Disclaimer: I do not own the Fate franchise it belongs to Kinoko Nasu and Type-Moon.

Different Fates

Chapter 11

Heavy clouds shrouded the Moon and the stars, snow falling slowly but steadily in the still and cold air to lie heavy on the ground, the trees, and on the walls, roofs, and battlements of Hohenzollern Castle. In contrast the castle interior was warm and brightly lit with the golden light of hundreds of candles. Liveried servants calmly proceeded with their duties, and in the main hall elegant figures chatted and mixed with each other to the sounds of an orchestra as high-ranked nobles and Hohenzollern scions held court in balconies overlooking the hall below.

In an antechamber adjoining the entrance to the main hall the Prince and Princess of Prussia received their guests before they could proceed to the main hall. The nobles had already finished presenting themselves to their hosts and lieges, and now it was the turn of the 'Egalitarian Elites' the Hohenzollerns and their noble vassals surrounded themselves with to present themselves.

The term and the system itself were established by Louis Ferdinand von Preussen the Prince of Prussia in the wake of the Second World War. The war had left the Fatherland in ruins, it and its people's reputation in ruins, and the influence of its traditional leaders at an all-time low. To make matters worse – and to add insult to injury – the Allies egged-on by the hypocrite Winston Churchill had actually dissolved the Prussian state, further crippling the cause of Hohenzollern restoration.

Even in the Clock Tower where the Hohenzollerns had been vainly working for decades to gain approval to use magic to discreetly bring about a restoration, the Germans found themselves being viewed with distrust, mundane fears and sympathies bleeding through the magi and their mentalities. As the networks which the Hohenzollerns had forged and maintained in the Clock Tower since the time of Frederick William the Great Elector (the first magus to appear within the Hohenzollern family) crumbled to pieces, Prince Louis Ferdinand determined that he would not see the Hohenzollern position in both the mundane and magical worlds be reduced to empty formality.

This led to the promulgation of the Egalitarian Elitism policy. Under this the Hohenzollerns and their noble vassals would sift through the ranks of common-born magi both in the Clock Tower and beyond, isolating those with promise (high magical potential, sharp minds, rare elemental affinities, origins, sorcery traits, and any combination or derivative thereof) and bringing them into the Hohenzollern orbit by means of patronage or in the case of the truly-promising ones, appropriate marriages.

There was opposition of course. But the prince had been absolute and had persevered, and as the results began to show within a few years opposition died out. Fresh blood invigorated the bloodlines, as demonstrated by the children of elites wedded to old lineages, and the large numbers of talented individuals born to or aligned with the Germans eventually forced the French and British-dominated Clock Tower to stop sneering at the Germans and to treat them with due respect.

Even fears of 'cultural contamination' proved to be of little worry: the prince had craftily taken advantage of the elites' resentment at the snobbish attitudes of the British and the French, the Germans welcoming them with gentle encouragement that not only bred loyalty but also drove the elites to eagerly assimilate into German culture. Within a decade the Germans had rebuilt their foundation in the Association as a whole, and over the following decades had expanded their networks such that once again the Hohenzollerns could once again seek to gain approval to use magic to reclaim their throne.

The British and the French remained leery of course but by the time Louis Ferdinand passed on, the German position in the Clock Tower was long since secure.

One such elite was Sakura Tohsaka, with her high magical potential, rare Imaginary Numbers sorcery trait, and Second Magic-derived family mysteries qualifying her for consideration, and upon passing said consideration was quickly placed yet again on consideration for a noble marriage.

The engagement was finally set in stone nine months ago during her fifteenth birthday, with Johann Freiherr von Derfflinger, thus cementing her position as one of the German elites.

Currently Sakura waited in line, wearing a sleeveless dress of rich red that went down to her knees, matching pumps, and a coat of matching red trimmed with white fur. A simple necklace of gold with a ruby pendant hung around her neck, the magus concealing the lower half of her face with a mother-of-pearl-inlaid fan. Beside her, her fiancé fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable in the formal wear he was wearing for the night.

"I would have thought that you'd be used to wearing clothes like that." She observed with amusement.

