
—And dove sideways at the last second, body flowing into a roll.
For an instant, every instinct screamed that if I kept going, death would come for me.
What had happened?
Glancing right supplied the answer. There was a black splotch on the earth where I would have landed.
And hanging above it? A tentacle of black mud extended from the lake, coiled like a cobra ready to strike.
"I must inform you that you're in my range Emiya. Step carefully, this mud reacts to human life." Kotomine's smirk returned. "If you wish to reach me, you will need to put your life on the line."
The tentacles behind him multiplied, and lashed out one by one.
What followed was a deadly game of whack-a-mole, only Kotomine had dozens of hammers to wield against Shirou Emiya. Every time I tried to get closer to the madman, a tentacle would lash out, and others would strike from behind to take me down. I was reduced to dancing around the blows, barely staying alive while the smirking lunatic stood right there in front of me.
And even then, I wasn't unscathed. Countless near misses splattered me with mud, which ate through my clothes until it met my skin, causing instant numbness. I'd hate to find out what would happen if one of those actually hit me—
"Oww!"
I stumbled and collapsed on my chest. Of all the times to trip—
'Oh.'
My ankle didn't look too good. It was numb and completely covered in mud.
Kotomine wrinkled his nose. "That is all? A shame, I would have liked to have more fun, but you are Kiritsugu's son after all. What a disappointment."
Tentacles grasped my wrists and neck, suspending me before the priest. It took all my strength not to cry out, the mud burned like acid everywhere it touched my skin.
The priest's face split into an evil grin. "But even then, you are just a shallow copy of your father, the man was even more disappointing. Do you know he let me live after defeating me? It burned, to be spared by a heartless man like him. If he had killed me, the one who cursed him to death, then all those orphans would have lived peaceful lives, and this conversation would not be happening. But instead, he spared me, foolishly believing the Grail was destroyed, and left you to wallow in ignorance until he died from his curse."
My body trembled. This guy killed Kiritsugu?
"Tell me, on his deathbed, did he pass something on and die happily? Ha, how laughable, he accomplished nothing! He just pushed his responsibility onto you, his death must have been ridiculous!"
"YOU!"
I poured power into my limbs, ripping my way out of the tentacles and lunging forwards. The tendons in my ankle ripped apart, sending me sprawling, but I continued forwards, bounding on all fours towards the monster who murdered my father.
"Ah, I should have expected that much spirit. Here is your reward. Die in the same manner as Kiritsugu."
He scooped a ball of mud from behind him.
Behind me, there was a blinding golden flash. Saber had unleashed her noble—
"Angra Mainyu"
The world turned black…
And I was cast into hell.
The starting penalty is five. Life penalty, body penalty, freedom penalty, fame penalty, fortune penalty. Give the penalty that extends so much punishment, mud, darkness, and malice. Elimination of human rights by castration, exile, execution. Torture and sadism upon the body through digestion. Denial by consensus of the colony that eliminates all honor.
Die
False statement, theft, robbery, kidnap, suicide, rape, arson, infringement, dirty dirty dirty dirty dirty you are dirty atone atone atone atone atone atone every violence every crime every victim atone atone atone with death!
My brain exploded.
This darkness… It was impossible withstand. It stole away my body's warmth, invaded my senses, crushed me in its grip, force-fed me the record of man's atrocities…
A human couldn't withstand this, their mind would shatter under the endless assault of evil, then they would gibber and rave until they gnawed themselves to death in the darkness. It was an impossible miracle that Kiritsugu carried this within him for years before dying—
My thoughts stilled. Kiritsugu, he withstood this, so why couldn't I? Even bearing this curse, he still fought his way through the flames and saved my life.
I couldn't end like this, not with so many people counting on me. If I died, a tide of mud would engulf everyone in town. Illya would die hanging in mid-air, Tohsaka would be smothered in her sickbed, and Saber—
Yes, Saber.
If I died, so would she. She would return to that hill believing she had failed, that my death was all her fault.
I refused to let that happen. Kiritsugu passed on his dream of becoming a superhero, but all I'd ever done was lend a hand. Now the whole city needed saving, and the girl I loved was right behind me, fighting for her life. This curse might kill me, but like hell would I let them all down!
