3: The Last Moments of Peace

"If the true role of a hero is to be detested and shunned, then, as my duty, I shall take on that role. Just like my Master."

"Illya, look who is here."

"My Saber!" The little girl smiled and rushed to the door, but suddenly stopped halfway. She crossed her arms and gave Saber a strange look. "You weren't here when I woke up, like you promised! I will not tolerate cheating!"

Having no good excuse, Saber only sighed.

"I'm sorry, Master, I…"

"Saber was helping me with a very important task." Irisviel decided to support him a little. "So don't be angry at him."

"Really?" Illya was still suspicious, but clearly wanted to believe in this explanation.

"Really," both her mother and Servant confirmed without hesitation.

"Fine. I can forgive you this time." The girl smiled, she had a manners of a true princess right now. "Now sit with me."

They sat together on the bed to talk about their plans and general rules of the war. Mostly Irisviel was speaking, with Illya rarely asking questions and Saber confirming some details.

"Master, please save your Command Spells for a truly important task, but don't hesitate to use them in danger."

"And if I feel lonely?"

"Then you just think about me." Irisviel smiled to Illya and kissed her forehead. "I've told you that I will always be with you, no matter what, right?"

"Um." The girl closed her eyes and clung to Irisviel. Saber felt extremely uncomfortable, intruding into their private moment. He intended to leave, but Illya grasped his hand. Or rather a finger, her hand was just too small, compared with his.

"No, you came late, so now you have to stay longer with me."

"As you wish, Master." Warmness and affection in his voice made Iri smile. "I haven't told you my name yet. I'm Sie…"

"I know, the Dragon Slayer!" Illyasviel smiled. Actually she was a better and smarter Master than anyone could expect. "You smell like a dragon! And you're strong. A hero, who never loses!"

Irisviel could not resist and laughed at loud, seeing Saber's embarrassment. Actually, he looked like he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him. This legendary warrior has been just crushed by a little girl.

Well, at least it was clear, who's the Master in their team.

"Saber?"

"Yes, Lady Irisviel?"

"You're blushing." She had no mercy for him.

"It's because my Master praises me too much. I don't deserve it."

"No, it's true!" Illya crossed her arms again. "You have never been defeated, even once. And you're not allowed to lose or die, got it?" She pointed toward him. "My Servant is the strongest and won't lose. This is my first order for you, Saber."

She was extremely serious right now, so Siegfried had no choice, but to bow before her, accepting this command.

"Understood, Master."

Thus their true contract was made, filling them both with new energy and – what's even more important – new hope.

Arturia decided to practice a little, so she went outside and summoned her horse. Her amazing weapon seemed to be able to pierce through literally everything. Some fallen, awfully damaged trees were enough to tell – it looked like they have been destroyed by a division of battle tanks, not a single rider.

Right now Lancer was standing in the middle of this mess, similar to a landscape after a hurricane, petting her demonic mount. Her black armor seemed somehow out of place in the snow, so she dispelled some parts of this battle outfit, including her scary helmet. Now she looked like a very attractive woman, not a dark knight from the worst nightmares. She was stunningly beautiful, to be honest.

"What a wonderful creature," Saber said, approaching her through the snowdrifts.

Lancer turned around and stared at him, her eyebrows raised questioningly.

"Your mare. Too." He winked and slowly reached out his hand to the mount. The horse sniffed several times, with its ears pinned back in anger, but did not bite and even let Siegfried touch her neck.

"Llamrei," Lancer said suddenly, not even looking at Saber.

"Hmm?"

"Her name. Llamrei." She caressed mare's nostrils with a thin smile. "You must have some experience in taming horses. She usually isn't this nice."

"Well, I befriended a magnificent beast once." Saber smiled but there was an obvious sadness in his voice. "Never mind."

They were standing like this, inhaling the fresh, cold air and completely ignoring the falling snow. It could be their last moment of peace before the upcoming storm.