Twelve year-old Johann Freiherr von Derfflinger rolled his eyes. "It's not that. It's…Miss Sakura I'm twelve. I'm not supposed to be here." He said. "I don't even know why I agreed to be your date for the night."

"Was it because I asked nicely?" Sakura said with a small smile. "Or is it the fact that your father felt it would reflect well that you'd be seen attending the Christmas Party here at Hohenzollern Castle with your fiancée?"

"Both…" Johann grumbled. "…though we'd best avoid going out of sight. Let's not become the target of rumours, shall we?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed briefly in thought, and then she smiled as she closed her fan and ran a hand through her hair. She once tried to wear it long like her sister had once done, but long hair had proven troublesome once she'd taken up swordsmanship, and she'd reverted to the short-cut hairstyle she'd favoured as a child.

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea." She said, and then stepping forward she gave a curtsey while Johann bowed, standing as they were before Prince George Frederick von Preussen the Prince of Prussia and his wife, Princess Sophia.

"Your Highnesses…" she began. "…thank you for your invitation. It is an honour to be received into your presence and in your home for the evening."

"And for me as well…" Johann added.

"The honour is ours Miss Tohsaka, Baron Derfflinger." The prince said. "Please rise."

The couple did as asked, and the prince and princess smiled at them both. "Welcome to our home for the night." The princess said. "We hope that you enjoy this evening, and of course congratulations on your recent engagement."

"Thank you Your Highness."

Prince George Frederick nodded. "We will not keep you occupied any further." He said. "Please go ahead, and enjoy yourselves until the evening meal is served."

Sakura and Johann bowed and curtseyed, and then left for the main hall as yet another couple stepped up before the prince and princess. As they entered the main hall Sakura pulled her purse out from inside her coat, and withdrew a handkerchief which used to delicately pat her forehead of sweat. Johann stared at her accusingly.

"I would have thought you'd be used to occasions like this."

"Oh very good Johann, to use my own teasing from earlier against me…" Sakura said as she led Johann towards a staircase leading up to the second floor. "…but it's not every day that you meet with royalty, much less in occasions like this."

"That's not true. You meet with Princess Louise Francoise plenty of times."

"Yes, but she's not the Prince of Prussia. His Highness Prince George Frederick is, and we don't know each other as is the case with his cousin. One can't help but be tense in that situation."

"Point…" Johann agreed, and then watched as Sakura pulled a letter from her purse. The seal on it was telling. "…I'm guessing we're joining Her Highness' court for the night…?"

"Your sister will be there, and Her Highness' circle is my station. It's only expected."

"True."

A pair of liveried guards in anachronistic blue and white uniforms and sashes blocked their way, but bowed them up the stairs after inspecting Sakura's letter of invitation, which not only invited her for the night's Christmas festivities, but identified her as part of Princess Louise Francoise von Preussen's circle.

The princess wore a blue-trimmed gown of rich violet that left her shoulders and part of her cleavage bare, along with white elbow gloves. A tiara of silver and diamonds rested on her hair, while the badge of the Order of Louise First Class – a black-enamelled cross with the medallion centrepiece of the order – was pinned over her left breast on a white ribbon with three black stripes (as a member of the Prussian Royal Family she automatically received it on her eighteenth birthday two years ago). Behind the princess her faithful retainer and childhood friend Katherine Ritter von Kreutzer stood protectively in a Prussian Army captain's dress uniform complete with a dress sabre.

Princess Louise Francoise nodded as both Sakura and Johann bowed before her, and then Sakura went off to find Anika Freiin von Derfflinger elsewhere in the balcony's adjoining salon. Johann moved to follow only to stay with a gesture from the princess.

"So Baron Derfflinger…" she began while motioning him towards a nearby seat. "…congratulations on attending your first public event. And on your engagement as well, I don't believe I've congratulated you before now, though your fiancée is a different matter."

"Thank you Your Highness."

Louise Francoise's lips curled with amusement. "There's no need to be so tense." She said with a smile. "It's not like I'm going to eat you if you make a mistake, just throw you in the dungeons for a bit."

The expression on the baron's face threw the princess into a fit of laughter, and Katherine coughed primly. "Lady Louise…" she said chidingly. "…please refrain from such crass jokes. They are most inappropriate."

"Yes, yes, thank you for the reminder Katherine."

