Hello! I'm sorry I kept You waiting, but this chapter was surprisingly hard to write. I hope it won't happen again and the rest of the story will go smoothly.

First I want to thank hyperomegasonic26, who helped me so much with this story that he can be officially called its co-author. Thank You, friend! I wouldn't get this far without You!

Regarding the sequel: the poll is closed, thank You for voting! New Servants for the next war have been already chosen: two will be summoned not in their usual classes and two more were excluded from the poll for plot reasons. I hope it will be a nice surprise for You.

That's all for now, I hope You'll enjoy the chapter. Don't hesitate to comment or contact me!

16: We Always Have a Choice

"Attacking Masters, not Servants, again? What are you – a mere assassin?"

"This is the first time Iri lied to me."

Maiya looked questioningly at Kiritsugu, but didn't say a thing. She was checking her weapons, almost ready to depart.

"About Archer being dead," Emiya explained. He was sitting in the corner of the room, with his laptop open, and a cigarette in his mouth. "She confirmed it without a blink. But Lancer is sure that she still can feel his faint presence somewhere out there."

"Maybe Madam became a Master?"

"No, definitely not."

"I wonder who is it then."

Kiritsugu, clearly having his own theory about it, smiled without true happiness and breathed out a cloud of smoke. His expression quickly changed to a gloomy reverie.

"Are you angry? Or just disappointed?" – Maiya asked after a moment of silence and came closer to look at the laptop's screen. "I can't believe they're still here…"

Two strangers were walking through the forest – a woman accompanied by a girl with a strange compass in hands. They arrived few hours ago, clearly searching for something – or someone – but the Einzbern's forest is not a nice place for mere mortals. They were constantly losing path, wandering in circles, but still pushed forward with unexpected determination. The inhabitants of the castle decided to wait till they're get tired and go back home, but it didn't seem like a good idea anymore.

"They're surprisingly stubborn. I may be forced to kick them out soon," Kiritsugu murmured with a strange wince. The longer he watched the woman and the girl, the more he was sure that he's already seen their faces somewhere before. "And no, I'm not angry at Iri, just… surprised. First she became rebellious, now she shows clearly that she has her own goals. How can I be angry when her life is about to end soon?"

Indeed, Irisviel's condition worsened drastically last night, even little Illya knew that these are the last days, maybe hours, of their family life. It was obvious that the war is getting closer to its conclusion and even one more defeated Servant will mean an end for the vessel-homunculus.

Maiya did not comment, only nodded to show that she understands. She checked her weapons again and came closer to the door.

"Are you sure it's ok to take Lancer with me?"

"What do you mean?"

"You'll stay in the castle with Saber. You said we're not allies anymore."

"But he is not our enemy either." Kiritsugu sighed and reached for another cigarette. It was obvious that he hates this Servant. Although the Dragon Slayer did not show it openly, the feeling was mutual. "He's devoted to Illya and that's enough to assume that he won't betray us."

"I see." Maiya couldn't hide her smile. Emiya claimed to hate knights for their hypocrisy, but came to trust Illya's Servant in the end. She suspected that the two can't stand each other only because they're so similar. Or rather were, because Saber represented everything Kiritsugu wanted to be when he was younger. "I'll be going then."

"Be careful and inform me about everything."

"I will."

Maiya left the castle with a look of determination in her eyes. This mission was more personal than the others. Someone killed one of her bat familiars and sent it to the city with some unknown message. It was clearly an invitation, probably to lure someone into a trap. But who, if not Kiritsugu, will be the prey?

Having Lancer by her side, Maiya will surely find it out. And killing the impostor, who dares to mess with her magic, will be a nice bonus.

It was the most affectionate hug Irisviel has ever seen.

She was resting on the castle floor, inside a provisional sigil, to recover after absorbing two Servants during one night. Saber guarded her when Illya was talking with Archer. Now the girl entered the room like a little tornado and clung to her Servant with no intention of letting him go ever again.

Irisviel pretended to be asleep but observed them secretly, barely able to hide a warm smile.

"See, I came back as promised," Saber said quietly, more than happy to see his Master at last.

"Good. But I wasn't so sure at first. You have some stupid ideas after all."

"Like what?" Saber blinked, not knowing what she means, and her serious expression alarmed him ever more.

"Why you decided to die? It was not your fault. It was fault of that stupid king and that woman."

Siegfried froze. She asked about his past, his legend? So their connection was deep enough to let the details slip into Illya's dreams…

"I'm sor..." He wanted to apologize for her nightmares, but the girl punched him with her little fist, visibly frustrated.