"AAAAAHHH!"
I leapt screaming out of the mud, making Kotomine gasp in shock.
My mind was fraying, as full of holes as my clothing from the mud's curse.
My throat felt as if I'd gargled lye, every breath tore new rips in my windpipe.
But that wasn't important, because I was mad. Mad at the mud for almost killing me, mad at humanity for creating all that evil, and mad at this lunatic for trying to melt me!
"What? How did you manage to shake that off?" Kotomine shouted, a bewildered look on his face.
My vision went red. After enduring that onslaught of human evil, seeing this monster's face finally tipped me over the edge. I drew Tohsaka's dagger from my belt, and hurled myself at the priest, screaming bloody murder.
Kirei scooped up another ball of mud. "So you survived? Then you can follow your servant. That flash of light was her being defeated, so you are all on your own."
He threw his hand forwards, releasing another torrent of darkness.
I struggled forwards against the blast, body and mind melting away in the void. There was no way for a human being to block this, no way to withstand this, and my already fractured mind almost buckled under a second bout with the curse.
But I continued on anyways, because Kirei had lied. He said that Saber had perished in that flash of light, but my command seal remained on my hand. As long as they remained there, there was proof that she was still fighting, depending on me to end this.
It also reminded me that even in the dark, she was still at my side. And that support was just what I needed to defeat the impossible.
A light shone in the darkness. The hammer in my head came down, accelerating my mind. Then the protection engraved on my very soul leapt to the front of my thoughts.
"Trace On"
My field of view was instantly engulfed by golden light. The sheath appeared in a flash, and I reached out and grabbed it.
In a heartbeat, all the filth around me was incinerated, the mud and curses tainting my body driven away.
"What—"
Kotomine only had the time to shout in confusion before I closed the distance and buried the Azoth dagger in his heart.
Racing past him, I poured power into my hand. This blow would end the fight.
The priest slowly turned around to face me, just in time for my fist to strike the dagger's hilt.
"Läßt!"
Lightning engulfed his chest when I shouted the activation phrase, pouring all my power into the dagger. When the sparks subsided, his body was intact, but there was no doubt he was done for.
Kotomine stared dumbly down at the blade in his chest. "Why do you have this sword?"
"It's a gift from Tohsaka."
"Oh. I see" He nodded slowly. Then his body collapsed and toppled into the mud he had summoned.
I breathed out, and sagged in exhaustion. That was it, he was gone. Glancing down at my hand, I saw the command spell still remained, and smiled softly.
She'd done it, she won her battle with Gilgamesh against all odds.
But before we could celebrate, there was one last thing to be done. Our enemies were defeated, but Fuyuki was still in danger.
In the sky above, the Grail had stopped pouring mud into the lake, but it still hung there, radiating malice. I scanned the area, and noticed that whatever magecraft held Illya suspended in the air had broken, and her body rested on the ground.
No way would I leave her anywhere near this filth. I gently lifted her tiny form and laid her to rest on the grass. After the nightmare she'd been through, there was no telling what shape she was in, but Tohsaka would know how to help her.
I heard the sound of footsteps, and turned around to see Saber standing behind me. Her armor was gone, likely destroyed in her battle, but she looked as beautiful and dignified as ever.
We gazed at each other in silence, basking in this last moment together.
But that moment had to end. Saber's eyes tightened, and her expression became deadly serious. "Master, I will destroy the Grail. That is my role." She raised her sword, and advanced on the black sun hanging above the lake.
The bottom dropped out of my stomach.
This was it, the moment I'd been dreading. Once that thing was destroyed, we would never see each other again. I would go back to my ordinary life, and she would be sent back to her time and end her life on that bloodstained hill.
After a few more steps, she stopped, and looked at me over her shoulder. "Shirou, give me the order. I cannot destroy the Grail without your order."
My hand trembled.
We both knew it would end this way. Saber did not belong in this time, only the power of the Grail brought us together. So as much as I desired to plead with her to stay, to keep living so we could both be happy together, I knew that would be pointless. Saber's reason for being was protecting others, and leaving this monstrosity untouched would betray her to the core.
