A/N: So sorry about the wait guys and gals. It's been a rough 3 months. Anywho guys so I think I left alot of stuff from the original version, so I guess I was just satisfied with this chapter. So progress on this story is fine I know what I want to write so If anything it's just being sick, busy, or down right lazy for not getting chapters out to you guys. Also I'm thinking of writing a one-shot focusing on Archer Extra and Archer F/SN. Think you guys might be interested in that? I've got a bunch of other one-shots I want to do involving different Fate characters (Archer and Saber, Shirou and Irisviel, Kairya and Sakura F/SN not F/Z, A story involving the Emiya family , post routes one-shots, Also Koyomi Aragai and Shinji Matou. ) I also got another Fate story, not a one-shot, in the works, it's set in the Extra universe involving both Hakuno's. I got the idea after reading the comment section of a Fate Extra blog.
This top AN is getting to long so now onto the show!
The Einzbern's Hero
Chapter 2
xxx
The plane ride to Fuyuki went smoothly, if not a little awkwardly if Saber had to say so herself. The plane had touched down in a couple of hours after they boarded. Irisviel was the first out of all of them to get off the plane- well, more like "jumped out" than "got off".
"Ah, so this is where Kiritsugu was born. It's so pretty," She said as she twirled around, taking in the view of the airport.
Saber smiled at the woman's attitude. She just had this air of innocence to her that not even her master could say no to, and Saber had become very fond of her.
"W-whoa!" Irisviel said as she tripped over herself. A hand from the person behind her grabs the back of her coat to keep her from falling on her rump.
"Seriously, Master, you need to be more careful."
Her fellow Servant, not so much.
Saber wasn't overly fond of the bowman, and the fact that he was on board with her Master's ludicrous plan didn't help her opinion of him. Not to mention anytime she or her Master would inquire about his abilities, he would smirk and say something ridiculous.
"Think of it like pulling a rabbit out of a hat." The servant once told her.
Not to mention his mannerism was unbefitting of a heroic spirit. He would always sit with his feet propped against something, whether it be a table or otherwise. The way he treated Irisviel was something as well, anytime she asked him something that seemed obvious, Archer's response would be something bordering on an insult. Saber dearly hoped that not all men of the future behaved as he did.
However, that was not what truly bothered her.
No, what angered her the most were the looks the servant gave her. The stares that he gave her when he thought she wasn't looking. His eyes held emotions she had not seen since she last looked in a mirror. The eyes that held sadness, regret, and if she wasn't mistaken, longing. Every time she looked at him it was like looking at herself and it infuriated her to no end.
"Come on, we have to get to the castle and check in with Kiritsugu." Archer's voice broke Saber out of her thoughts.
After getting past airport security, hearing Irisviel's 'oohs and ahs', picking up their luggage- well, Irisviel's luggage, and being the source of public display due to Archer's choice of attire, not to mention that his skin hair didn't help matters, they were picked up by a fancy black car one of the maids brought around.
Irisviel stared out the window at the city while they drove by in great awe.
"So Kiritsugu left before us huh?" Said Archer, who despite being the tallest was stuck between both Saber and Irisviel.
"Um-hm, about twelve hours before us," Irisviel said. "It gives us enough time to explore Fuyuki while they prepare the castle."
"That's dangerous. What if we're attacked by an enemy servant?" Saber objected.
"That's true." Irisviel sat back down and turned her head towards her lap.
Archer stared at his master for a second, it would be smart to immediately head to the castle immediately, but
"It's just...you see." She said trying to find the right words.
"Master?" Archer gave a small questioning look.
Irisviel just sighed. "It's just, this is my first time here." She said, still looking at her lap.
"Here as in Japan?" Saber asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, I guess I worded that wrong, when I say here as in outside, this...this is the first time I've been truly outside, away from the castle," Irisviel said, earning shocked looks from both servants.
"You mean you've been stuck inside that castle since you were alive?" Saber asked, waiting for Irisviel to elaborate.
"Yes, you see, I'm just a puppet made by the Einzberns for the Holy Grail. I wasn't supposed to really be...'human' so to speak." She was met by an awkward silence.
"Oh, but that doesn't mean I'm ignorant of the outside world, Kiritsugu brought me movies and pictures and told me all kinds of stuff." She says shaking her hand trying to make the awkwardness disappear.
As Saber was sitting there thinking about whether they should stop and tour the place for Irisviel, Archer's mind was going somewhere...else.
'Of course, she would be, she's one of that old devil's prized homunculus after all,' Archer thought bitterly.
Jubstacheit von Einzbern, otherwise known as Old Man Acht, was a humanoid golem and the eighth head of the Einzbern. He was a typical magus and a real stuck-up one at that. All the man truly cared about was winning the Holy Grail War. Failure to him was not tolerated- it was considered basically failing the Einzbern family as a whole.
