A/N: This is turning out to be a bit interesting isn't it? In any case, thanks goes out to Elder-master-Sempai for the beta. This one is a bit longer then I planned. But, I could not find a place to break it into two. So this will count as two chapters. Enjoy. :)

(Tavern)

"What do you mean 'required'? No one has the authority to come and take away my sister!" Chrono reeled at the young man who simply turned to look at him.

"And you have not the authority to detain her. This is no business of yours. Cease interfering." The young man said as he turned back to Fate. Fate did not see Chrono in the wrong. But Chrono was not able to bind her to the bar forever. Intrigued, Fate decided to explore the issue a bit.

"Who is this 'master'? And why do they 'require me' to be anywhere?" Fate asked. The young man's expression softened, as if to say he was not all he appeared to be. The young man smiled clearly for the first time as if to show his true nature.

"The current master is the Grand Duchess. And as for why, master is master, we do not attempt to discern her will." The young man said, his voice having lost the previous deepness. It had been as if he had been trying to obscure it, but somehow Chrono put it together.

"You are a woman, are you not?" He asked calmly. The visitor turned to face him.

"My gender is not open to discussion here, but yes, I am female. Now, I ask you once again to step aside and let this woman answer." The woman said as she again turned back to Fate awaiting an answer.

"I am a bit curious. I shall answer the call of this … Grand Duchess." Fate responded much to Chrono's shock.

"I see your decision is very wise. There will be a package delivered today from the castle. The courier will not leave until you accept it." The woman said as her hat went back on. Her blunt, but light step echoed though the floorboards as she made her exit. Soon after there was a sound of a horse trotting away.

"I … wanted to ask more things of her." Fate said still mesmerized by the meeting.

"Yes, like to leave." Chrono responded with a bit of vigor.

"I am able … to … make my own decisions Brother." Fate said as she went to putting the buckets back away.

"What are you doing?" Chrono asked clearly upset.

"Putting the buckets away, I must not wear my skin down today. Lady Fate …" Fate smiled at the mention of her own name in such a manner. She then walked from behind the bar in an apparent daze.

"I did not say you could go!" Chrono said finally coming out with it. Fate turned to look at him, her crimson orbs focused and accompanied by her smile.

"I am sorry. I must go. I feel as if my future might be waiting there." Fate said as she turned the corner and opened the door to go up stairs. She was not all that certain what awaited her, but rather was anxious to embrace it with open arms.

(Village: Night)

Darkness had wrapped up around the village gently, as if lulling it to sleep. Various places had lanterns lit. The square of town had just four and the rest had none. Save for the bridge to the castle.

Someone always came out from the Obsidian Palace and lit the dozen beacons so that the stagecoaches would not find darkness and tragic death in the chasm below. However, beyond the bridge, light could be seen peeking out from over the castle's outer walls. It was now that any life could be detected, for in the morning, it would look as if it were sleeping again.

The single stagecoach that had stopped in town made its way across the bridge and onto the flat stone of the other side. Fate noticed the change in terrain as it suddenly felt as if she had gone from something porous to something perfectly smooth and flawless. Outside the window the torches lit the path.

'I wonder what this is all about. Who could possibly want to meet me here?' Fate thought as she felt the carriage stop followed by metal creaking. By the time she moved to look out the window to see what was going on, the carriage began to move again. Fate could see more ornate torches as she felt the carriage turn just so slightly to the right before it came to a stop.

To be honest, this all felt a bit strange to Fate. She had uneven feelings about this place. As if there was something more to be told, yet, she did not know what the additional tale was as it were. The metal click that followed broke her thoughts from the mystery of her surroundings and exposed a set of stone steps that led down from the carriage. It was unladylike, not to mention dangerous to leap down from a carriage step to the ground.