"Don't apologize! You did nothing wrong!"

"I did. It's more complicated than you think." He sighed. "You see, Illya, we always have a choice. Whatever the king might order, I could say 'no'. But it was my decision to agree on his plan. My choice. So no one but me is to blame what happened later. No matter the situation, it's you who makes your own decision, no one else. Even if someone tries to force you or threat you – the last word still belongs to you and you alone."

Illya sat on his lap in silence, waving her legs nervously, devouring his words longer than usual. She must have come to a satisfactory conclusion, because she nodded to herself, accepting this difficult truth.

"But that woman is a liar," she murmured suddenly. "It's not love. If she'd truly love you, she would have listened to you. But she picked up a fight with the other queen, because her own pride was more important for her than you."

Siegfried never considered it this way and had no answer for Illya, but was moved by her concern. He would die for his little Master without hesitation, but the sudden realization, that Illya also cares for him so much, struck him speechless. Saber was a bit scared, yet happy like never before.

What a selfish feeling… What have you done to me, Master?

"Where's Sakura?" – he asked after a moment of suspicious silence.

"With Sella and Leysritt. She's sleeping." Illya sighed. "She's boring and doesn't want to play."

"Don't be too harsh for this girl, Illya, she's been through a lot."

"I know." She poked his cheek accusingly, visibly jealous. "But remember that you are mine, I won't let you eat cheesecake and play video games with other girls, Saber."

"Got it, Master."

Such warmness... Does 'having a daughter' feel like this?

Irisviel kept observing them through half-closed eyes, thinking that they look like a family. She thought that Siegfried, who died young, like it often happens to heroes, had no chance to even think about being a father. It was a strange thought, but Iri just couldn't help it while watching the two.

She had seen the fire in Saber's eyes when he attacked that priest in the forest – it was a gaze full of dragon flames - a gaze of a madman or a monster. Yet still… Sometimes Irisviel suspected that this Servant was more humane than her own husband.

Stupid or not, those thoughts calmed her down. Iri closed her eyes and let herself fall asleep at last, sure that no matter what happens, Illya should be safe after the war.

For the first time in this Holy Grail War, Robin could accept without complaints the task that was given to him by his Master.

'Don't let yourself be killed, Archer, survive as long as you can' – this was an order he could gladly follow in any circumstances.

They both knew that this is only a temporary solution. The situation was complicated and nothing could change the final outcome – Irisviel, the vessel, is going to die anyway, sooner or later. And Robin, encouraged by his new Master, was determined to delay it as much as possible.

"What a mess. Some things would never change," he sighed, thinking about everything that happened so far. He would never suspect that his former Master's fiancée survived and teamed up with an Avenger class Servant. He actually felt sorry for Saber, forced to witness the madness of the woman who used to be his wife. He was frustrated about the fact that families will be separated, innocent kids will suffer and he, a damn Heroic Spirit, can do nothing about it. "Hey, that was close!"

Sensing a powerful aura nearby, Archer withdrew. He intended to be an obedient Servant this time, even if only for a while, so getting in Avenger's way is the last thing he should do, right? Soon another Heroic Spirit appeared nearby, forcing Robin to abandon his temporary hideout.

"Well, if Lancer and Avenger want to fight, I won't be interrupting." But Archer was ordered to survive, not to sit idly on his ass so long to let it swell up. His nature of a forest traveler, which he certainly shared with Saber, pushed him into action. "It's time to find out where the Grail will appear. But first…"

Robin smiled to himself – it was a task worthy of a prince of thieves, like people used to call him in some stories. Tonight he had a certain gloomy residence to plunder.

The sky was burning.

Two beasts roared terribly. The black one, which looked like a hybrid of a lion and a dragon, jumped forward, ready to tear the other one – the mix of a golden lion and phoenix – to shreds. During their fierce clash a dark rain started falling from the tormented sky, and every single drop was like a ton of condensed suffering. It mercilessly burnt her skin, melted her body…

It hurts, it hurts so much!

"Kriemhild?" Someone touched her hand, waking her up from this nightmare. "Hey, Kriemhild, be quiet. People are staring at us."

Avenger blinked and looked around, finally awake. Other customers of the small café indeed stared at her, alarmed by her suspicious behavior. Blushing a bit, Kriemhild smiled apologetically, using all her charm of a former princess.

It worked. Sola-Ui chuckled, amazed how easy the two of them can deceive others. To inhabitants of Fuyuki they were only a pair of elegant tourists. Kriemhild adapted to her new environment pretty well, she looked like a sad aristocrat in her dark violet dress. Sola-Ui preferred crimson clothes, which made her look like a cruel femme fatale.

