AN- And so the plot (?) continues…

Chapter 4

A peaceful land. Fields of green, blue skies littered with clouds, flowing rivers from the hills down to the valleys, and cheerful people to populate it. Life wasn't perfect, never could be, and frequent conflicts emerged between the various tribes- but it was a peaceful land never the less, and she lived in happiness.

There was a woman. A queen, in fact. She lived a simple life with the husband she loved and the two daughters she adored. Britannia was her paradise, and she loved every aspect of it.

Trouble loomed on the horizon. Roman emissaries and whispers of war, but the woman had faith in her people and that of the Romans. There would be no need for war. She'd protect all her people, and she was sure that Rome had the capability to listen to wisdom.

Her peaceful home would remain untroubled.

But alas, life is riddled with misfortune, and death strikes at all when it is least expected.

Her wonderful husband, the King, dead, leaving her in his place to rule alone, while vultures circled around- just waiting to gnaw to the bone a weakened nation.

Elsewhere, the Emperor of Rome, Claudius, perished as well- with Nero rising in his place. With him, a grand shift in policy.

The woman's peaceful times could no longer stay unmolested.

Tragedy after tragedy. The Romans took it all, galvanised by Britannia's missing King and their own new leadership. The Romans stole their land, they enslaved her people, they invaded.

The woman desperately tried to halt them- to seek a peaceful solution. But her people whispered otherwise. They cursed her name, belittled her with scorn and disdain- they wanted blood. Finally, she obliged. Rome had gone too far. As Queen, it was expected that she would mount a resistance.

The woman abandoned her peaceful life, for peace had been taken from her land of Britannia.

And thus, the woman accepted the mantle of the Warrior Queen, the Queen of Victory, and rebelled with all her heart. She would not stop. No matter the blood she would be forced to spill.

XXXXXXXXXX

Much to my surprise, I woke up alone on the bed- sweating terribly. I'd dreamt something awful, though the memories of the experience were starting to slip away much as all dreams do- but I couldn't forget. The overall feeling, and the understanding I seemed to feel… normally I wasn't one to dream, or if I did, I could never really recall then. I was almost certain that this was the work of the Dream Cycle.

"Now if only peace had been retained. That dream might have been nicer, otherwise."

I turned my mind elsewhere though- perhaps seeking distraction. The emptiness of the bedroom provided an adequate excuse, and I turned my attention to before I had fallen asleep. I'd been a bit hesitant to share a bed in the beginning (To say the least), and so had expected a terrible sleep. I had agreed to share with Rider and Caster out of convenience, and both were horrifically strong and unfortunately also very attractive ladies, and I was a guy who only had a single proper relationship under his belt- that hadn't gone further than kissing.

So yeah- I had expected the whole experience to be… difficult.

It had turned out better than expected though. In the end, I'd been really tired, and the bed was big. Sleep had found me almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

"Where is everyone?"

"Oh, there you are Master!" Boudica greeted, emerging from the other room. She had clearly been cooking, and had found an apron somewhere to hang over her rather bare torso. More importantly, she had a plate of hot food for me. "I awoke early to ensure you had a proper breakfast~"

"… wow. You are really motherly." I commented.

"I am one of the ancestors of Britannia, you know? And I said it before. I was married when I walked the surface of the Earth. I even had children. Looking out for others is in my blood. It's merely my summoning itself that has lent me this youthful body."

A hammer to the chest- the dream flooded back to me. A peaceful woman, with tears on her face and intent to bloody her sword until peace returned to her land once more.

"Well, thank you for the food." I conceded, pushing the dream out of thought. Instead, I chose to enjoy the meal she'd prepared. It was six in the morning, earlier than I normally staggered from my sleepy state of death, and I'd vowed to head in early enough to enter normal lessons. I needed to meet up with the main cast, did I not? "Where's Medea?"

"Sleeping on the sofa, the pour thing." She commented. "Perhaps I was a tad too harsh on her yesterday. Since she had only just been summoned, she felt guilty sleeping, so almost as soon as you fell asleep she instead chose to get to work."

"On?"

"Her 'Hospital'." Boudica answered. "She says it's a Territory she can create that boosts the efficiency and strength of any healing spells she casts, with some basic protection aspects to it."