With that in mind, I looked at her one last time, drinking in her appearance and engraving it in my memories. Her golden hair, her emerald eyes, that blue dress and the aura of dignity surrounding her… And with that done, it was time to end this.
But before I followed through, I took one last look at the cause of all this. The Grail may have let me meet Saber, but I couldn't help but hate the thing.
For centuries, this font of curses lurked beneath the city, luring in magi to fight to the death, slaughtering uncountable innocents in the crossfire. And it was all for nothing. There was no miracle engine at all, just a cup of curses waiting to spill out and erase everyone below.
This abomination had haunted me my entire life. It created the inferno that killed my birth parents and burned Shinto to the ground, robbed the orphans of their families so they would be sent to the hell under Kirei's church, cursed Kiritsugu to a slow death when he tried to stop it… and now it would carry off Saber to her doom with its destruction.
A flash of hate rose in my chest. "Saber," my voice trembled, "Destroy that abomination!"
The golden sword swung down. A beam of golden light filled the sky, and cut the grail in two. The black void dissipated in the wind.
With a flash of pain, my last command spell disappeared. And that told me what would happen next.
"So, this is it then?"
I paused, before answering her. "Yeah, it looks like there's nothing left. No mud, no grail, just the two of us."
Saber turned around and gave me a melancholy smile. "Good, I am glad. These last two weeks I have protected you from danger, and served as your sword against your enemies. Innocents were spared from harm, and the wicked were punished. But it seems our contract is at an end."
My heart clenched. This was it, the end of the war. I released a shuddering breath, and smiled at her.
"Yeah, it looks like it is Saber. You did great."
The rising sun stained the horizon gold, and the wind picked up. Saber seemed to prepare herself, before she spoke again.
"Shirou, before I go, there is one thing I must tell you."
Her voice was filled with determination.
"What is it Saber?"
Her body shimmered like a mirage, then she replied, looking me straight in the eye.
"Shirou, I love you."
The wind blew, making me squeeze my eyes shut. When I opened them again, she had vanished. Another gust of wind erased the last trace of the knight, the footprints she left behind.
A tear ran down my cheek.
She was gone. I wished she could have stayed, but the Grail was the only thing keeping her from returning to her time. Despite everything, I didn't think she'd want it any other way. Now she could go to her rest, content in the knowledge that she had saved thousands of lives.
I shook my head, and looked around the mountain, seeing the little white-haired girl I came to rescue.
'At least I saved this one.'
But not Saber. She never got to live for herself, only for others, and those people spat on her sacrifice. While she could die proud, knowing she had done right by her people, there was nothing fair about her life.
"You fought so hard Saber. I wish I could have given you the happy life you deserved."
But that was impossible. Saber's time was over, and she'd drawn her final breath centuries ago. I could only hope that she found peace in her final moments.
"Stop that! There's nothing you can do for her."
I shook myself out of my stupor. Right, there were still other people to save. Illya needed to be tended to, and I'd promised Tohsaka a big breakfast when she woke up. Even with Saber gone, there were plenty of others that needed me. Now, my first concern was how to carry a naked child through town without getting arrested—
A light burst into existence in the sky.
"What—"
I gaped at the light. It was like the grail, yet entirely different. While the grail was a black void, this was a green-gold sun, hanging in the sky.
I staggered back, staring in wonder. "Wha—what's going on?"
The moment I asked that question, my world was engulfed by golden light.
The next few seconds were a confused blur.
My body became weightless, like I was floating in the void. Then the world blazed crimson, and an impossible pressure engulfed me, like I was a bug being crushed in the fist of an angry god.
It was unbearable. I couldn't even scream, the pain was too great. My guts felt like they would get squeezed out of me like toothpaste and paint my surroundings even redder.
Why was I suffering? What was happening to me?
But as quick as it came, the pressure vanished, and the expanse of red was replaced with a blinding flash of electric blue.
There was a great grinding, ripping sound, like the world was torn in half.
And then I was falling.