"Another vision?" – she asked, sipping coffee.

"Yes. It was awful, too bad I'm not as good as my mother in interpreting those 'dreams'. I'm sure of only one thing about them - every time I see strange beasts, someone very important to me gets hurt."

"Important, you say? Like your husband, who happened to be the enemy Saber?"

Avenger glared at her Master, trying to read her intentions. She did not like the sound of Sola-Ui's voice, there was something dangerous and very… inappropriate in it.

"Do you want to tell me something, Master? I may be devoted to you but, sadly, I can't read your thoughts through our bond."

"Not really. I just hope that you won't forget who's your Master and who's your enemy. I won't accept betrayal for such stupid reason like feelings."

Kriemhild swallowed. As paranoiac as she usually is, she could understand the lack of trust. But calling love - the sole meaning of her existence, as a woman, princess and wife – a 'stupid feeling' was too much for her.

Don't you know love, my dear Master? Poor thing! What kind of pitiful life you've had so far?

"I won't ever betray you, Master," she said, trying hard to hide her doubts. But I don't want to fight him. We have many powerful Servants in this war, it shouldn't be necessary to kill them all. The Grail should work just fine even if some of us survive.

"But?" Sola-Ui smiled, amused by Kriemhild's focused expression. She thought that Avenger can act surprisingly logical and cunningly for a mad Servant.

"There's no 'but'." The Black Widow shook her head, deadly serious. "My only wish is to win this war for you. Speaking of which…" She narrowed her eyes, sensing something nearby. "Someone's about to start a party, Master. Should we join them?"

"Of course." Sola-Ui called the waiter and requested the bill. "I have a feeling that it will be a wonderful night."

Although Tokiomi tried to hide it with all his might, he's been already too nervous to just stand and wait patiently for Emiya's messenger.

He was almost sure that the other party is already here, observing from the shadows. It was the same place at the docks where the first crazy battle of this war took place. Some containers still showed signs of that fight and one of the street lamps was flashing annoyingly, increasing the aura of danger in the air. With some many possible hideouts around nothing could prevent Kiritsugu from pulling the trigger and sending Tokiomi into oblivion.

What's with this feeling? Am I afraid? Tohsaka sighed heavily, disgusted by his own inappropriate behavior. What are you waiting for, Master of Lancer? I didn't let anybody follow me here, just like you wanted.

One, two, three, four steps… A sudden flash from above made the mage alert. Tokiomi's energetic shield raised on its own, but thin, rapier-like blades cut it with terrifying ease.

Along with Toshaka's right hand.

The red mage fell on the ground, still too surprised to actually feel any pain. His circuits froze in shock, the remnants of his connection to Gilgamesh has been brutally severed. For the first time in his entire life Tokiomi Tohsaka felt defenseless, like a fish out of water. Even more when he finally recognized the one who had attacked him.

"Ki…rei…"

"What a face you made jut now, Tokiomi. Luring you here was worth it for this view alone. Still… it looks somehow familiar. I guess that a typical expression of 'a fatherly figure betrayed by his student' is a real thing."

Tohsaka did not know how to react, only shook his head, barely understanding what's actually happened. The delight in Kotomine's voice frightened him even more than injuries or promise of a painful death. He should cast a spell, defend himself, say something… But could only watch in terror how his former ally raises his mage-killing blades, prepared to land the final blow.

"Well, well, what do we have here? Betraying your mentor, priest? You have no shame left?" Sola-Ui crossed her arms, whistling with pretended admiration.

Avenger chuckled quietly behind her back. They came here attracted by Lancer's aura, but found something much more interesting.

Kirei, upset by their sudden intervention, reluctantly abandoned his wounded prey. Clenching his teeth, he was forced to withdraw, when Kriemhild nonchalantly swung her sword, almost beheading the false priest.

"So you're the mage who killed Kayneth?" Sola-Ui kneeled next to the wounded Tokiomi; her smile seemed inadequate to this situation. She was skilled in healing magic, including spiritual healing to some extent, so she proceeded with the first aid. "Don't look at me like that, I'm actually grateful. You freed me, in many ways. You saved me back then, so I can return the favor. Just this once."

There was a hidden warning in her last words: even if Sola-Ui does not recognize Tohsaka as a Master anymore, she won't go easy on him next time if the mage insists on participating in the war. Tokiomi, although weakened by the loss of blood, understood that simple message.

But someone interpreted their conversation the wrong way – or maybe just needed an excuse to start a fight?

