Saber (FSN) 4

Saber's hands were bound as she watched soldiers being taken off to the headsman's block.

"Hold it." one of the men exclaimed, "Who are you?"

Everything went static for a couple seconds.

"Hmm," the man looked at the chart, then to the woman next to him, "Captain, she isn't on the list."

"Forget the list," the captain replied, "She goes to the block."

"With all due respect, captain, this child is not from around here. We have no idea who she is. Add that our relations with Whiterun, and executing an innocent civilian could jeopardize our efforts."

"Is something the matter?" A new man, clearly a high ranking officer, approached them.

"This woman isn't on the list, General Tullius."

General Tullius brought a knuckle to his chin. "Hadvar, take her back to the stockades. We'll figure out more about her later, and decide her fate then."

"Yes, General," the man, Hadvar, replied, "Follow me, prisoner."

Saber followed the man, heading towards the keep.

"I thank you for defending me." Saber stated.

"Well, I couldn't let a little girl die. What were you doing there, anyways?"

"I'm not sure where 'there' was. I simply woke up in that cart."

"Hmm."

"What in Oblivion is that!?" General Tullius cried out. Saber and Hadvar turned, seeing a dragon flying down towards the town. It crashed through a tower, and Hadvar and Saber leaped away, being separated.

"Prisoner, stay alive! I'll find a way to you!"

"You, girl," another soldier, one of the people being sent to the headsman's block, called to her, "Come on. The gods won't give us another chance!"

Saber followed the man, entering a tower. There, the man, alongside two others, helped remove the pillory and bag over a fourth man.

"Jarl Ulfric," the man said, "What is that thing? Could the legends be true?"

"Legends don't burn down villages, Ralof," Ulfric replied, "We need to move, now! Up the tower!"

Without a second though, Saber started running up the spiral stone stairway. Coming up to a collapsed portion, she saw another soldier, trying to clear rubble.

"If we get this clear, we'll be able to~"

He didn't get to finish as the wall beside him burst open, crushing him as the dragon's head appeared. Saber ducked to the side as it breathed fire into the tower, before leaving. Saber looked out the hole, seeing a building on the other side.

"Wait!" Ralof exclaimed, "Does anyone have a blade?!"

"Here." Ulfric came up with an axe, handing it to Ralof. Ralof then cut the rope binding Saber's hands.

"Thank you, Sir Ralof."

"Huh, not a Sir, just a true son of Skyrim. Now, jump to the inn, we'll be right behind you."

Saber nodded, leaping to the building, landing with a roll. As she turned around, the flames grew in size.

"Damn," Ulfric exclaimed, "You go ahead, young cub! We'll find another way!"

Saber nodded. She didn't like leaving them behind, but found no way to help them. Leaping from the second floor, she ran out the building, seeing a boy trying to pull his bleeding father. Hadvar was with an elderly man, trying to hide him behind another building.

"Haming!" Hadvar exclaimed, "You need to get over here, now!"

"My boy," the dying man said, "Please, go to him."

The boy, despite tears in his eyes, ran to Hadvar.

"That a boy. You're doing great," the dragon then landed infront of the dying father, "Torolf!" But it was too late, as the dragon burnt his body, "Gods…Everyone get back!"

The dragon breathed more fire as Hadvar ran behind the building, Saber running to them.

"Still alive, prisoner? Keep close to me if you want to stay that way. Gunnar, take care of the boy, I have to find General Tullius and join the defense."

"Gods guide you, Hadvar."

Hadvar began running towards one of the walls, Saber following closely behind.

"Where's General Tullius?" Saber exclaimed.

"At the main gate. If anyone can figure out how to kill this thing, it's him."

"This place has little defenses against such a creature. I'd recommend~"

"Stay close to the wall!" Hadvar cried out, just as the dragon landed on said wall. The two hugged it, hoping the dragon wouldn't spot them. Luckily, it didn't as it torched several soldiers.

"Gods, how do you stop this thing? Quickly, follow me!"

The two ran through a burning building, coming out to several soldiers.

"Into the keep, soldiers," General Tullius called out from the gate wall, "We're leaving!"

"Damn. Well, you heard the General. To the keep!"

Saber and Hadvar began running, Saber picking up a sword from a fallen soldier. As they neared, they saw Ralof running to it as well.

"Ralof, you damn traitor! Out of my way!"