"Well, remind me to thank her for her hard work." It wasn't quite Older!Medea levels of bullshit Territory Creation, but it still sounded useful. A party was only as strong as its healer and having a specialised area to work in might work wonders for us later on.

"Do you want to leave her here when we head out?"

"I think so." It would look suspicious to have two Servants following me around. I may be able to pass off as semi-normal if I acted like a regular competitor of the Grail War. Rider would have to do for protection, for now. If need be, I could just use a Command Seal. I had a surplus, did I not? "Can you stay in Astral form and protect my back?"

"Sure! Time to head out, head out!" She cheerfully faded away into nothingness, content to wait for when I would call her. Until then, I would finish my food, and then I would head into the lion's den known as Japanese Highschool.

XXXXXXXXXX

"My name is James Branson, please take care of me. I like reading, I suppose." I told the class, bowing low.

"Hai, hai! So that's the newbie, everyone!" Fujimura Taiga said joyously. "So then, new kid! Go sit down! There's a seat next to Miss Tohsaka!"

"Wow!" I said. "What a coincidence."

The Magus narrowed her eyes at me, and I could see her looking at a spot just behind me where I knew Rider was stood patiently. I smiled at her, and inclined my head slightly. I was a piss poor Magus with no actual ability, so I couldn't tell where the hell her Archer was, but the point was clear. We acknowledged each other. We knew who the other was.

And thus, began the school day. With a vague introduction, the promise of a threat, and the whispers of our classmates.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I'm here. What did you want to talk about?" Rin Tohsaka asked me as she exited the main body of the school, shutting the rooftop door behind her as she did so. I waited across from her by the fence, with Boudica still Astral at my side.

"I'm glad you got my note." I began.

"Got it? You scrunched it up and threw it at me when the teacher's back was turned. 'meet at the rooftop, lunchtime'. How could I not get it?" She growled.

"Ahh- typical Tsundere Rin." I raised a hand to stop her before she would inevitably protest my summation. "But yeah- moving straight onto business. Do you mind if I get to the point?"

She smiled politely. "Oh yes, please do. We are both Magi and Masters, after all."

"Wrong." I shook my head. "Until I summoned a Servant, I had no real role in the Moonlit World. Irrespective of that, what'd you think of this: 'I'll show you mine, if you show me yours'."

Rin stood there in silence, looking to the spot beside her. I was sure she was conversing with her Servant- something I was incapable of doing due to my lack of actual training or ability as a Magus. I had the raw MP to cast as many spells as I wanted, but not a single spell in my arsenal to use it on.

At last, she came to a decision. Wordlessly, her Servant materialised. I let out a small breath of relief- it was the same old GARCHER we all know and love (And hate).

"Come on out, Rider." At my urging, the redhead did just that. She offered a friendly wave, though her eyes refused to leave that of Archer.

"So, what do you want?" Rin said.

"To warn you." I told her, honestly. "Quite frankly, I didn't really want to come into school today, but I figured I owed it to you to at least warn you."

"Of?" She said, impatiently. "If you aren't willing to spit it out, then why bother saying it?"

"Look, this war is gonna be Bullshit, okay? That is the plain and simple truth. This Holy Grail War will be abnormal as more than seven Servants are going to be summoned throughout it."

"And how do you know that?" She asked with stern eyes.

"Ask Kotomine." I countered. "I'm just saying that if things get strange later on, then you've got some prior knowledge."

"Hmph. And just what sort of 'strangeness' does this involve?" Butted in Archer, a voice filled with scorn.

"None of your business." Boudica told him hostilely. It seemed even a woman as nice as Boudica was naturally inclined to dislike EMIYA.

"That was reason number one, that I was here for." I admitted. "I still have two other- three other- things I want to discuss."

My statement had an impact upon Rin- she tensed up. "Don't expect for me to take it easy on you just because you're telling me all this."

I snorted. "You? Taking it easy on someone would be horribly out of character." Except for on one single knucklehead, perhaps. "No. Point number two is that you may want to be doubly cautious this War. I can't be sure, but there is a good chance there is an inherent flaw in the Fuyuki system as a result of the Einzberns breaking the system with an Illegal summon back in the Third War."

"Can you prove it?"

"No." I admitted. "But it doesn't harm me to tell you. In addition, the Fake Priest is less trustworthy than you imagine."

