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

Different Fates

Chapter 15

"You what…?"

"You heard me: I don't want it."

Jubstacheit von Einzbern stonily gazed down on the little homunculus, who impudently stared back at him. Despite the fact that she was about eighteen or so years of age, she not only looked like but acted like a girl ten years younger…not that it was surprising of course: the relationship between the mind, the body, and the soul was an interdependent one. As such it should only be expected that Illyasviel von Einzbern's age-retarded form would have a…limiting effect on her intellect.

Jubstacheit fought down the instinct to punish such blatant insubordination to say nothing of borderline disrespect, and decided to humour the girl. It wasn't like she was ignorant of the consequences of going against his wishes.

Everyone who lived in the castle was and should be well-aware of that.

So there was a reason behind…this and he would find it out. And then he would react accordingly.

"Very well…" he ground out. "…why don't you want it?"

"I already have a catalyst, that's why."

"What?"

"Here."

Illyasviel raised a small case with a glass cover, showing what looked like a sliver of wood ensconced in the case's velvet-lined interior. Jubstacheit took a single glance and snorted. "That little thing is your catalyst?" he sneered. "And pray tell, why would you choose it over Heracles' slab? What other Servant could possibly compare to the greatest hero of Greek legend?"

Well there was the King of Heroes but from what Jubstacheit had read from the reports of the Fourth Holy Grail War the man was nearly if not outright impossible to control. It would only be expected from the archetypal king and hero – probably more so than the King of Knights – but for a Servant…?

…unacceptable…

"You're right." Illyasviel said with a nod. "The hero who gets summoned with this probably won't even come close to Heracles' level."

"And yet you still wish to use it over his slab?"

"Of course…" Illysasviel scoffed, and Jubstacheit growled before opening his mouth to end this nonsense for good. What she said next silenced him, however. "…this will summon a Knight of the Round Table. And the most infamous of them all no less…"

Jubstacheit closed his mouth and narrowed his eyes at Illyasviel. "Explain." He said.

"Shirou probably has papa's catalyst, doesn't he? He will summon her." Illyasviel said before giving a bloodthirsty smile. Jubstacheit couldn't help but smile back. She might be a homunculus, but she was still his granddaughter. He used to smile like that too, back in the day.

"The most infamous of the Knights of the Round…?" he echoed. "Yes, it certainly seems fitting, that King Arthur would be slain by her son once again."

"Isn't it? Of course Shirou is MINE, but I don't really care much for her. Berserker can have her." Illyasviel gushed. "And also, I bet that Berserker will have the skill Mental Corruption. If that's the case…"

She trailed off, still wearing that bloodthirsty smile on her face, and Jubstacheit nodded with a matching smile. "A Servant with the attributes of both the Saber and the Berserker, but without the drawbacks of the latter…" he said. "…yes, that would be quite the advantage. I admit that I am impressed."

"Then…?"

"Very well…" Jubstacheit said with a satisfied nod. "…I will allow you to use your chosen catalyst for the Servant summoning ritual."

Illyasviel's smile grew wider at that…

…and that same smile graced her face as she watched the knight in red and silver with a horned helmet tearing the wolves around her to pieces. It was the dead of winter after all, and the wolves were so starved that where they would normally avoid Humans, they had discarded caution in the pursuit of prey.

After all, what threat could a little girl in a smock slowly freezing to death as she raced through the bare trees towards a clearing pose?

The light soon after she'd arrived had given them pause, but ultimately their hunger won and they lunged at her.

She was no threat to them, and they both knew it. She was helpless against them, and if she failed then they would feast on her flesh.

Which was of course, the whole point: urgency was a wonderful factor to increase the chances of a successful summoning.

As the last of the wolves fell dead, blood steaming as it poured onto the snow-covered ground, Illyasviel began to laugh. The high, childish laughter echoed through the forest, and Berserker glanced once at the dead wolves around her before looking back at her Master.

She tilted her head in thought, and then she realized that her Master wasn't laughing at her, but at the dead wolves around her. She smiled behind her helmet, and began to laugh as well, the deep yet feminine voice echoing from behind her helmet.

She'd no idea why her Master would put herself at risk to summon her – from the magi she knew like her mother or that bastard Merlin they liked to play safe – but the chance to warm-up so soon after getting back on her feet was nice. She missed the sensation of steel cutting through flesh, the hot stench of blood wafting through the air, and the fiery song of battle.

To think that her Master enjoyed it as much as she did…yes, this was certainly a moment to rejoice.

And with the power of the Holy Grail, I will finally prove that I am the rightful King. Not her, not anyone else: ME!