"We're escaping, Hadvar. You aren't stopping us!"

"...Fine! I hope that dragon takes you all to Sovngarde!"

"Are you both serious?!" Saber proclaimed, catching the other two by surprise, "There's a dragon here, something that can and will kill both of you, and you still consider yourselves enemies?!"

"It's~" Hadvar began, but Saber interrupted.

"I don't care what your past conflicts are about. What matters is, if we don't work together, none of us will live to argue about them."

"The girl's right. We can argue about this after we're safe and sound."

The dragon made another pass, knocking a stone pillar down, and blocking the main entrance to the keep.

"Shor's bones!" Hadvar exclaimed.

"Run to the other entrance!" Saber commanded, Ralof and Hadvar following closely behind her.

February 4th, 2004

Shirou awoke to a gasp. He leaned up from his futon, rubbing his forehead.

'What the hell was that? That was some insane dream.' Shirou stood up, looking at his hand. 'Well, I guess it was too much to hope that last night was also a dream.' Getting dressed, he left his room, heading to the kitchen. Upon arriving, he saw Saber, wearing the black robes she had last night, kneeling infront of the table.

"Shirou, it is good that you have awakened. I take it your sleep was uninterrupted?"

"Yeah. Although, I now realized I have a new problem."

Saber stood up. "Is it something I can help you with?"

"Actually, you are the source of it."

'?'

"What's Taiga going to think when she sees you?"

"I assume this Taiga is someone related to you?"

"Not exactly. She's my legal guardian after my dad died."

'Hmm, so Kiritsugu isn't alive anymore? Strange if it's only been ten years.'

"She's going to flip if she sees you."

"How would you say she'd react?"

"Well, most likely with accusations. I swear, she may be my guardian, but it feels like I'm the adult between the two."

Saber had a mild recollection of Merlin, which made her mouth twitch. Annoyance or amusement, she didn't know.

"It won't be a problem, will it?"

"Not for you. I'll be taking the brunt of the accusations."

"Shirou, as you are my Master, I cannot let you be harmed when I'm the cause of it. As such, during the day, I shall remain in my room."

Shirou gasped in shame, "You don't need to do that."

"I don't. But I insist that I must."

Shirou sighed, clearly realizing this was a losing battle. They heard a ringing at the door. Saber casted a spell, turning herself completely invisible. After a second of being stunned, Shirou walked to the door as a second set of ringing occurred.

"Okay," Shirou called out in annoyance, "I'm coming."

Sliding it open, he found Rin standing there. "Tohsaka, what are you doing here?"

Rin sighed, "I said that, if I felt like it, I would come here tomorrow to explain some things."

"Oh, right." Shirou then allowed Rin to enter. The two walked into the dining room, Saber cancelling the spell and returning to normal.

"I thought you couldn't dematerialize?"

"I can't. However, I know an invisibility spell. If you bumped into me you'd definitely notice, possibly even break the spell depending on how hard the impact was, but, otherwise, I'm unseenable."

"Add that to the bull list," Rin muttered as she sat down, "So, you wanted to know about the Einzberns, correct?"

Shirou went to prepare another meal, "Yeah. That seems like an important name."

"It is, considering it's one of the three families that started the Holy Grail Wars in the first place."

"What?"

"Yep. Around three hundred years ago, Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, the current head of the Einzbern family, alongside two other mages, created the system that forged the Holy Grail War, wishing to reach the Root."

"The Root?"

"You don't need to be concerned about that. Simply put, if a magus reached the Root, they'd gain Magic."

"But, don't we have magic?"

Rin pinched her forehead. "Right, forgot you're a novice. Shirou, what we do is called Magecraft. It is not the same as True Magic. What we use is laughable compared to what Mages could do thousands of years ago. However, if you reached the Root, you could obtain True Magic."

"So this is obviously a big deal."

"As far as I know, there's only one magus in the modern era that uses true magic, and he's in London. So, yes, it's important."

As the two talked, Saber decided to get a taste of the food. She placed the first bite in her mouth~Saber's eyes widened. If anyone was paying attention to her, they'd notice the strand of her hair that sticks out wagging slightly.

'Probably shouldn't disturb them.' She rationalized as she continued eating the food quietly. 'Is this Earth's Gourmet?!'

"Wait, Rin, you said Justeaze had two other mages with her. Who were they?"