"What do you think about Kiritsugu's wish?" - Arturia spoke suddenly. "I ask you as our ally."

"About saving the world, like Lady Irisviel said? Hmm… I find small wishes much more captivating." He smiled. "They may be egoistic, but it's only a part of human nature."

"If they are so small, why people need help to grant them?"

"Sometimes the smallest thing is impossible to achieve if you're alone and desperate. That's why people entrust their wishes to someone, who's recognized as powerful. It's almost like a prayer."

"I see. So you've responded only to requests which were asked of you?"

It was a quick and accurate conclusion. Arturia has figured him out easily – a clear sign, that she must have had some similar experiences in the past. Or at least that she kept thinking about such things a lot.

"During my life? Yes. I got a chance to fix my mistake later and I'm going to follow this new, better path." A strange light appeared in his eyes, when he remembered something.

"Be careful, I know what it means to constantly save people. It's not really making them happy."

"I know. It's impossible to carry everything in the world in a single person's arms. But isn't it exactly what your Master is trying to do?"

Arturia lowered her head a little, thinking.

"You think it's pointless?"

"Probably. But maybe your Master is much wiser than me and knows the way to actually save the world, who knows?"

Lancer stared at him, her piercing gaze seemed to reach his very soul. Then she closed her beautiful golden eyes and smiled.

"So it's worth trying, right? That's why I will assist my Master and I'll do what I can to help him fulfill this dream. I will crush everything on our way. His goal is worth the sacrifice."

"Even if you feel, that it's just wrong, like killing innocents, you'll still follow his orders?"

"We all left piles of corpses behind us, otherwise we wouldn't become Heroic Spirits."

Saber didn't even try to deny it.

"Yes, I did many things I'm not proud of, I suppose we all did." And he swore to never be like this again. "After all, a hero continues to fight, like a madman, to the bitter end. This is who we are."

"Ah, we can't just stop, no matter what."

"For all the people, who believe in us," Siegfried whispered.

"For all the lives that perished because of us," Arturia added quietly, speaking more to herself than to him. "We must go forward, because the salvation awaits at the end. If the true role of a hero is to be detested and shunned, then, as my duty, I shall take on that role. Just like my Master."

"I see."

He couldn't say that she's wrong, at least not completely. Moreover, he was not the one to decide. A certain Heroic Spirit has taught him once, that a wish of every single soul summoned to participate in the Holy Grail War is equally important. They must fight for those dreams, it's the only way.

Siegfried was good at fulfilling wishes, even if they were not really worth granting. This time the really important one has been entrusted to him, so...

"Let us be allies as long as possible," he said after a moment of silence.

Lancer nodded.

"But I suppose that none of us will be able to abandon our ideals in the end."

"So it seems. When the time comes, I will entrust my life to my blade, like my Master ordered me to."

"But remember, that my spear has already pierced the heart of a dragon." Even if it was a warning or threat, Arturia remained calm, and Saber only nodded, accepting this simple truth.

They both cared for people and hated unnecessary cruelty. They understood and respected each other, which let them form a wonderful alliance, but the aspirations of their Masters were mutually exclusive. It's only a matter of time before their ideals collide.

"I'm so high up!" - Illya shouted, excited and happy, raising her hands high above her head.

Kiritsugu has just picked her up from the ground and gave her a piggyback ride through the forest around the Einzbern castle. They went for a walk and, as usual, they were counting walnut buds. This time Illyasviel seemed really determined to win this little contest.

"Listen, Illya." Kiritsugu soon became serious again. "You won't mind if I borrow your Saber for a while?"

"Um." The girl nodded eagerly. "Mother told me already. But you will return him to me?"

"Of course." Her father chuckled. "He's yours, after all."

"And he's so strong!"

"Speaking of which… what can he truly do? Please, tell me."

Surprisingly, she hesitated. Kiritsugu did not understand the true meaning behind this silence.

"What's wrong, Illya?"

"You're a Master, I can't tell you," she explained simply. She must have realized that this is somehow against the rules of the Holy Grail War.