Normally, Fate would just hop down without a second thought. Fate sometimes had to ride into the city to get something that she could not from the market. But that is normally done in her regular clothing, not this elegant gown. She did not see the coachman waiting for her, actually, she saw no one. Fate carefully grabbed onto the gown and pulled it up slightly, so it would not get caught, and made her way down the stone steps. She finished her descent and then directed her attention to the area around her. Again, nothing greeted Fate save the snorts of the horses. There were at least three other carriages she noticed parked along a curve. Having decided to pay it no mind, Fate instead turned her mind to the castle itself.

(Obsidian Palace: Main Entrance)

The soft, yet sharp, clack of shoes echoed though the stone facades and arches. Fate found herself trying to look up into the sky, but found she was far too close see the castle's peak. So she settled on what was in front of her. 'It is as the roomers say; it was literally carved out of stone or no…' Fate's thought drifted as she touched one of the arches and felt, even though her gloves, that it was smooth.

Fate wished to inspect the building's façade further, but could hear music being played from a distance and then remembered why she was there.

"I am being a rude guest. I must be going." Fate said as she made her way down the long stone hallway. Fate could see massive wooden doors in front of her, but nobody to push them open. But when she got a few more steps towards the doorway, light began to spill out as the doors opened.

(Obsidian Palace: Main Foyer)

It took a few moments for Fate's eyes to adjust, from near complete pitch black to this bright, yet soft, ambiance. Fate began to make out the details of the hall as she walked just steps from its threshold.

It was as majestic as she thought, or actually the word 'majestic' did not do it justice. But Fate could not find a better word to describe what her eyes had burned into them. A massive staircase bore itself into the middle of the hall about three quarters back. At the top of it sat a massive portrait that Fate couldn't quite make out yet.

Fate's shoes finally met the strip of carpet that led to the staircase. At last she could see what was going on completely. Her logic and knowledge of upper-class activities told her that this was not a ball, but more like a gala. The point wasn't to dance, but to converse and mingle. Perhaps there would be dancing later, but that was not the case now.

Fate saw many faces glance at her and then whisper into another's ears. The sense of foreboding that teased Fate's senses just a few moments before was replaced with a sense of inferiority, as if she had been gathered as a spectacle.

"Pardon, but are you Lady Fate?"

Fate turned to her side and found a woman standing there, or more accurately a woman child. Fate knew she was older, but not by how much. As Fate began to observe her form, discerning the girl's age shifted to increasingly lower priority. The girl was more conservatively dressed then Fate was, but then Fate was a maiden and this girl was just a child.

"Yes, I am Fate." Fate said struggling to find the words. Long blonde hair reached the girls shoulders. Fate could see the girl's bangs were secured to the back of head and she noticed something else odd.

"Pardon me, but is that…" Fate asked only to receive a slightly confused look and then a giggle.

"Yes, my eyes are not the same color. You are not the first person to ask me, Lady Fate …" the girl replied as someone about the same age approached from the first's back.

"Vivio, who are you speaking to? You know we are not supposed to talk to new guests." The other girl protested. Fate's gage of the other girl was less inviting then the one that greeted her.

"Do not be silly, Ein, this is the one that everyone one has been talking about. Oh! I am sorry. I have said too much. Have a good evening. Excuse us." Both the girls curtsied and then disappeared back into the crowd.

'The one that everyone has been talking about, that is what she said, but why?' Fate's thoughts drifted to apprehension and confusion as the portrait caught her eyes again.

Fate walked closer to the staircase and began to stare at the portrait, or rather, the person in the portrait. Her eyes traced the red locks that settled along the small of this woman's back. She sat in a chair that looked expensive and wore a gown that mystified Fate. Fate could only find herself more and more attracted to the image.

Walking closer, she looked into the happy expression that greeted all who entered this palace. With each step, Fate felt as if the picture wanted to tell her more. The woman's eyes looked into Fate's as she climbed the stairs. Fate noticed the glint of metal at the bottom of the portrait.

As she got closer she could see more of the plaque and began to focus on it more. As she reached the top of the stairs, she walked close to the picture and could finally read the engraved text of the epitaph.

