This is a bit of background that is seperate from the mian story.
She was back here, at her most shameful moment. Her kingdom in ruins, Rhongomyniad, her holy lance, sticking through her own son's stomach, the handle in her own hands. As Mordred's helmet shattered, the look on her face wasn't one of anger, nor one of shock. Clear as day, the only emotion on her face was sorrow. Was it sorrow that she could kill Artoria, or perhaps sorrow that Artoria had never accepted her. The king didn't know, but it was sorrow all the same.
This moment, this instant was the sum total of her rule. The end of a legacy of failure.
Do you really believe Caliburn chose the wrong person?
The voice spoke from nowhere. It was ethereal, almost like it was playing over itself.
"Of course!" She shouted at no one. "If someone else had been chosen as king, the fate of Camelot could have been better off."
If another were to rule, what convinces you that they would do better?
The world around her bloodstained battle of Camlann changed into walls of brick and marble.
Before her was the throne of her kingdom, but what grabbed her attention was who sat on the seat. A person she had worked to keep far away from the throne until her death.
Morgan Le Fay. Her own half-sister.
"Morgan!" Arturia yelled at the woman. "What have you done!?"
The woman didn't seem to respond to her sister's call.
Angered by Morgan's ignoring of her, Artoria walked up to the woman. "I do not know what trick you are playing, but I will not allow you to-" Her hand phased right through the woman. "What?" She tried to touch her sister again, only to have the same result. "Is this some kind of illusion?" She wondered.
Morgan stood up. Walking right through Artoria, she approached one of the knights in the throne room. "I'm in need of some entertainment, fetch me one of the men from the village." She told him.
The man bowed. "Yes, your highness." The man spoke with a bow before leaving.
Artoria was unable to interact with anything around her. All she could do was stand and watch.
So, that's exactly what she did. Arturia didn't know how long she would be watching, but she watched the story play out as long as she needed to.
Morgan is an uncaring ruler. She enacts her whims upon the kingdom with no thought of the consequences. Every subject of Camelot becomes nothing more than her playthings. A selfish king, but one with no love for the kingdom or respect for her subjects. When the Saxons invade, she simply tells her soldiers to handle it without giving real leadership until much of Camelot has been taken. One by one, the knights and citizens turn traitor or flee until finally, Morgan herself abandons the doomed country. Camelot falls through apathy.
It was a grim sight to behold. Artoria saw her kingdom fall yet again. However, as sombering as it was to see, it was also expected. Morgan was a poor ruler. Artoria had known as much for years. What was the point in seeing this aside from saddening her?
The scene changed again, now sitting on the Throne was another familiar face.
"Mordred" Arturia spoke. Her scorned son sat on the throne. Just as before the world played out around her.
Mordred is a confident ruler. Sitting on the throne, just as she had desired, Mordred could give swift, strong commands and held the respect of her soldiers. But despite her talent, Mordred is still a child, unable to separate her emotions from her decisions and not ready to handle the responsibility of a king. She is far too eager to fight with little skill in diplomacy. This results in the neighboring kingdoms attacking one by one. The kingdom is torn apart from all sides. Camelot falls through inexperience.
The scene changed again.
Lancelot is a well meaning ruler. All actions taken are with the wellbeing of his subjects in mind. However, he was a man who did not understand the complexities that came with managing the kingdom. Lowering taxes, approving all projects, letting people trade without regulation. All done with the intention of making life for the subjects of Camelot easier. However, they are short sighted. In a few short years, the economy is destroyed as the royal treasury becomes empty. As people starve, they soon revolt. With neither side having the resources to continue as the kingdom is drawn into a civil war. Camelot falls through short-sightedness.
Again, the scene changed.
Gawain is a relatable ruler. The people of Camelot like Gawain, and he is open and friendly with them. However, he is gullible, and easily swayed by his advisors. The advisors enrich themselves to no end, meanwhile Gawain remains unaware. This continues until Gawain finds himself with no power and no authority. A simple figurehead, When war approaches, he is powerless to stop the threat. Camelot falls from naivety.