"Let silver and steel be the essence. Let stone and the archduke of contracts be the foundation. Let rise a wall against the wind that shall fall. Let the four cardinal gates close. Let the three-forked road from the crown reaching unto the Kingdom rotate."

Sakura Tohsaka kept her eyes closed as she stood on the edge of a magic circle, the circle glowing red as she held one hand dripping with blood over it. No catalysts for her: better an average Servant that one can work with than one with exceptional talents but constantly at odds with her.

Lack of cooperation and understanding were worth a whole army to the enemy.

So despite the risk, Sakura opted to be prudent, and to summon a Servant in-tune to her. Her father's pendant hung around her neck, the energy stored within ready to be added to her large reserves in case they were insufficient to complete the summoning on their own.

Not that there was a large possibility of that, but still: prudence.

"Let it be declared now: your flesh shall serve under me, and my fate shall be with your sword. Submit to the beckoning of the Holy Grail. Answer, if you would submit to this will and truth. An oath shall be sworn here. I shall attain all virtues of all of Heaven; I shall have dominion over all evils of all of Hell. From the Seventh Heaven, attended to by three great words of power, come forth from the ring of restraint, protector of the holy balance…!"

The circle flared bright…and then the entire dorm room exploded.

For several moments after that there was only the sound of debris falling on top of each other, shouts of people nearby, and distant alarms screaming. And then Sakura was pulling herself clear of rubble on the far side of the corridor outside, and staggered to her feet. As she approached what was once her dorm room's wall she feared failure, but as the smoke cleared and she and the other magi she shared the wing with stared over the ruins, a man reclining on a throne-like pile of rubble smiled impudently.

"Well…" he began. "…this is both surprising and unexpected all at the same time. What a Master I truly have."

"I heard Tohsaka blew up her dorm room last night." Roxanna Archibald commented over tea the following morning.

"So I heard." Reines Archisorte El-Melloi agreed. "Apparently she botched the summoning of her Servant, though it did succeed…somehow."

"Such a shame though…" Roxanna mused.

"What is?"

"The dorm Tohsaka's been residing in for…well several years now isn't the commons, but the one reserved for those belonging to or affiliated with the North German nobility and the House of Hohenzollern. So despite the commotion last night, we don't really have an opportunity to learn who her Servant is."

"Yes, that is indeed a shame." Reines agreed. "Still, while learning about her Servant's identity early on would have been nice, 'fog of war' is a fact of war. And in any case I'll have plenty of opportunities to learn about it later on…assuming my Servant doesn't simply roll over her. He is after all, or will be the greatest hero of the Trojan War."

"Sing goddess of the rage, of that accursed rage, that once brought pain to the Achaeans…" Roxanna sang, and Reines laughed before picking up the boxed catalyst on the table between them.

"Short of the King of Heroes and perhaps Heracles and other heroes of that level…" she said while holding the box up. "…there should be nothing capable of defeating…hey…!"

Reines snapped to her feet and turned in outrage only to see her brother holding her catalyst aloft. "Give that back!" she snapped. "That's mine!"

"You're trying to summon Achilles?" Waver asked his fuming sister.

"So what if I am?" she asked back, and he snorted at her.

"If you summoned Achilles you'd be the first Master to lose and probably die." He said.

"What?" she snarled.

"You heard me." He said bluntly. "You are a child. The way you are now, you and Achilles would be like Lord Kayneth Archibald El-Melloi and Lancer, unable to cooperate and constantly getting in each other's way. Einzbern or Tohsaka or some other Master and their Servant would tear you apart."

"I am not a child." Reines grated out. "And you dare mention my uncle, when it was you who was ultimately responsible – albeit indirectly – for his death?"

"I have never denied that."

Or admitted to it…

"However my point stands." Waver continued and cutting off his sister. "I do not know who Tohsaka's Servant is or what his class is either, but my ears have heard that she didn't use a catalyst, meaning her Servant is one attuned to her. If you can't get along with your Servant, do you really think you can stand against her?"

"That's…!"

"And earlier you mentioned Heracles." Waver said, again cutting her off. "Well congratulations: Einzbern has most likely summoned him as their Servant."

"They have Heracles…?" Roxanna asked in horror.

"Most likely…" Waver confirmed with a nod. "…apparently they spent a lot of money excavating a temple in the Mediterranean looking for a useable catalyst for him. Considering the sums involved, I don't see them not using the catalyst and putting every effort to getting him if only to make the cost worth it. And they're probably the ones who summoned the second Servant a couple of weeks or so ago, according to our instrumentation here."

"So what…?" Reines snapped. "Because I'm a child and all that stuff you just said, you're going to stop me from participating? Like hell you are…! We'll just see what the elders will say about this."