"So, fancy that, an enemy Master telling me something cryptic and unhelpful, that would no doubt cause suspicion between me and those I could perhaps call allies? Sounds legitimate." Rin's response was harsh, but I couldn't blame her for saying so. I was suspicious, and I couldn't really tell her everything without her disbelief.

"Fine then. Don't believe me. You've been warned. Point number three- I want a non-aggression treaty. And before you say anything, yes, I know you can't trust me. Now shut up and listen."

"No, you shut up!" She snarled, indignantly. Her hand went to her pocket, where I'm sure she had a Jewel prepared. Likewise, Archer readied himself to manifest his bow and immediately notch an arrow, while Boudica had her hand by her side, ready to draw.

"Look, I don't want to fight you." I reiterated. "Firstly, you're rather competent, so I'd avoid having to fight you this early. Two- I don't really want a wish, and since I was largely dragged into this war, I'm hoping to keep my bacon intact since the addition of extra Servants should mean that some competitors can escape without the death of their Servants, since the given quota would already be fulfilled."

"That's only if I believe you about the extra summons. I mean, who ever heard of a Grail War with more than seven participants?"

"They're rarer than a virgin at a brothel." I conceded. "But the possibility exists. All I'm asking is for you to wait. If there are more than seven Summons, I'm sure you'll stumble into them."

"And what if I disregard that and try to take you out now?" She said threateningly. Again- that tension of the incoming fight emerged.

"Well, I suppose I'd have to take down your Servant, wouldn't I?" Boudica told her with a smile.

And so we stood at a standoff- as we both considered our options. It was daytime, we were at a school, and she knew nothing of my Servant's capabilities. She had to weight the pros and cons of that, while I had to decide if it was worth revealing my 'multiple Servants' trump card this early if she did attack.

Finally, Rin made her decision. "Fine. I'll stand down… for now." With that, the tension faded and Rin turned to go, Archer protecting her back. "It's not worth fighting you here at school. Too much collateral. I won't go out of my way to track you down, but I can't promise that I won't take the chance against you if we meet."

"I suppose that is the best I could hope for." I admitted, then nodded at Boudica. With an understanding smile, she turned into her Astral form. We waited for Rin to go, before breathing a sigh of relief.

"That could have gone worse." I said to myself, before heading back inside myself.

One out of three objectives fulfilled.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Hey Shinji!" I greeted the boy, my smile far too forced to fool anyone. The teens eyes narrowed at me- no doubt Medusa had told him of the Master she had almost killed, so I knew from the get go that he would know I was a Master. "I don't suppose you could show me around the school, could you? I'm new, you see?"

I was sure that Shinji would get the message. He was a detestable worm, but not a moron. "Of course." He said amiably, his smile just as forced as mine. "But alas, lunch is almost over! It will have to be after school."

"Of course, Shinji!" I agreed cheerfully. "Lookin' forwards to it." and then I walked away.

"One target left."

Just my luck that the school bell rung before I had time to find the hero wannabe.

XXXXXXXXX

Once school ended, I followed Shinji as he left the classroom. The façade was put on, and we both spoke pointless pleasantries (With underlying hints and threats of violence), until we had finally found a quiet spot to talk. We were by the wooded area, an isolated area out of the way of everyone- I knew that such a location would give Medusa a huge advantage but there was little choice if I wanted to talk to him.

"Well, at least we can finally stop that ridiculous charade." I began.

"Indeed." He sneered slightly. "You weren't very believable. Not exactly good Magus material, huh?"

"Not a Magus." I agreed. "Then again, neither are you. At least I have Magic Circuits." Ha- sick burns are sick.

"Bastard!" He snarled, gritting his teeth and clenching his hands hard enough to draw blood- I almost thought he'd call his Servant, before he finally seemed to change his mind, and calm himself.

"Sorry. Hit a sore spot, huh?" I said, with not a hint of apology at all. "Look, Shinji. I'll be blunt. I don't like you. I really don't. You're the worst kind of person. But I don't much want to have your blood on my hands either."

"Ohhh? Are you looking for an alliance?" Shinji's eyes widened to the size of saucepans. "I could certainly see why you'd ask. After all, you saw my Rider in action, before you managed to summon your Servant through sheer chance."