Over and over, she saw Camelot fall. It didn't matter who took the throne. Every knight, every squire, every citizen in camelot sat upon the throne, and in each case, the kingdom did not survive. In every case Camelot fell.
"Why" the woman spoke in despair. "Why are you showing me this!"
Instead of hearing an answer, Arturia simply watched as the scene changed again. Her eyes widened at the person on the throne now.
Herself.
She saw it. Her own rule. A king working for her people, but not with them. The people never grew to understand the king. As such people grew to resent her. Her wife had an affair that led to her greatest knight betraying her. Her son, spurned, leads a revolt against her. In the end, she stood on a bloody battlefield, her own child once again impaled on the end of her lance. She watches as her bloody and battered form is escorted to Avalon by Bedivere. Artoria continues to watch as she gives up Excalibur and in a final, desperate moment, makes her deal with Gaia for one final chance at the holy grail.
Why was it showing her this? She already knew her own failure.
The Sword of Selection chooses the person most suited to rule.
She knew as much. It wasn't just that Caliburn was attuned to be pulled by her. It was a sword of secession that would only respond to one with the qualities needed to be king. But surely there were people in Camelot besider herself that suited the role.
Or at least, that's what she had previously thought.
After seeing those visions, decades after decades of lives before her, and seeing Camelot fall over and over again, she realized. Simply giving the throne to someone else would not save the country. As much as she hated to admit it, she was meant to be the king of Camelot.
That does not mean that the person will make the right choices.
Suddenly the area around her changed again. She looked around. It only took her a moment to realize where she stood. One again, she was in the castle in camelot. Only this time, she herself sat on the throne. Before her stoof Agravain. Towards the sides of the hall multiple knights and statesman stood ready.
"My King, what shall we do about this?" Agravian spoke. "For something like this, Lady Guinevere must be punished. This is an insult not only to yourself, but the whole kingdom."
She realized it instantly. This was the moment Agravain revealed Guinevere's affair with Lancelot. She remembered it well. Artoria had understood what drove Guinevere to do what she did and knew that her own coldness had played a factor. She wished to pardon the two, but as a king, forgiving such an act would only be seen as weakness, so she was forced to set Guinivere for execution. However, her hesitation in capturing Lancelot led to things only worsening. Agravaine found Lancelot and told him of Guinevere's execution, leading to the Knight of the Lake killing him in retaliation. After that, he was free to free Guinevere from prison and flee, killing two more of her knights in the process.
Up to that point, it had been her most prominent failure as a king. Perhaps this was another chance. She could pardon then both and then-
The correct choice is not always the easiest one.
No. That wasn't an option. Pardoning them would destroy her credibility in the eyes of her people and simply show her as a weak leader. The only other opinion was… "Find Lancelot immediately! Do not tell him why I have called him." She ordered, her voice firm. Last time, things had worsened because Lancelot had discovered that the affair had been revealed and had time to flee. She couldn't give him that chance. She turned to all those in the hall. "None of you are to tell anyone of this information. Is that understood?"
The hasty nods were all the confirmation she needed.
It took less than an hour before her strongest knight stood before her.
"My liege" The knight gave a bow.
"Lancelot, I have heard rumors about your relations with Guinivere." She told him. Even with his head bowed, she could still tell as his eyes widened in surprise. "Are they true?"
Lancelot stood in silence for a moment before speaking. "...My King, I am sorry." He apologized. Artoria knew that apology was legitimate. She would need to imprison him before the situation worsened. "Lancelot, you are-"
The correct choice is not always the easiest one.
No. That wouldn't work, Lancelot was her strongest knight. Any prison would be useless. The only knight that could match him would be Gawain, but his strength varied depending on the time of day. Lancelot could easily overcome him at night. Lancelot would escape, and Agravaine, Gareth, and Gaheris would die again. She had already lost one knight, could she stand to lose three more?