In the pitch black that awaits you

You must sacrifice three things unto the Night

Your Heart

Your Body

Your Spirit

Once all of your humanity is left behind

And your Love has led you through all danger

I will at last be freed

Fate found the text strange and somewhat morbid. But yet she reached up to touch the frame.

"I would not advise you to touch that. The Master does not like it when people disturb it." Fate spun around to see yet another woman. This one was dressed differently than the one that had come to see her. Regalia heavily weighed on her chest and her dark blue sash served as a contrast to her white uniform. Long light color hair hung from a long ponytail.

"I am sorry … I was just." Fate attempted to apologize though the woman's stern face and expression made it increasingly difficult. The woman sighed, and then rubbed her temple with a gloved hand, before returning to her scowl.

"It is no matter; my Lady has requested to meet you. And when I say 'Lady' I do not mean the master of this palace. I mean one of the patrons that reside here. Please, if you will. I do not like wasting time." The uniform woman turned to the stairs and began her decent as she expected Fate to follow.

Fate followed the woman, but found it difficult to keep up with her gait. This woman seemed as if she were a trained solider and walked like one. Fate, however, did not speak as she was led through the crowd. Soon after departing from the main hall, down a smaller hall just a few doors along, the woman reached out and tapped on the door.

"Excuse me." She said as she grabbed the handle and opened the door. She gestured towards Fate to follow her entrance and then bowed as she did so, a complete difference from how she had acted just a few moments before.

Fate entered the room and immediately noticed a man standing at the other side of the door to the right. He also wore a uniform not unlike the woman but seemed more rigid then she was. If the woman that led her here was a solider then this man was definitely so.

"Oh, I apologize for having Sigum retrieve you. But I wanted to meet you before you got too overwhelmed by this place. It can be quite overwhelming." Fate looked over to her addresser and found a woman sitting on a sofa. Apparently this was a parlor.

"Oh … that is alright … I was a bit lost. These girls came to greet me and then left me as quick." Fate said as she noticed two more uniform individuals. A taller blonde woman wore a sash not any different from Sigum's and then a much shorter woman with what could only be characterized as deep red hair in a single braid down her back. The latter seemed agitated by Fate's statement.

"I told those two…" The short one railed apparently urked by the notion.

"Vivio and Einhart are not your responsibility Vita. They have others to answer to you know." The woman spoke again. Apparently from the looks of her, she was the master of all of these people.

"I apologize for the somewhat taciturn greetings you have received from my knights. They do not socialize well, despite my best efforts." The woman said shifting her shorter brown bangs from her face. "I am sure you have several questions. I will start be asking you to sit and enjoy some tea with me. You are the guest of honor after all." The woman said with a slight girlish giggle. Fate did as she was asked and took a seat across from the woman. The blonde, who had remained motionless until now, poured some tea for Fate and then returned to her spot.

"I will start by telling you who I am. My name is Hayate. There is a title that goes along with it, but that is not important at the time being. You may address me simply as Hayate." her current host said with a slight smile despite the gaping expression from Vita and another temple rub from Sigum.

"Hayate, why am I here? Who invited me? And who is in that picture in the hall?" Fate asked and received a shocked expression from Hayate's knights after asking her last question.

"As for the first, I think you answered it yourself. The second and third you will see soon enough. Oh. I was asked to give you something." Hayate said as a small box was brought to her.

"Asked to give me something, by whom?" Fate asked.

"Patience Fate all will be revealed in time. But do know you were brought her as a guest, and that means no harm will come to you. This will assure that." Hayate said as she drew a silver brooch from the box and then handed it to Fate. Fate observed the brooch to have a strange symbol on it.

"What is this?" Fate asked.

"A gift from the Master, it is something of a charm for protection against bad spirits. Or that is what the symbol is. It is really just a show of gratitude from the Master. It will also prevent any more people from questioning why you are here." Hayate finished.

"I ... see" Fate said as she placed the brooch on the dress. If it were not for the care she felt from it, she would not have done so.

"Now then, I will be joining the party soon. I shall be your company until then." Hayate said with a smile as she took another sip of tea.