"But he won't be of any help, if I don't know how to use his skills."

"Saber is not a machine to be used. He will help you." The little girl smiled widely, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You need to ask him, that's all."

Kiritsugu sighed.

"Illya, it's not that simple…"

"It is!" She was so sure about it, that Emiya started to suspect something. "Saber can't refuse if you ask him for help. But you must really need it."

"Why?"

"I don't know. But he can't. Oh, I found one, there!" She showed Kiritsugu the bud and chuckled, playing with his hair.

Emiya stopped, not sure what to think about it. If this skill, or whatever it was, worked exactly like Illyasviel said, it could mean only some serious troubles. It was most likely another curse, like the weak point on his back. Maybe old Acht was right, that summoning this hero is more problematic than it seems and he's really not worth the effort?

"Kiritsugu?" Illya poked her father in the head, alarmed by this prolonged pause.

"Yes, yes, we keep going…" The snow creaked under his shoes, when he started walking again. "Tell me, what is the Noble Phantasm of your Servant?"

"Noble Phan…?" She bit her fingernail, thinking. "This scary thing only he can use?"

"Exactly."

"Hmm…" Illyasviel started counting on her fingers while speaking, to not forget any important details. "His armor, his sword and cloak."

"This cloak too?" That was something new for Kiritsugu. He tried to recall some local legends, but couldn't remember anything useful enough and decided to do some research later.

"Um. There should be also the gold and his horse, but they are blocked, I don't know why." She saddened immediately. "Is this because I'm a weak magus?"

"No, Illya, you are a very powerful magus. More than me."

"But grandfather said, that if we do another surgery…"

"I don't care, what grandfather said," Kiritsugu interjected, louder and much more fiercely than he intended to. "You're strong enough, Illya. No more surgery."

"Yay!" She smiled with relief. "I don't like being cut. It hurts."

"You won't be, don't worry." Kiritsugu was so angry, that he decided to remain silent until he regains his usual composure. It might be their last walk together, so it's better for Illya to remember it as a positive experience, not spoiled by his bitter expression and rude behavior.

They kept walking through the winter forest until they lost sight of the castle. Then Kiritsugu chose a narrow path, which should lead them to the side entrance of the fortress.

"We're going back already?" – Illya had nothing against this idea, it was cold enough and the snow started falling again, making her game impossible to continue. "How many walnut buds you spotted?"

"Four."

"Ha, ha! I won this time!" She clapped her hands, truly happy. "I found six! I'm the champion of the Walnut Game!"

"Of course you are, my princess. The Champion Princess Illyasviel!" Kiritsugu laughed. He grabbed his daughter and twirled her around in the air, but quickly became serious again, like if he was ashamed of such rare and short moments of happiness. He put the girl back on the ground. "Illya, try not to waste your Command Spells, ok? They're very precious."

"I know. I won't need them anyway."

"Good." Emiya nodded, although he knew that it's not truth. Her Command Spells were necessary to move forward with his new plan. At least one spell must remain, to order Saber to commit suicide.

If everything goes as planned and their team reaches the final stage of this conflict, Kiritsugu will not risk losing or damaging his Lancer at the very end of this dangerous, bloody path.

"We should proceed imediately with our plan."

Tokiomi's voice was coming through the magical communicator in the church. Although the sound was distorted, it was easy to notice, how upset the red magus really is.

"It's pointless now," Kirei Kotomine explained in an emotionless voice. "Some Masters have not yet arrived, others did not make any move. It makes no sense to start the show, when there's no audience."

"Who's late? The Einzberns?"

"Yes. And one more, we have no idea, who exactly."

"I see." Tokiomi was silent for a long while, then sighed. "Let's give them two more nights then."

It was unusual for incredibly patient Tokiomi to act in such haste, but he summoned a very unusual Servant. Gilgamesh was now running around the town, 'seeking entertainment', like he himself proclaimed. While other teams were making plans in hiding, trying to know their enemies, Tohsaka's Servant was just recklessly wandering through Fuyuki, not even bothering to hide his presence.