She stood up from her throne and walked over to the still bowed knight. What could she do? Nothing done now could keep Lancelot's loyalty while maintaining her authority among her people. Either he would betray her to save Guinevere, or Artoria would pardon both of them and lose her respect and authority as a king. At this point, his mere existence was hurtful to her rule. He was merely a liability. It would be much easier if Lancelot were to-.
[SHINK]
It happened in an instant. Her body moved on its own. Before she could pull herself back, the blade of excalibur sliced cleanly through Lancelot's exposed neck. Her eyes widened as her once greatest knight's head fell to the floor as his body fell over to the side.
The statesman and knights in attendance all looked forward in shock. She could not blame them. She had just executed one of her most powerful knights right in front of them.
The king stood in silence, her blade bathed in the blood of her knight, her friend. She shook slightly. Why? Why had she done that? She didn't want to kill him. She didn't need to kill him. And now, with Lancelot dead...now…
There are many ways for a king to rule.
Now….she didn't have to worry about him killing her other knights. The execution of Guinivere would be quick and without issue. Her authority as a king would be well maintained, and no more of her knight would die pointless deaths.
Artoria gripped her blade firmly. The shaking stopped. Her facial features hardened as she turned to a still shocked Agravaine. "Place Guinevere in prison. We will arrange for a proper execution later.
The knight blinked a few times, bringing himself back to reality. He gave his king a quick bow. "Yes." The man quickly left the room.
After that moment, everything around her sped up, like a video tape on fast forward. New experiences played out. She wasn't sure how long it was, but the king saw the effect of her choice play out before her. Because Lancelot was dead, he did not kill any of her knights. Gareth was the most upset, but even she did not dare oppose her king.
Meanwhile, Guinevere had it worse. Her heart was broken and with it, so too was she. Upon learning of Lancelot's death, she did little more than cry for three days and nights, but then, nothing. She stopped talking, stopped moving around her cell in anxiousness, and even stopped eating. By the time of her execution, the once beautiful woman was little more than limp skin and bone. Her execution was a peaceful, yet somber one. Agravain, Gareth, and Gaheris had all survived and her authority as a ruler was no longer in question, all at the cost of just one man's life.
The video kept playing. Peacefully, seasons passed, years played out.
"All I wanted was to be your shadow." The scene stopped. Artoria found herself facing an open door to the castle courtyard, the golden light of the sunset breaking through the windows. She recognized the voice that spoke those words.
It was Mordred.
Artoria didn't need to turn around. From her son's words alone, she already recognized this day.
"Yet you refuse to turn your back and look at me even once." Mordred continued to speak. "Curse you, kin of mine! I will destroy your everything and bring you to ruin, Arthur!"
Artoria only mildly listened to her son as her thoughts raced. Mordred was not a bad knight, but the fact that she was the product of Morgan's machinations was enough reason to disqualify her from kingship. Aside from that, her personality was too brash and emotional. Mordred simply was not fit to hold the crown.
What could Artoria do? If Mordred was allowed to walk freely, she would rebel against Artoria, as well as camelot. So many of her own subjects would die.
Briefly, her mind flashed back to Lancelot. The answer was suddenly so clear.
Artoria turned around.
She could see it, the brief moment that Mordred's face of fury changed into one of hope.
It was that moment, that instant where she let her guard down, that doomed her.
[SHINK]
Excalibur's blade pierced right through her son's chest.
Mordred's eyes widened as she coughed up blood. "F-Father" The knight gasped out.
"I cannot allow one who so blatantly rebels against the kingdom to walk freely." She spoke stoically as she pulled her blade out of Mordred's torso. Her son's body fell limply to the ground.
A father standing over the bloody corpse of their son. A haunting sight, but she had done what she had needed to, and because of her actions Mordred's rebellion would never come to fruition.
Time moved again. Artoria went on. Any that stood before her were killed without mercy. People feared her, and because of that, they listened to her. The rebels, lacking a strong leader and hesitating from fear, were easily wiped out over time.
Soon enough, the day that had once featured the battle of Camlann had arrived. However, nothing happened. It played out like any other day. Camelot did not fall and went on, only prospering.