"You're welcome Your Highness."

The princess smiled fondly at her friend before turning back to Johann. "Seriously though my lord baron…" she said. "…there's no need to be so tense. Stay appropriate and within the bounds of proper behaviour, and you'll be fine."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The princess laughed again. "See…?" she said. "You can do it after all."

Johann smiled and rubbed the back of his head, and Louise Francoise sat back on her chair. "So…" she said. "…if I might ask, how are you getting along with young Sakura?"

"Well I suppose…" Johann ventured. "…but it's not like we see each other that much."

"Hmm…" Louise Francoise mused. "…but you are friends yes?"

"Yes, we're friends, though not as good as my sister and Miss Sakura are."

The princess smiled as though she'd heard something interesting, and then continued with a nod. "Being friends is good." She said. "Love is ideal in a marriage, but a matter of convenience for an arranged marriage. It helps, but is not indispensible. Still, being friends is a good way to start it off, and is usually enough for a happy marriage even if love does not grow out of it."

"I…see…"

Johann lowered his head, thinking things through. He'd known of course that it was always that case in an arranged marriage, but he'd never considered it on a personal basis before. Rationally he accepted it as a fact of reality, a product of his and his fiancée's social statuses, but emotionally he found it…disappointing.

"I can see that it provoked some thought." Louise Francoise said, and startling the boy from his ruminations. "In that case I urge you not to consider this matter on your own, and to consult with your future spouse."

"Yes Your Highness."

The princess nodded and then looked over Johann's shoulder at the approaching pair of Sakura and Anika, who exchanged greetings with the rest of Louise Francoise's court or circle as they passed them by. "Speak of the devil…" she said as they arrived and gave a respectful bow. "…I was just discussing a certain matter with Baron Derfflinger just now."

"Your Highness…?"

The princess' eyes briefly flashed towards Johann, and he swallowed before drawing Sakura's attention to him. "Um…" he began. "…can we…can we talk later? About…you know…our engagement…?"

"Hmm…" Sakura mused while uncomfortably rubbing an arm. "…well I suppose it was inevitable. And we have been treading around the topic for months now, and even before then so…yeah…"

Louise Francoise nodded in approval, and then noticing the rest of the circle's attention drawn to them decided to play a bit. "I understand that you'll probably want a bit of privacy for your conversation later on…" she said with a smile that sparked alarm in her retainer's mind. "…I would however urge you to keep your wits about you, and not to give in to adolescent hormones just because you are now engaged."

The couple in question turned beet-red, and giggles and even outright laughter (from the two Americans) from the rest of the circle. Anika looked torn between scandal and amusement, but Katherine was definitely scandalized, especially since her princess was laughing her heart out behind a hastily-opened fan.

"Your Highness…!" she protested.

"Oh come now it's just a bit of fun." Louise Francoise scoffed, and then rolled her eyes at her retainer's reproaching gaze. "And we're all friends here, aren't we girls?"

The rest of the circle gave their verbal agreement, and Johann suddenly realized with childish horror that he was the only male in a salon full of women. "Is something wrong my lord baron?" the princess asked, and it was only with herculean effort that he managed to moderate his reaction.

"No, everything's fine Your Highness."

The princess didn't look convinced, but was distracted as a manservant below rang a small silver bell for silence, and then announced that dinner was now served. "Ah…" she said while rising from her chair. "…time for supper it seems. Now then ladies – and my lord baron – shall we proceed?"

Prince George Frederick rose from his chair, a crystal goblet held in one hand. Silence fell across the gathered princes, lords, and elites as their prince prepared to address them. "Our dear relatives…" he began. "…our loyal lords…and our loyal friends and allies…once again we welcome you into our home for this joyous evening, and extend our hopes that you would find our hospitality not lacking."

The prince paused, and then raised his goblet. "Suum cuique…" he said with a smile, the motto of the Kingdom of Prussia: to each his own. The guests raised their glasses, returning the prince's toast.

"…suum cuique…!" they said, and the prince smiled.

"And Merry Christmas to us all..."

"Merry Christmas…!"