"Wrong." I told him. "I don't want an alliance. I think we're both smart enough to realise we'd kill each other the minute the other's back was turned." He didn't deny the statement, because he's a little asshole, and I'm aware of said fact so naturally suspicious and trigger happy. "Still, I know how this will end. And I hope things will turn out better for you. I said I'd be blunt, so I'll get to it. I know that you can't fuel your Servant, Matou. And I know how you've been feeding her, and what you plan to do."

"And what is that?" The bluenette asked, prying for answers.

"Reduce the school to a primordial soup." I put it plainly. "This isn't my school, but there are some things that cross the line, and this is one of those. Innocent schoolchildren are a nononono. Consequently, this is a warning. There are three other Masters at this school. Three. Kind of long odds, huh, but that's true, believe me or not. Three other Masters. And I think all of them would have something to say of you trying to dissolve the students of this school. So, here's my pitch. Don't be a dumbass that tries to murder his classmates, because that's dumb. If you try to do it, then I promise you that I will personally team up with the others to stop you. Even if you somehow don't incur the wrath of the three Masters, I can promise that I can get at least two Servants to fight your own."

Technicalities are the best. He assumed I meant I could recruit one of the others, but it also equally meant that I already had two Servants, and was liable to get more. The best lies are those hidden amidst truths.

He laughed. "You're an idiot. What sort of a dumbass tells their enemy what they are planning?"

"Someone who doesn't want to kill you." I admitted. "You are the worst kind of human, but I've never killed before, and I don't relish the experience of having to do it in this War. I'd much rather give you an option out, even if I know you won't take it, if only so I the moral justification to kick your ass. Plus, I'd prefer a path with lesser fatalities."

Shinji considered his options for a moment, before he seemed to come to a decision. "Rider!" From the shadows of the treeline, the Gorgon emerged.

"Saber." I followed suit- and my Servant answered to the wrong name.

"You don't want me to kill the people here for food? That's fine… just give me another meal instead."

I looked at him in disbelief. "You're fucking with me, right?"

His expression was trollish- sadistic- but unfortunately for me, he wasn't. "Oh, I'm serious. Rider says you have a ridiculous amount of Prana. It's almost unfair really, that you were born with all that while I was born with nothing. So, here's a deal for you. Feed Rider, and I'll leave the students here alone, hmmm? Why should I bother with little morsels like them when I have an all you can eat buffet here already?"

"Do you think I'm an idiot!?" I shouted back. "Geez! No! If I give Rider a chance close to me, then she'll damn well drain me dry, or just snap my neck while I'm exposed! I'm not dumb enough to walk into that Dead End."

Shinji's expression became an overt frown. "Well, isn't that a shame. I suppose I will have to go ahead with my plan, won't I?"

And in following through with such a plan, he would potentially put all the people here at school in danger (Myself included- as I wasn't any less immune to the effects of getting my face melted). So, to let him do it would be a kicker on my conscience. "Shut up. I'm thinking."

I looked to my Servant, to see what she thought. I couldn't telepathically talk to her, but that didn't mean I couldn't see what the was thinking. The look she gave me was clear: 'Don't make me beat you up for being dumbass if you do go through with this, you dumbass'.

The problem was, that even if I could get Shinji to comply and inserted terms to ensure I could leave with my life intact (Maybe through Command Seal utilisation or something, or perhaps setting up a mutual-loss failsafe for him trying to backstab me during the exchange), I still couldn't guarantee that Shinji would even hold up his end of the deal. He could end up using Blood Fort Andromada in spite of his promises otherwise, and use the Prana drained from me to power Rider up even further and compensate for the fact that I was guaranteeing he'd be facing off against multiple threats.

No. I couldn't guarantee it. But I also couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't change his plan now that he knew what I intended to do. It was a real sticky situation, and one I'd personally caused due to dumbly trying to look for another choice besides helping to murder his ass once he activated it.

"You know, I'm really starting to regret doing this." I was definitely going to have to think these things through a little bit harder, if I truly was going to have to deal with this Holy Grail War.

"I've made a decision." I announced. I brought up my hand and pointed at Shinji.

"And?" Shinji pressed, leaning forward intently.

"If I want to protect the poor people of this school, then I suppose I should really just comply and cut his throat."