She had failed to connect with her people, but that was fine. A king who was overly familiar with their subjects loses their authority. That authority, and the power to keep it were the most important things. They allowed her to properly command her knights. There was no dissent, no revolt.
The sins of killing not only one of her most loyal knights, but also her own child, were sins that Artoria was ready to bear alone.
Lancelot's death had prevented his treason, and Agravain, Gareth, and Gaheris had all survived.
Mordred's death had prevented her rebellion and Gawain and Kay had both survived.
So what if she was called a tyrant? If she could ensure her kingdom's prosperity, she would take all of the sins that come along with it.
The world went black.
A hand reached out of the mud. In just a moment, the rest of the body pulled itself through the muk, revealing a pale young woman. Her body was naked, mud dripping off her pale skin and pale blonde hair. The woman's golden eyes looked around, dazed and confused.
Slowly, her eyes focused as the memories returned to her. The Fourth Holy Grail War. She had just defeated Lancelot and was facing that golden archer. The grail was so close, and yet….
"Emiya…." She spoke the man's name with a venom. He had forced her to destroy the grail. While she could now see the viabilities in his methods, the fact that she had still been forced to destroy the very thing she had fought so hard to obtain could not be forgiven.
The saber class servant stood up. She summoned her armor to cover her form. Not bothering to notice the changes to the now all black plating. Looking around, the servant was shocked by what she saw. She was in what could only be described as the ruins of a desolated city. Buildings were broken and crumbling, corpses lined nearly every meter of space. The most eye-catching part was the fire, which seemed to cover a bit of every piece of rubble in sight.
'Is this due to the grail?' She wondered.
She took a moment to observe her body. She could feel it. Her body had changed. In the mud of the grail, she had been blackened, altered. Her body, formerly a pseudo-body made of ether, was now flesh and blood.
However, what did that mean? Did she no longer need mana to sustain herself? Was she still a servant, or was she fully mortal now? She did not know.
She decided to put those thoughts to the side for the moment and instead focus on what she did know. After bathing in the grail's mud, after seeing the result of the essence of the grail and what it brought, she was fully aware of its true nature. It was tainted. A falsehood.
This was not the grail she had sought, not could it truly grant her wish. This grail was nothing more than a tool of destruction. She would need to destroy the grail with her own two hands before any more damage could be done. However, that presented a problem.
The grail war was over. The lesser grail was destroyed. That meant the greater grail, the source of corruption it was, could no longer manifest.
She would need to wait. She did not know when the next grail war would occur, but she would need to be ready for when it did.
However, that brought her back to her original issue. She did not know how long she would last. Now that her body was flesh and blood, it was hard to determine if she still had the same limitations that she did as a servant. She was not summoned under the archer class, and, as such, lacked the independent action skill to maintain herself. This left her unsure of her status. Perhaps she would disappear if she used too much energy. If that occurred then she would never be able to eliminate the grail. There was also the possibility that she was overthinking it and she no longer needed a mana source at all. However, the odds of that weren't high enough to warrant taking the chance. So that made her first objective simple.
'I need to form a contract with a master.' She realized. It wasn't something she was happy with, but she couldn't allow herself to simply fade from lack of Mana. Her options were limited though. She knew for a fact that the masters of Caster, Lancer and Assassin were dead. She was limited on option. As her mind rocked the possibilities, she felt something. It was a familiar feeling. Even with her body given flesh, even with her form morphed and distorted, she could still feel a link.
She could still feel her contract.
It was his fault.
Fire expanding in every direction. People are dying. So many innocent people. Dead because of him. Because he had been hasty.
The Holy Grail War had been a complete disaster. Irisviel died. Maiya died. The grail was nothing but a monkey's paw. The only thing he had left was the one command spell on his hand. He should have been more careful.
"So this is what it has all come to" A familiar voice stated. A figure approached Kiritsugu. It was Saber, his former servant. Something was different about her, but he didn't care to think about it. It didn't matter.
"Because of you, I have lost my wish," The woman spoke with nothing but contempt. "what do you have to say for yourself?"