The prince drained his goblet, and his guests followed. He sat back down, supper beginning in earnest with the guests chatting with each other over their meals. Sakura found herself conversing over the table with Franz Freiherr von Derfflinger, current head of the Derfflinger family and father to Baron and Baroness Johann and Anika von Defflinger.

"Miss Tohsaka…" he began. "…my daughter tells me that you saved her life during your recent expedition to Poland a couple of days ago."

Sakura blinked. "Yes, yes I did, but it was nothing special I assure you." She said. "Even if she wasn't my friend, she was a comrade on the battlefield. I…well at the risk of sounding melodramatic I only did what I should have done."

The baron laughed at that. "Indeed…" he said. "…in any case I would thank you for saving my daughter's life. I and my family are in your debt Miss Tohsaka. And we shall see it paid in time."

"I would not wish to impose…"

"Oh it's no trouble at all, my lady…" the baron interrupted, and raising his wineglass in a toast to her. "…it is only right that debts, especially life debts, be paid in due."

Sakura looked uncomfortable, but a pat on the shoulder from Anika shook her from her reverie, and she returned the toast to the approving gaze of Princess Louise Francoise. The rest of discussions over supper were mere small-talk, and once the tables were clear the guests were led back into the main hall by their hosts, with the Prince and Princess of Prussia doing the first dance and the guests joining in afterwards.

Princess Louise Francoise watched with veiled amusement as Sakura and Johann tried their turn at dancing, concealing her amused expression behind a fan. Katherine made every effort not to show any emotion at the sight, while Anika just looked exasperated. "You have something to say, my dear baroness?" the princess eventually asked.

"I'm just wondering how someone so good at swordsmanship like Sakura can be so bad at dancing." Anika responded.

"There's a marked difference between swordsmanship and dancing, even if both require precision physical coordination." Katherine replied. "For starters you're not aiming to stay one step ahead of the enemy, or for that matter to disarm and kill said enemy when it comes to dancing. And besides: Miss Tohsaka is taller than Baron Derfflinger."

"Well if that's the problem then it should solve itself in a couple of years, maybe less." The princess said. "Speaking of problems…well it's not really a problem, but it does concern me, Anika."

Anika looked sharply at the princess, who never used first names unless truly necessary. And if the princess' aim was to catch Anika's attention, then she had succeeded. "Your Highness…?" she asked.

"I've noticed for some time now." Louise Francoise said neutrally. "You know what I'm talking about."

Anika smiled ruefully. "I see." She said neutrally.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of." The princess assured her. "Does young Sakura know?"

Anika's smile turned sad. "I don't think so." She said. "And I hope she never does."

The princess looked at her with a raised eyebrow, and Anika sighed, closed her eyes while shaking her head, and opened them again. "I know Sakura's social obligations, and of course my own and Johann's." she said. "I won't make things any more completed than they already are."

"It will hurt."

"Oh yes…" Anika agreed. "…it already does. But…Sakura…"

She trailed off, and the princess nodded slowly. "You have no intention of telling her." Louise Francoise said. "You don't wish to burden her with the responsibility of how you feel towards her…very well that is your decision. With that said, I would urge you to speak with her about this matter."

Anika looked at the princess in surprise, and Louise Francoise folded her fan and tapped her chin a few times. "You are friends." She finally said. "That should be reason enough. And if you need more…"

The princess paused and then looked at her knowingly. "…don't you trust her to able to handle responsibility?" she asked, and Anika's eyes widened in surprise. The princess smiled and looked away. "The final decision is yours my dear baroness, and I trust you to make the right one."

Anika looked thoughtful, and as the dance came to an end nodded slowly. "I understand Your Highness." She said. "And thank you for the advice. I will…think on it at length."

"Good, good…" the princess said approvingly, her eyes following Johann and Sakura as they walked towards one of the big windows looking out over the grounds outside. "…haste only makes waste. An old adage, but it is one that is quite relevant. Nevertheless, do not take too long, and only spend as much time as you need."

Anika nodded again, and took a pair of wineglasses from a passing server. She handed one to the princess, and then raised her own in a toast. "To your health Your Highness…" She said, and Louise Francoise smiled and returned the toast.

"And to yours my dear baroness…"

"What do you expect from this relationship Johann?" Sakura said, staring out of the windows at the snow falling outside.