Rin took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "Their names were Makiri Zolgen…and Nagato Tohsaka."

Shirou's eyes widened at the last name.

"Yes. My family had a hand in creating the Holy Grail Wars. Do you disapprove?"

"No, I never said that. Only just surprised."

"Back to the Einzberns~"

"Wait, are we just dropping the fact that your family~"

"It's common knowledge amongst the Mage Association, and it isn't worth a lengthy discussion, so, yes, we're dropping it for more pressing matters. Like the fact that the Einzbern Master has decided to put you as her main target."

"Yeah. I've seen her before I summoned Saber."

"Oh, great, which means she's had her eye on you from the beginning. And her 'Big Brother' comment is," Rin shuddered, "Disturbing. Be glad Saber is as strong as she is. I don't want to think what the girl has planned for you."

The two turned, seeing Saber had finished her food. Briefly, they both looked shocked, looking down at how they had only finished half their bowls. Saber offered the empty bowl.

"I don't suppose there's more."

"Oh, sorry Saber." Shirou took the bowl, putting more into it.

"Thank you, Shirou."

"Jeez, she's a fast eater." Rin muttered. 'Though, given the taste, I can't blame her.'

"I have to say," Shirou said, eating more of his meal, "This is the second time the Einzberns have been brought up to me."

"Second?"

"Yeah. Yesterday, I went to Sakura's place, and ended up meeting her grandfather. He asked~"

Before he could say more, the hand holding his bowl was grabbed. Shocked, both Shirou and Saber looked up at an enraged Rin. Saber herself didn't feel like Rin was going to attack him, but her fingers became cold as a spell was prepared, just in case.

"Tohsaka?"

"Shirou, stay away from that place."

"What?"

Stay away from the Matou residence!"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't have a problem with you being friends with Sakura, and even…Shinji," Rin growled, "Despite how much of a pain he is to me, but their grandfather, Zouken Matou, is someone you shouldn't associate with."

"Why?"

"When I was young, my father told me to not get anywhere near Zouken. Once he…died, I looked over our family records to see if they had any information on him. Over the years, my family has kept tabs on both founding families. Especially since, with each war, at least one member of each family participates in it. I learned that Makiri Zolgen eventually changed his name to Zouken Makiri."

"Wait, you mean~"

"And, when Zouken moved to Japan, he changed it again to Matou. Zouken is the same slimy bastard from three hundred years ago. I'm not sure how powerful he could be, and, frankly, I don't want to test that out. Simply put, stay away from him. His family bloodline might be dried up, but the man himself, again, I don't want to test that theory."

"Okay, I get it. He's scary and possibly powerful."

Rin sighed, "I'm only telling you because that man will likely find a way to take your Command Seals and then kill you. I don't want that kind of man having someone as powerful as Saber."

Sabar silently agreed. 'This Zouken would surely know how to fully utilize me. However, I've already sworn myself to Shirou. Even if he dies, I will not serve the one who kills him.'

Rin, having finished her meal, stood up. "Well, that's all I have to say. However, there is one thing I'd like to ask: Would you consider forming an alliance."

"An alliance?"

"You're Servant can clearly stand up against Berserker, but, with his regeneration, I'm not sure she can last in an endurance battle."

'So long as Illya doesn't decide to go after Shirou directly, I'm fairly certain I can.'

"Simply put, if you help me, we might be able to take Illyasviel down."

Shirou's eyes widened. He looked down, unsure of how to respond.

"I don't know."

Saber raised an eyebrow while Rin looked shocked.

"What do you mean 'I don't know'? That girl is gunning for you. You might be her last target, but that means you have time to prepare. Why waste it?"

"Zouken asked me about her, but I told him I didn't know anything about the Einzberns. He was surprised that I didn't. He acted as if I should've known them."

'So,' Saber thought solemnly, 'Kiritsugu didn't tell Shirou about them. Why?' "Shirou, the Einzberns had a manor outside the city during the Fourth War. I don't know if it's still there, but it's worth investigating."

Rin groaned, "Don't tell me you're going to walk up to the person who tried to kill us last night?"

"Okay," Shirou replied, "When you say it like that, it sounds stupid."

"That's because it is stupid! The rules state that Servants and Masters shouldn't battle during the day, as it could draw unwanted attention. However, going to her estate, which is outside town, will give her the perfect chance to bypass that rule!"