He said nothing as he simply turned in another direction and aimlessly walked through the devastation. He didn't pay her any mind. He couldn't. He needed to save someone. Anyone. He needed to know that this life, the one he had given up his own happiness, his wife and daughter for. He needed to know that it wasn't completely pointless!
He wandered around, looking for anyone he could help. Anyone he could save.
The servant glared at him as kept moving. "Pathetic" She spoke as she lowered her blade in disgust. "Is this the man who won the Holy Grail War? The man who sank to any method, no matter how vile or cruel in order to see victory?"
As she hated to admit it, Kiritsugu Emiya was her best shot at sustaining herself, at least for the time being.
She continued speaking, pulling every ounce of power her charisma skill granted. "What of Irisviel, or your daughter, what would they think of you right now!"
The man's eyes widened. "I-Illya" He absentmindedly spoke. That's right. He had a reason to live. Someone to go back to. A promise to keep.
As much as he hated to admit it, he and Irisviel both knew from the start that her odds of surviving were next to none; however, they had resolved themselves for that as long as he could protect Illyasviel.
He couldn't leave her.
"Maintain my existence, and I in turn will help you reunite with your daughter." The servant spoke. In the back of her mind, she acknowledged that helping Kritsugu retrieve their daughter was more of a favor to Irisviel than anything.
These words seemed to properly grab Kiritsugu's attention. "Saber…." He looked at the woman, finally taking note of her new appearance. "You…look different."
"That doesn't matter!" Saber snapped, getting fed up with the man's behavior. "I have extended to you an offer! Now will you take it, or will you leave your daughter in the hands of the Einsberns!?" She asked him.
This seemed to fully snap Kiritsugu out of his stupor. With Saber, yes, he could save Illya.
"Very well, let's continue working together for now."
*2 Months Later*
"Okay, that should do it." Kiritsugu said, sweat dripping down his brow despite the snow covered terrain around him. The man looked down at his watch. Even with Avalon supporting him, the curse from the grail was certainly wearing him down. However, after a solid half hour of work he managed to open a hole in the bounded field.
Saber stood next to him, armor fully donned.
He looked down at his watch. It was time. "We'll begin the operation in 3...2….1."
Wordlessly, the servant charged forward. There was still about 3 kilometers between the bounded field and the actual Einzbern mansion, but with her speed,, even with a casual run, she would be able to reach the castle in less than 2 minutes. Her role was to go to the main property and make a scene. It was a simple enough plan. Saber would charge through the front of the mansion and assault it, causing as much havoc as possible. She would assault the castle and everyone guarding it. However, this grand display was simply a distraction. While she was causing trouble, Kiritsugu, on the other hand, would sneak in through the back and work his way to Illya's room.
Kiritsugu then began his own journey also on foot. With some reinforcement, he could make it there in about 10 minutes. He could get there faster if he used Time Alter. He could get there faster and save Illya. Sure it would be against the plan, but her cou-the man shook the idea out of his head before he finished. He had meticulously planned everything. He needed Saber to be there long enough for the Einzbern to get sufficiently distracted by her. If he broke in right after her, it was more than likely that some guards would still be at their posts. By giving some leeway for Saber to cause damage, he could make sure that all of the mansion's security was concentrated on her location.
As the mansion came into view, even from a distance Kiritsugu could see the Saber was already doing her job. The entire front of the building was blown open. And the multiple spots of red among the white snow showed that she had not been merciful to the homunculi meant to stop her. Kiritsugu quickly circled around the back of the mansion. Reaching a window in the back, he took something out of the backpack he was carrying.
It was a small wooden ruler.
Wordlessly, he slipped the wood inside the crease between the window and the frame, wiggling it a bit to get it as deep as possible. Once he concluded that it was as deep as it was going to get, he began pushing the ruler to the side, using it as a lever. After a moment of this, the window popped open. This was a simple trick he had set up when he had lived at the mansion. It only worked with this one window, but it didn't set off any security measures. He silently slipped in the building and made his way to the upper floor. He was careful to avoid any homunculi, but fortunately, it seemed Saber;s distraction had worked, as he did not pass a single guard.