Of course, Illya and Irisviel would be tied down to the castle grounds. They were that man's tickets to achieving something he desperately sought.
Suddenly, Archer told the driver to stop and turns to Saber
"Oh, come on, what's a little touring going to hurt," A small smile made its way onto his face. "Besides. you've never been here either. It'll give you a chance to get used to the environment as well."
Saber gave a defeated sigh. "Very well."
"Yay!'" Irisviel yelled in excitement.
They all got out of the car and began to tour the town. They found a large shopping plaza in Mount Miyama. The first place they went to was a clothing store, where Irisviel had both Archer and Saber try on clothes to see what she liked on them for many more clothing projects to come.
("Ohh you both look so cute.")
("E-even though I'm a king, I will take this swat at my pride for the lady's sake.")
("Why me.")
Then they found a restaurant where they all had a meal, and due to some insistence from Archer, Saber had a meal as well.
("Oh my! This is the first time I've had these 'Miso soup', it's so good!")
("I must say this is a fair meal.")
("To much salt in the paste, the clams are overcooked, and the broth isn't as warm as it should be. 4 out of 10.")
("Huh?"/"What?")
("Oh, n-nothing")
After doing some more shopping at various stores (and having some more horrors), they were heading to go view some of Fuyuki's sights, when Archer spotted a small stuff animal store and on one of the shelves in the store he saw a small stuffed lion. A small memory comes back to him and he lets a small smile creep onto his face.
"I was wondering when I would see you actually smile." The smile on Archer's face quickly vanished as he looked to the side of him and saw that it was his master, who spoke.
"Huh?" Archer said confusion evident on his face.
"Ever since you were summoned, anytime you smiled it was either fake or sarcastic. It's good to know that my servant knows how to truly smile," She said with a smile of her own. She then grabbed Saber's hand and took off a bit ahead.
"I guess after all this time, even I forgot how to smile, huh?" He asked to no one in particular, before looking ahead- and this time, instead of staring at the back of his master's head, he stared at the person next to her.
Archer simply sighed, ran a hand through his hair, and said: "I guess I'm getting too soft."
xxx
After taking in the view of some of Fuyuki's sights until it began to get dark, they found themselves on a beach and the servants watched as Irisviel ran towards the water without her boots on and her pants legs rolled up.
Archer looked at Saber who was watching Irisviel with soft eyes and a smile. Trying to establish some communication between them, Archer did the only thing he could.
He poked fun at her.
"Oh no!" Archer said a fake gasp escaped his lips as he covered his mouth as Saber looked at him. "Saber don't tell me...you're in love with my Master!"
It took the blue knight a moment to process what he said.
"W-what!" She yelled, face as red as a tomato. "What foolishness, I am in no such thing!"
Archer could only snicker at her flustered face.
"You should learn to keep those feelings in check, Saber, or else you might start a love affair," He said, chuckling a bit.
Saber turned away from him. Face still a bit red, Archer might have thought she was actually in love with her had Saber not said:
"I guess it was because we could make her have a fun time, I was just getting a bit relaxed," She said.
"Ah. Yeah, well, I guess I can understand," He told her. "I am kinda glad I could do this."
Saber looked over at him and saw Archer looking down at Irisviel with a sad knowing look on his face. However, before could she could say anything his eyes quickly changed back into ones that gave nothing away.
Irisviel began to speak, "Today was perfect, I got to shop, eat and go sight-seeing, just like in those movies Kiritsugu brought me and as a plus, I got escorted around by two perfect gentlemen."
"It was my pleasure, your highness." Saber said bowing.
Archer just gave a shrug. "You're my Master, what else was I supposed to do."
Irisviel just laughed. "You two were perfect today. Thank you."
"Wouldn't you have preferred it if Kiritsugu had escorted you today?" Saber asked.
All Irisviel gave was a sad smile. "I think that would have made Kiritsugu sad."
Saber gave a confused look. What did she mean by that?
"Surely you don't mean he does not like being with you?" She asked.
Irisviel slowly shook her head. "No, Kiritsugu would be sad if he was happy with me, being happy causes him pain."
Saber was silent for a bit, she wanted to confront her fake master. Before she could do anything, however, Archer spoke up.
"And?" Irisviel's white-haired servant said in disdain. "You just allow that to happen, I thought you two cared about each other."
Both Saber and Irisviel stared in shock at what Archer just said. After the shock wore off Saber glared at Archer and was about to reprimand him, but before she could get a word in Archer spoke again.
"You shouldn't let your life be dictated by the something that might be inevitable. If you do, then the love you felt must not have been all that strong, to begin with." He spoke with the sound of experience in his voice.