That sounded much better in my head.

"Miss Sakura…?"

"What do you expect from this relationship of ours? We're friends after all, and let's be honest: this engagement of ours is only out of obligation."

Just like my own parents' marriage and I know how that turned out.

Johann briefly looked away and scratched a cheek thoughtfully. "I…well our contract states that…well it's very general so I suppose…that was your idea wasn't it?" he stammered out.

"Yeah…I wanted to give us both room to work around each other, in case things didn't work out between us. As long as we fulfilled our obligations, then…"

Johann smiled sadly. "I won't force you to be a housewife…" He said. "…or to stop being a magus, or anything you don't want to do. I know that it's not really…normal for boys my age to talk like this or about things like this…but as a magus no beyond that a noble, I'm not really normal am I?"

Sakura laughed, turning away from the window and ruffling his hair much to his consternation. "Well this is the first time I've ever heard of a kid admitting that he's a kid." She said, and he scowled at her.

"I'm not in denial." He said crossly, and then he sighed. "I…I can't take credit for all that on my own though. I just followed my parents' example."

"Your parents' example, huh…? Lucky you…"

Johann looked saddened at those words, especially given Sakura's own wistful expression. Apparently her parents didn't have a happy marriage. It was no wonder then that she never talked about her family.

"I could work with those expectations." Sakura finally said. "And as for my expectations from this engagement…I just…I just don't want either of us to waste away."

"Waste away…?"

Sakura didn't answer at once, instead looking out of the window at the snow falling outside. "Mother…" she said. "…she tried to be the perfect and dutiful wife to my father. She was…happy, or at least I think she thought she was."

"Sakura…" Johann began. "…if you don't want to talk about this…"

"It's fine." Sakura said. "It's something that needs to be said. Mother…I didn't know at the time, I just thought her to be the sweetest…but now…I realize…I realize she must have been in denial. Hopes…dreams…ambitions…everything she treasured…myself and my sister included…"

Johann's eyes widened: he didn't know Sakura had a sister.

What happened to her? Why hasn't Sakura spoken of her in all this time? And why does she sound so sad?

"…she sacrificed it all for that man: father." Sakura said with a note of bitterness. "Father…he was a gifted magus, and an astute manager of the family properties…but as a father…he could have been better. I…"

No matter how much sister worshipped him…no matter how much I tried in my youth to impress him and be seen like how he saw sister…now…now I know…I don't want to be like him. And no matter how sweet my mother was…I don't want to become like her.

"I won't become an empty husk like my mother was." Sakura said. "Perfection is pointless if you lose everything in the process. And I won't ask that of you either."

Johann and Sakura stared at each other for a few more moments, and then he smiled at her. "I think we can work with that." He said, and Sakura smiled back and nodded. "My parents…well because of them I can't really say that I understand how your parents were like…but I can understand enough to know why you feel that way…"

Johann paused and sighed. "Damn I'm talking big aren't I?" he said, and Sakura laughed before walking past him.

"Shall we try and dance properly one more time?"

Johann nodded, and followed her to the dance floor. "I won't ask you to be perfect." Johann thought. "There's no such thing as perfect anyway, and your father should never have asked it of your mother. Dancing though…"

Johann scowled at the thought. "Damn it…" he thought. "…how the hell am I supposed to lead if she's taller than I am? Ah, ah…let's do our best, and work at it as best we can."

A/N

I'm offended if you people think I'd reduce Sakura to mere filler. This chapter should demonstrate that despite not having the same flaws as canon Rin, Sakura is hardly having a happy life, as well as some insights into how she sees her family.

Egalitarian elitism…it sounds so very unlike the magi, no? Until you realize that for the German nobles giving all those common-born magi a place among them is cheap for getting their rare origins/elemental affinities/sorcery traits/etc. bred into their bloodlines, to say nothing of warm bodies to rebuild their networks shattered by Hitler and his ilk.

Note that suum cuique (to each his own) is still the motto of the House (formerly Royal) Order of the Black Eagle, and was also the motto of the now-defunct Kingdom of Prussia. Its German translation was bastardized by the Nazis, but the Prussians/Hohenzollerns never used it – the Latin text was and still is preferred – so there should be no problems with the Latin version.