"But if I don't, then how will I know why she's targeting me?"

"AGG! You're hopeless!" Rin stood up, "If you go after her, I'm not helping! You're on your own."

"That's okay. I wouldn't want you to put yourself at risk for my sake."

For some reason, that only made Rin angrier. "Ugh, can you at least agree to a non-aggression pact? I don't want the two of us to try killing each other until we're the last ones standing."

"If it's alright with Saber, I don't see a problem."

"It is only natural to not fight those you consider friends, so I have no objections."

Rin rubbed her forehead. "Well, at least one good thing happened today. I'll see you tomorrow, Shirou."

With that, Rin left the Emiya household. Saber then spoke up as she finished her second bowl. "Shirou, once you have finished, I'd like to meet you in your forge."

"My forge?"

"The place you summoned me."

"You mean my workshop?"

"If that is what you call it, then I shall as well."

With that, Saber got up, leaving Shirou to clean the dishes. When she walked outside, the side of her head felt discomfort as the sun beat down on it. As she crossed the yard to the workshop, she stopped midway.

"You can come out, now."

Archer then materialized a few feet to her right. "Just who are you?"

"I'm sorry, but my identity is not to be revealed unless Shirou wishes it."

"Stop playing around. I have a comprehensive knowledge of weapons, yet I've never heard of Volendrung. Nor have I heard of Volenfell, or a country forged by that hammer."

"Perhaps it is so miniscule that it could easily be missed."

"Unlikely, as something so small wouldn't be easily written in the Throne of Heroes."

"Regardless, you will not get any answers from me. Now, if you don't mind, my Master will have need of my services soon."

Archer narrowed his eyes in annoyance, but eventually dematerialized. She entered the workshop, and began clearing space. Once adequate space was achieved, she summoned a tanning rack and anvil. She was beginning to make a mental list of the materials she had when Shirou entered.

"Saber," he stated, seeing the stuff he summoned, "What are you doing?"

"I'm simply preparing you. Tell me, do you intend to go anywhere during the Holy Grail War, or will you remain here until nightfall?"

"What? I can't stay here all the time. I have school to go to."

"Hmm, unorthodox, but understandable. Do you have a school uniform, or are you allowed to wear clothes of your choosing?"

"Uniform."

"Could you bring it here? And, pardon my bluntness, but quickly. The less time I spend here, the more we can spend on scouting and figuring out our enemies, not to mention training you, of course."

Shirou nodded, running out of the shed. After a moment, he returned with a brown uniform. Handing it to Saber, she inspected it.

"Alright. I should be able to craft it rather quickly."

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"If you are going to be heading to school, you'll need protection. I can craft a version of your school uniform that is far stronger than normal clothing."

"Is that really necessary? I mean, I highly doubt they'll attack me at school."

Saber turned to him, giving him a disappointed look. Shirou flinched at it, almost like a child being scolded.

"The fact that you say that almost guarantees that you'll be attacked. Regardless, since I cannot accompany you to school, I must provide you with adequate gear to defend yourself."

With that, saber brought up several pieces of leather, as well as paint cans.

"Um, Saber, I don't think paint cans are how you get different color clothing."

"Yes, but I possess several alteration spells that can make the normally difficult process much more seamless."

With that, Saber got to work. Shirou watched in slight amazement as Saber worked to and from, her hands a blur as she worked on the clothes. A thought soon occurred to him. Saber wouldn't be needing to do this if it wasn't for the improper connection. He rubbed his head in embarrassment.

"Sorry for troubling you."

"It's no issue. You are my Master, Shirou. Which means I should be looking after your safety."

"Well, yeah. But I mean, you wouldn't be having to do this if I didn't botch the summoning."

Saber halted, Shirou realizing that, in just a couple minutes, she had already fashioned the pants. 'She does it that fast?! Is she also a seamstress?'

"Shirou, it's no issue. Even if the summoning was done correctly, I still wouldn't be able to dematerialize."

"Why?"

"Because, unlike most Heroic Spirits, I'm technically not dead."

"...I'm sorry, you'll have to explain that one to me."

"You see, according to history, I did die after a specific battle. However, before my death, I made an offer to…since you're a novice, this might be difficult to explain, so let's simply call it the Spirit of the World."

"Okay."