How many times had he fought against the inevitable, there were few times he succeeded and many times he failed. However, if there was one thing that Archer never forgot through his long 'life' it was to never stop fighting even when all the odds are stacked against you. After all, if he couldn't even believe in that, then he would just resign himself to be a servant of Alaya and accept his miserable fate.
Before he could continue his sentence he felt the sensation of being called as though someone was saying "I'm right here, come get me."
'A Servant, here, now!?' He thought.
"Master." He said.
"A Servant." She said as if reading his mind.
"Should we go?" He asked.
Irisviel nodded her head. "Yes. Don't worry, if anything Kiritsugu is already there." She looked at the Servants before Archer grabbed her and all three disappeared to meet this mysterious servant.
xxx
When they got to their destination, only Saber and Irisviel were there to meet the Servant as Archer had, as instructed to by Irisviel, hid himself to watch the fight and to give them support from the shadows.
When Saber and Irisviel had arrived they saw the mysterious servant. It was a man with black curly hair that had a bang reaching to the mole on his face. He wore green-colored light armor, and wielded two spears, a long spear with a red spearhead and a shorter spear with a yellow tip, both covered in purple bindings.
"I'm guessing he's of the Lancer class," Archer whispered. "Never liked those guys."
"Welcome," Lancer said. "Out of all the servants you are the only one to accept my challenge and guessing by your pure aura, you are Saber no?"
"Yes," Saber said. "And you must be Lancer."
"Tch," Lancer grumbled. "It is dishonorable for a knight to not be able to give his true name before battling, I dislike these rules."
Saber stayed quiet and changed into her battle gear.
"Irisviel, stay back." she said.
"Saber, be careful. I can use healing magic and support you from behind," Irisviel informed her.
Saber positioned herself for battle, gripping her sword. She then noticed something odd.
"There seems to be a charm on you Lancer." She said.
Lancer gave her an apologetic look.
"Sorry, Saber, but this was a curse placed on me while I was alive. I hope it won't affect our fight."
"Hmph, it'll take more than a pretty face to save you from my blade. Come, Lancer!" And with that Saber charged at the spearman.
Atop one of the containers, Archer was thinking.
'Cursed face, pretty face...wait a sec!' He thought.
"Trace On!" He chanted and looked at the two spears Lancer wielded.
"Gae Dearg, the Crimson Rose of Exorcism, and Gae Buidhe, the Yellow Rose of Mortality. It looks like we're up against Diarmuid of Love Spot." Archer began sending the information to his master. 'Irisviel, Saber is up against Diarmuid Ua Duibhne. Tell her to watch out for the red spear's magic negation and the yellow spear's curse against healing.'
Irisviel nodded her assent. "Saber!" she called out. "Your opponent is Diarmuid Ua Duibhne! The red spear has anti-magic properties while the yellow spear can cripple you!"
Surprise flashed across the faces of Saber, Lancer, and Lancer's master Kayneth. Saber quickly processed the given information and began to watch both spears with increased care while Lancer recovered as quickly as Saber and prepared himself for battle once more. On the rooftop, Kayneth was reeling from what he had just heard. The wrappings around Lancer's spears should have prevented anyone from being able to tell Lancer's true identity. So how had that homunculus found out so easily the nature of the spears?
Lancer cursed as he released the bindings from both his spears, the element of surprise long gone. He dashed at Saber with speed befitting his class, striking his yellow spear to force a block and his red spear to strike past her magical armor. Saber stayed on the defensive, diverting the spears thrusts and blowing them back, away from her whenever they got too close. Lancer kept this tempo of striking to maim permanently and then going to move past Saber's armor until he stepped forward and changed things up by moving into a furious flurry of attacks with Gae Dearg, keeping Saber occupied with the task of guarding against the onslaught that could easily pierce through her magical armor. Clashing with Saber's sword, Gae Dearg began to use its passive effect to chip away at the Invisible Air that surrounded Saber's sword, revealing the golden light bit by bit. Shocked, Saber quickly disengaged and retreated to make some space between the two of them.
Lancer smirked as he brought himself back into a ready position. "That golden light…no hero could possibly mistake that blade. It is an honor to face against the King of Knights."
Saber wrapped her blade in wind once more and held it in both hands, ready to strike. "Just as it is my honor to fight the first knight of Fianna. Now that we both know each other's names, let us begin this duel properly as knights."
Archer tensed, prepared to intervene and take down Lancer when the opening provided itself, but before he could do anything, someone else beat him to it. Falling from the sky in a chariot pulled by two bulls that sparked lightning, a giant of a man with red hair and a small little teenager in comparison rushed to the docks, coming at a stop between Lancer and Saber.