"Attacking Masters, not Servants, again? What are you – a mere assassin?"

"Look out, Master!" Only Avenger's instincts saved Sola-Ui from being trampled by charging Llamrei. "So it was you! This time I make sure you'll die here, bitch!"

"You took the words right out of my mouth!" Arturia smiled faintly, swirling her lance. The bloodlust in the air around those two women in black was so intense, that even some local wraiths would run away in panic.

Again, the lance clashed with the two-handed sword. Arturia's strikes were so powerful, that Kriemhild needed to focus on defense, worried that her sword would break eventually. Prioritizing the safety of her Master, Avenger kept slowly proceeding back, step by step luring the raging Lancer closer to the sea.

This time Arturia came well-prepared and clearly intended to annihilate her opponent. She saw right through her enemy's tactic and destroyed the nearest containers with a powerful blow. They fell on the ground like an avalanche, effectively cutting off Avenger's escape route.

"You asked for it." Surprisingly, Kriemhild smiled. The air became dense from the energy accumulated around the fallen princess and her dark blade. Feeling that her Master already managed to hide in a safe place, she decided to enjoy the fight to the fullest. "Finally I can go all out!"

"Wonderful! Show me all you've got, fake knight!"

"Tohsaka is alive and secured," Maiya reported through her phone. Because of a terrible noise in the background, Kiritsugu could barely understand the words. Has something exploded just now? "Are you sure it's a good idea to let him live?"

"Yes, we can get rid of him later if necessary. He's still useful." There was no time to explain the new circumstances to Maiya. In her absence two more unexpected guest arrived to the Einzbern castle. Emiya could now trade their safety for any information about Fuyuki and the Grail Tokiomi possesses. "What 's going on there?"

"They literally destroyed the entire area," Maiya explained simply. A bit of fear in her voice told Kiritsugu that even this brave woman was not ready to see a fight of serious – and bloodthirsty - Servants. "It's hard to believe that they haven't used their Noble Phantasms yet. Should we allow Lancer to do so?"

"Yes." The Mage Killer rubbed his forehead, thinking. The war will soon reach its conclusion, it's about time to use some force at last. "Avenger must be eliminated, this Servant is too unpredictable to be left alone."

"Understood. Seems that Lancer agrees with you, she's going to…"

"Maiya?" Kiritsugu winced and almost threw away the phone. Only a sudden accumulation of magical energy could disturb the signal this much. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes." It took a while for her to respond, so she was speaking fast to make up for the lost seconds. "Lancer and Avenger were about to release their Noble Phantasm, but that classless Servant suddenly appeared. Does it mean that he has a new Master?"

"Or Independent Action skill." Kiritsugu tensed. It supposed to be an easy victory, Lancer had an overwhelming advantage over Avenger, but now it wasn't so obvious anymore. "What they're doing?"

"Talking. I can come closer so you will be able to hear them."

"Ok, but be careful."

Something hummed in the receiver. Soon Emiya could hear, although barely, the conversation of three angry Servants.

"…this is not what I planned for you. The stage has been set elsewhere. If you want the Grail, you must come and get it."

"You make it sound like the Grail already belongs to you, King of Heroes." Arturia's voice was as cold as ice, in contrast to Gilgamesh's annoyingly cheerful tone.

"Of course it's mine, it has always been! Come to the Fuyuki Civic Center when you'll be ready for the epic conclusion of this war, Lancer."

"You won't be able to complete the ritual without the Lesser Grail, you must know that already." Avenger, who seemed to know surprisingly much about the system, clearly wanted to end this fruitless discussion.

"And you, filthy mongrel, must already know that I won't let you fill the vessel without challenging me."

Kiritsugu frowned, suspicious. What that supposed to mean? Could it be that this troublesome Heroic Spirit knows something more about the Grail? Maybe he's just arrogant and tries to treat other Servants like mere pawns? Or he's just bluffing, to provoke Arturia and fulfill his desire to fight her…

Actually, his offer seemed quite convenient for Kiritsugu. In terms of raw power Lancer has no equal among Servants of this war. The idea of winning with just one strike, preceded by proper preparation, tempted the always pragmatic Mage Killer.

But first he needed to get out Arturia of this chaos. If the classless Servant changes his mind and decides to attack, maybe even to join forces with Avenger, Lancer's victory won't be certain anymore. She may end up damaged or weakened too much to continue the fight later - Emiya could not risk that when he was so close to achieving his goal.

"Maiya, tell Lancer to withdraw and bring Tohsaka here. We need to prepare for the final battle."