"In essence, every time I 'die' in a Holy Grail war, instead of returning to the Throne of Heroes, I'm sent back to the place at which I die. And, before my death, if I'm summoned, I'm sent to that time period fully healed. As such, I'm not a spirit, but an actual living person," Saber gave a smirk, "And I'm pretty sure you can't turn into a ghost."

"So…who were you before you…died?" Honestly, the whole concept was only making Shirou even more confused.

Saber now had her own contemplation. Should she reveal her identity to Shirou, or keep it.

'Shirou is not an experienced mage, so his mental defences are practically non-existent. Which means any skilled mage could peer into his mind and discover my identity…However, perhaps that could be used to my advantage.'

"I must warn you that, as a novice, you might be susceptible to mind spells. Should that happen, my identity would likely be revealed. I don't need to say why that would be…problematic."

"It's so that their weaknesses aren't known."

"Correct. For instance, if I were to know my opponent is Achilles, then, naturally I would try to attack his heels. Not only that, but a skilled opponent can use the very history of their opponent against them, such as their regrets. One person used such a thing against me."

Saber looked down, remembering Iskandar's scolding.

"Um, Saber, are you alright?"

Saber shook her head, "Forgive me, Shirou, I was just remembering something."

"It's alright. If you don't wish to tell me, I'll understand. I'm not sure even a dragon could take you down."

Saber arched an eyebrow. The specific mention of a dragon made her curious. "Why that specific creature?"

"Ah, sorry. I had a weird dream last night."

"Ah. Forgive me, Shirou. That is another thing that I should mention. When a Master and Servant form a contract, it is common for both to see the memories of the other. You likely saw a memory of my past."

"Wait, so you actually fought a dragon?!"

"I've fought several. You'll have to be specific about what you saw."

"Well, the only other names I can recall are…Hagvar?, Ralof, Ullic?, and some general called~"

"Tullius."

"Yeah. It seemed like it was a medieval execution."

'So he saw my first moments in Skyrim.' "It was a misunderstanding. I had just completed a difficult battle, and ended up near there by mistake, passing out. The soldiers assumed I was with the criminals, and decided to try to execute me."

"Well, good thing Hagvar stopped them."

"His name was Hadvar, but yes, I was quite fortunate. But we're getting off track. Do you still wish to know my name, even with all the dangers it could entail?"

"That's…honestly, I'll let you decide."

"...Very well. My name is Arturia. History remembers me as King Arthur, though."

Shirou's jaw dropped slightly. Of all the female figures in history, it never occurred to him that someone so famous would impersonate a man. With no word from Shirou, Saber continued to work on his clothing. Pretty soon, Saber had fashioned a school uniform for Shirou, completely identical to the original.

"There," Arturia commented, "With this, should you be in danger, you'll survive long enough to use a Command Seal to summon me. Though, I'm hoping that the other Masters will respect the daytime rules. Now for the other set."

"Other?"

"Yes. If we're going to be patrolling at night, I intend to craft you a personal set of clothing. It'll be far more durable than your school uniform, as I don't have to work around making it look a specific way."

"Oh. So, how long wil~"

"Shirou!" a woman with light brown hair and eyes bursted gleefully into the shed, catching even Arturia by surprise as the two jumped in fright. Arturia quickly casted an illusion spell on the equipment.

"Taiga?! What are you doing here?"

"You weren't in the kitchen, so I decided to check…" Taiga then looked at Arturia, "Shirou, who is this?"

Shirou's shoulders locked up as he turned, eyes widening as the anvil and tanning rack were replaced with a modern sewing machine.

"Um, well, you see."

"My name is Arturia," she introduced herself, "And, for the time being, I'll be staying at Shirou's place."

Shirou's shoulders tightened as Taiga's eyes grew deadly. "Shirou, what kinds of funny BUSINESS ARE YOU UP TO!?"

Beneath Ryuudou Temple, five black figures began emerging from the shadows.

Author's Notes: Saber showing off her craftsmanship. Next chapter will involve Saber being introduced to Taiga and Sakura, as well as Shirou and Saber's first night patrol. As for why Saber would willingly tell Shirou her name...Well, I'll let you figure out what her plan might be. I actually expected to get more done, but I didn't realize how much of the dream flashback moment would take up.

As always, leave a review, fav/follow, and I'll see you all next time.