Tokiomi tried to discuss his tactics with Gilgamesh, but it seemed that their opinions in this matter were quite different. The King of Heroes found the reasoning of his Master ridiculous, claiming that he has nothing to fear. He said, that the only good thing about the Holy Grail War is the last, open battle between the most powerful adversaries, and Tohsaka, who can only hide in the shadows, is nothing more than a scared rat or worthless mongrel.

This Servant was extremely hard to control; Tokiomi was not sure anymore, that he will participate in a fake attack on Assassin without the use of a Command Spell. Maybe he will manage to convince him somehow before the arrival of the Einzbern Master?

It might not be visible at the first glance, but Kotomine was even more nervous and impatient than Tohsaka. Knowing neither joy, nor excitement until now, he could hardly control those new feelings.

After listening the reports from his Assassins, Kirei came out from the church and stared at the night sky, at the waning moon on the ideal black, cloudless background. It was just like he felt inside – he has found a single light in absolute darkness. For the first time in his life he actually yearned for something.

"Where are you, Kiritsugu Emiya? Come, I'm waiting."

"So this is where Kiritsugu was born" - it was the first thing Irisviel said after getting off the plane.

She looked around, letting her long hair blow in the wind. Then she turned back and laughed at the view of two Servants, who has joined her outside.

"Is something wrong?" – Lancer asked and automatically checked her disobedient hair.

"No, you just look fantastic together in these clothes. Like a beautiful couple."

Lancer and Saber stared at each other and shrugged. Arturia wore a simple, elegant black suit and Siegfried wore a slightly less formal outfit, in the color of steel, matched to his hair. They really could be taken for a couple of foreign businessmen on a trip.

Irisviel insisted on dressing them like this and she had a lot of fun shopping. The journey together was also enjoyable, much better than with invisible Servants. Arturia could not shift into spirit form at all and Siegfried still had some problems, which were supposed to be solved soon - after a proper training that Illya is going to have with her new maid, Sella - so it was inevitable. But no one regretted the hours spent together on the plane.

Illyasviel had a great time during the flight and now was exhausted. She slowly proceeded down the stairs, yawning and rubbing her eyes with her fists. Iri tenderly hugged her daughter to say goodbye.

Both Servants waited, watching them from afar, to not interrupt this family moment. Finally, the already half-asleep girl waved to them and left the airport with her maids.

Irisviel wiped away her tears and took a deep breath, while turning to Saber.

"This is for you." She gave him a piece of paper with an address written on it, and a strange little key. "Find this hotel, you have a room booked there. And your motorcycle is parked outside."

"Oh?" Siegfried did not expect, that they've prepared everything for him. "Really, so much troubles…"

"Not at all." Iri smiled, so honestly, that Saber could only give up and smile back to her. He was surprisingly defenseless against her subtle charm. "The fact, that we're going to act separately, doesn't mean that you must be homeless, right? It would be inconvenient and dangerous."

"B…"

"Stop it, no apologizing." Irisviel laughed. "This machine is just an investment in our safety. We won't be using a Command Spell every time to transport you quickly to the battlefield."

"I see. Thank you." He hesitated, but decided to hug her eventually. "Please be careful."

Lancer did not burn with enthusiasm for such effusive farewells. She just bowed slightly and followed Irisviel through the corridor, leaving Siegfried alone in the strange, foreign country.

He made it somehow to the exit and whistled with admiration, when he found his new motorcycle. To say that he liked it is not enough. This vehicle was just perfect.

"So it begins?"

With a wide smile on his face, Saber fired up the engine and headed out on the open road to test the limits of the machine.

Thank You for comments and support. Again: no answers = no spoilers, forgive me. But yes, this Gilgamesh seems to be more like the one from Fate/Prototype.
Thank You for reading and don't hesitate to leave a comment!