After a short while, he made his way to a familiar door. He stood there hesitantly. He wasn't sure what to say, what to do. After a moment of contemplation and taking a deep breath, he opened the door.
There she was.
"Papa?"
It was Illyasviel, looking barely older than when he and Irisvel had left. After seeing her, all semblance of a plan left his mind. Kiritsugu fell to his knees, and hugged his daughter. Tears fell from his eyes. "Illya, I'm so sorry I'm late."
Tears welled up in her eyes as returned the hug and began lightly sobbing in her father's embrace.
The father and daughter pair sat there in silence for what felt like hours. They were only brought out of ther daze by the rumbling of an explosion that shook the room.
"Papa, what's happening?" The younger girl asked her father.
Kiritsugu wiped the tears from his eyes, remembering the plan he had set up earlier. "Illya, I'll explain later, but we need to go. Now." He told her.
The young girl did not know what was going on, but she listened to her father. She quickly ran around her room, grabbing anything important to her. Honestly that didn't include much. The Einsberns were not fans of having too many personal possessions.
Kiritsugu shoved everything into the backpack he had brought with him. Slicking the backpack over his shoulders, he picked up Illya, careful to make sure she wasn't too uncomfortable. It only took a few minutes for the two to sneak out the same way Kiritsugu had snuck in. After that, his reinforced body ran to the exit point, his daughter in his arms.
After a couple of minutes, they reached the opening in the bounded field.
"Alright," He put his daughter down. Looking back, he could just barely see the outline of the Einabern mansion through the intense snow falling from the sky. He saw a figure rushing towards him at top speeds. Kiritsugu wasn't worried. He knew who it was. After a moment, Saber was standing next to the two.
Ruffling through his coat, the man pulled out a small black box. Flicking the top of the box, it opened up, revealing a little red button.
It was a detonator.
Steeling himself, Kiritsugu pressed the button.
[BOOM][BOOM][BOOM][BOOM]
The mansion was consumed by a series of explosions.
There were many words to describe Kiritsugu, and "cautious" was certainly one of them. He had never trusted Acht, and he was happy he didn't. Those explosives had been set up years ago, just in case. The Emiya had lived in the mansion for almost a decade, he had more than enough time to plant explosives in places where the homunculus would never find.
He was lucky that most modern magi were so hesitant towards technology. If they had done a sweep with metal detectors they probably would have found most of them.
Despite the explosions, Kiritsugu knew that it wouldn't be enough to finish the job. He looked towards the servant next to him. "Do it."
Saber looked towards the mansion and held her blade aloft.."Sink into a heap of corpses. Collapse!" The woman declared as she held her sword firmly. "Excalibur'' Her mana swelled, covering the sword in a black and violet surge of energy. "MORGAN!" With a swing of her blade, the energy exploded, racing towards the Einzbern mansion.
[VOOM]
Kiritsugu shielded his daughter from the backlash of the blast.
When the burst of magic energy hit the mansion, there wasn't an explosion or any kind of grand eruption. The building was simply gone, burned into nothingness by the sheer destructive power of the attack.
Kiritsgu looked onwards. He would never stop being amazed by the sheer destructive power of Excalibur. Suddenly, the man fell to his knees, throwing up on the snowy ground below.
"Papa!" Illyasviel ran to the drowned man.
Kiritsugu was certainly not in a good spot. Even with Avalon holding back Avenger's curse, the mana upkeep necessary to maintain saber was draining, especially without the grail's assistance. He was truly fortunate that whatever the grail did to her gave her physical body. Because of that, the mana drain was negligible when she wasn't in combat. The man looked up to his daughter. He gave a weak smile. "You don't need to worry Illya. I'm fine." He told her. The man wiped the bile from his mouth as he stood up. "Come on, lets go." He tolf her as he offered her a hand.
The girl took her father's hand into her own. "Where are we going Papa?" The young girl asked her father.
The man smiled. "We're going home Illya."
So, just to be clear, Kiritsugu only used one command spell to make Saber destroy the grail.