"He must be of the Rider class, if that chariot means anything," Archer said. He sighed.
'Now, we just need his real name and we can come up with a plan. If only every servant told us their true name; it would make this a lot easier,' Archer thought.
The large red haired man raised his arms.
"Heroes, sheath your weapons for you are in the presence of a king, for I am Iskandar, King of Conquerors!" Rider bellowed.
Archer sat there with a neutral look.
...
'Eh? Wait...Iskandar, does he mean Alexander the Great... Wait, that Alexander the Great... wasn't he supposed to be a lot shorter than that?' Archer thought. All he could do was sigh.
"Guess now all we have to do is watch to see what he wants."
It seemed that Saber wanted to know as well, because she was angrily demanding Rider for answers on why he interrupted her duel with Lancer.
Rider, with his hands still in the air, continued his speech.
"I have a proposition for you all! Join under me and together we shall take the Holy Grail!" He announced.
Once again Archer had a neutral look on his face.
"Huh?"
A/N back in 2015: Hello ladies and gentlemen and thank you for reading The Einzbern's Hero, I am shocked over the support this story is getting from you the readers. Over two thousand views, 35 reviews, 73 favs, and 95 follows, I just gotta tell ya this means a lot to me, and I mean a lot.
A/N: Wow guys looking back at that AN has actually got me in tears, I never thought The Einzbern's Hero would actually be this popular. Over 200 reviews, 600 favs and 700 follows, makes me wonder if i'm cheating a little. Anywho onto answering Your guy's reviews.
Zou (guest): You have become my all time favorite reviewer Zou, mostly because despite you writing these giant reviews, no matter how many times I read them I can't understand them, like at all. However keep reviewing Zou i'm sure i'll decipher what your trying to tell me eventually. Also sign up on FF so I can reply back to you about so I can ask you Where your getting these ideas from.
Blinded in Bolthole: Yes indeed Beast-lair is truly a scary place, it is full of people who I don't dare try to correct on Type-Moon related info. I also hope our beach-body protagonist succeeds as well. However everything has a price. O_O
.75: Unfortunately no pairings except for the already established ones like KiritsuguXIri.
Guest: Remind me never to write a Ruby/Fate crossover on their site.
Isame Kurode (guest): I had meant for the original to be just as dark however it didn't come off like I'd hoped. Stick around Isame I have a ton more Fate related things i'm gonna write about.
blarg7865: Have I played Fate/Extella yet?! Bud I pre-ordered the game and maxed it two weeks after. If they survive...well I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Around the 4 to 5th chapter is when the train fully derails from the tracks. Also I think it was stated that Extra Archer participated in his own grail war, and he could do projection and reinforcement during his life.
Holix25: Yes~ That would be interesting if one of them came wouldn't it. :3
So now onto the Fun part: First off did anyone else know that Old Man Acht was a golem, cause I didn't.
So finally got Fate/GO on my phone, bad news everythings in Japanese so I don't understand it. It sucks but as long as I can get Mordred I don't care.
Ahh so I did something i'll never ever do again, watch someone play Fate/Stay Night on YouTube. It took me three days to finish all the videos, but I did it. Now I said before because I had yet to really watch Heavens Feel, I couldn't really pick a favorite route. However since reading the VN, I can't choose any I love all three routes, each route shining lights on their stories and heroines in different ways, not to mention their portrayal of Shirou is very fulfilling once you read all three. I also sobbed really loud reading last episode. However each has their own faults that I feel balance each other out. So... I can't choose -_- However now I have a newfound appreciation for the 2006 Deen adaption of the Fate route and Ufotable's adaption of UBW, not to mention I can't wait for HF this October.
I Also found this beautiful story about Kiritsugu and Archer on a website called Danbooru. It's by an artist named 'sno' I think. I truly is a touching story. However be warned that the site contains NSFW images.
Also I'd like to recommend a story for those who want more of a relationship between Shirou and Irisviel in their lives. It's called Fate: Song of Grail and it's about an AU (duh) where Irisviel finds Shirou instead of Kiritsugu. It's an amazing story by FallingMore.
Oh right before I go now, while I have no real favorite version of Shirou in the VN, we all have to admit Heavens Feel Shirou is the most badass. So I also have been reading the Fate/Kaleid series , by that I mean I skipped all the way to the most recent chapters. Who would win in all out brawl HF Shirou with Archer's arm or Miyuverse Shirou with the Archer-class card and for motivation let's say Kirei has convinced MV Shirou that HF Shirou has kidnapped Miyu and Julian has convinced HF Shirou that MV Shirou has kidnapped Sakura. Who do you guys think'll win? Me I believe HF Shirou would win.
Anywho guys i'll catch ya in the next chapter.
seeya