The Absolute Command of a Command Seal was in of itself Absolute. It broke space and shattered limitations to ensure the Order was enforced. And this usage had come out of nowhere. I'd activated the Seal mid-sentence, activating it with my intent amidst a present conversation. As soon as the words were spoken, and the meaning made clear to my opponent, it was already too late to stop.

Boudica was not a fast Servant. C Rank, she'd said. Boudica had proven herself slower than Rider last time they fought. However, this time I had an element of surprise on my side, and the power of a Command Seal backing up the action I ordered- letting her move far faster than she normally could. Plus, there was no real guarantee that Rider would put up her full effort to defend Shinji. Her true master was Sakura, and it wouldn't really be her fault if she just so happened to accidentally delay her retaliation by even a second before she saved the Master she didn't want…

A moment, and then it was over. Servants are superhuman, and it showed. Boudica was gone from my side, and then the next her blade was drawn and it had already carved through the neck- spilling blood everywhere. Rider's reaction was swift, and her nails shot straight for my heart, but Boudica wasn't exactly going to sit back and let this happen.

"Chariot of Boudica!" She intoned, activating her Noble Phantasm. Unlike the namesake, no chariot appeared. Instead, great wooden wheels manifested around me, spinning and circling around me protectively. The dagger struck a wheel and bounced off, and then Boudica was moving- her bloody blade poised to strike again.

Medusa didn't wield just one chain though- her second dagger danced around her, deflecting the blade and letting her retreat away.

"Let her go." I ordered, and Boudica complied- she jumped back closer to myself to protect me, just in case.

Rider took the opportunity provided, and fled into the woods, disappearing in a flicker of light, and leaving the two of us alone with just the bleeding corpse of Shinji Matou.

"Thank you for-"

SLAP! Her palm met my face with a sharp sound, and she turned her anger upon me. "How dare you." She hissed. "I understand the need for bloodshed. I can hardly say my blade is clean; my sword has tasted the blood of far too many innocents whose only crimes were being named 'Roman' for me to complain about that. Even so- I don't enjoy it. And there is no honour to be found in treachery like that, when other choices could still have been made."

She had a point- it was a dick move on my part. I'd ordered a man killed- broke a tentative peace and killed someone merely on suspicion of what he would do. Sure, he was a raping bastard, and he'd ordered his Servant to kill in the past for the Prana, but he hadn't committed murder upon his classmates- not quite yet.

I didn't regret his death. I knew he was a bad person, and would do worse. But the manner of death...

"I'm sorry." I told her, sincerely. "I panicked. I wasn't prepared to concede to his deal. I… I was a coward. I wanted to try and prevent him from causing a tragedy, but wasn't prepared to give my all to follow through. And then when I was scared that he would commit the very act I tried to prevent, only perform it better… and then when I considered him stabbing me in the back anyway, even if I could 'feed' her without dying in the process…"

By now, I was rambling. I kinda needed to stop. "So… in short… I'm sorry for the way that ended. I hadn't consulted with you on this, and actively broke the peace of meeting… so I'm sorry." Because to a woman who truly desired peace more than anything else, there was no greater sin than someone actively tearing apart any 'peaceful' solution. It didn't matter that she had largely agreed with my opinion of the 'deal'. At the end of the day, it was still a 'peace talk'. We could have compromised. There may have been another way.

Shinji was dead now. There was no path of 'peace' between us to pursue, because I'd pre-emptively killed him.

Boudica had listened to my apology- and remained stoic throughout. Finally, now that I had finished, she reached out and pulled me into a hug. "I understand. I forgive you. But don't you dare do that again, especially without talking to me first."

Yes- a woman of peace. But circumstances and tragedy had forced the woman of peace to don the mantle of a Warrior Queen, sent to avenge the Brittons upon the Romans. She knew bloodshed just as much as peace, didn't she?

I laughed, and pulled myself from her grasp. "I suppose we'd better clean up that body, huh?" It was the first time I'd seen a corpse, and up until now I'd been very careful about not looking at it- I was scared that I'd throw up. I gave it a direct look, and I shuddered. It was very uncanny to see such a still body, and the pooling blood made me feel no better.

"You're the one that ordered it. You clean up the bloody body." And then she laughed too, and deliberately went over to grab the body in my stead, even though she'd just said she wouldn't. "Leave this to me, Master. I think we've both had enough taste of blood for the day, huh?"