"Don't put words in my mouth." Waver said. "And let me finish. I never said I'd stop you from being participating just that Achilles would be a bad match for you."

"So you want me to summon a Servant attuned to me like Tohsaka?" Reines asked.

"Well that's one option…"

"While it would solve the compatibility issue…" Roxanna put in. "…there's still a risk that whichever Servant is summoned, they'd be a rather weak one. With that said, Tohsaka herself might just have that issue: as you said, you know neither her Servant's identity nor class."

"Agreed…" Waver said with a nod, lifting a finger to pre-empt his sister. "…and that is why I'm going to have her summon a Servant that would get along with anyone."

If the King can earn Archer's respect, then I'm sure he can make get along with Reines. And maybe get her to grow up too...

With that said, Waver pushed a wooden case onto Reines who opened it suspiciously. A tattered red cape lay inside, and she looked at it once before closing it and looking up at Waver. "You want me to summon the King of Conquerors…?" she asked.

"Is there a problem?"

"Yes!" Reines exploded. "I don't want the King of Conquerors, I want Achilles!"

Waver raised both his eyebrows. "Are you serious?" he asked. "You want a hot-headed idiot who didn't even live to see the end of the siege of one measly city and was stupid enough to anger a god over a man who conquered the entire known world? Reines be reasonable!"

"No, you be reasonable!" she angrily responded. "I'll concede your point just now…but on a conceptual level Achilles is superior in every way to the King of Conquerors!"

"What?"

"Don't be an idiot." She said with a roll of her eyes. "True Alexander the Great was born and ruled also during the Age of Gods, but Achilles was already a legend in his time. It's just basic conceptual…"

She fell silent as Waver silently stared into her eyes. There was something there, something she couldn't place, but it utterly cowed her. It was like…well it wasn't like her mother was staring at her as though she'd broken a vase and was being confronted over it, it was more like…it was like looking into the eyes of Zelretch, a man who'd seen and achieved so much that one couldn't help but defer to his decisions.

Waver was nowhere near his level, but still…

…those eyes…

…how on Earth did he get those eyes?

"Summon the King of Conquerors Reines. You might even learn something from him." Waver said. "Tell you what I'll make you a deal. If you can answer a question when you come back, I won't ever call you a child again. Hell, I'll even dance naked if you want me to."

"Oh my…" Roxanna giggled with a blush.

"No you don't need to do that." Reines said, her expression torn between resignation and disgust. "What is it? The question, I mean."

Waver didn't answer at once, instead looking out of the windows with a distant expression on his face, his eyes not looking at the city of London beyond but…elsewhere. Someplace far away, that only he knew and longed for…

"Actually it's not one question but two." He finally said with his voice as distant as his gaze. "Or indeed, it can be many questions, but they all have the same answer. And because of that, they all mean the same."

"Ask away."

"What lies on the other side of the sky?" Waver asked, finally looking at Reines who was taken aback by the profound expression on her brother's face. "What lies beyond the mountain? If you can answer those questions, then I will never again call you a child. There is no way a child could ever answer those questions."

"How the hell am I supposed to…?"

"Summon the King of Conquerors." Waver said. "And trust me, when this is all over, you will have the answer to those questions, and to so many others."

Placing Achilles' catalyst into a coat pocket, he patted Reines once on a shoulder before leaving her and Roxanna alone to their tea.

"Congratulations…I should be saying. But…"

"I know." Sakura said as she sipped at her tea, and touched the medal now adorning her left breast. It was a gilt cross pattee enamelled in white, with a red eagle on a white enamel background adorning the central disk, while the unseen reverse side of the disk bore the crowned monogram of King Frederick William of Prussia.

It along with its white ribbon with two orange stripes along the edges identified the decoration: Order of the Red Eagle, Third Class.

It made her proud…and made her blood run cold all at the same time.

"A double-edged sword, eh…?" Baroness Elizabeth von Westfahl remarked. "As a Knight of the Red Eagle whether in victory or defeat you are expected to bring honour to the House of Hohenzollern, and anything less would be an utter disgrace."

"Victory is honour in itself." Baroness Anika von Derfflinger carried on. "Defeat though…what exactly constitutes an honourable defeat…?"

"It's quite obvious isn't it?" Elizabeth said dryly. "Either you win or die, there is no middle ground."

Sakura threw her hands up in the air and sank back into her armchair. "Really, really…" she said. "…I really have been living high all this time, and now reality ensues with regards to…well, obligations that come with getting involved with the nobility."

"Do you regret it?" Anika asked, and Sakura snorted.

"No. For starters I would never have been friends with either of you or any of the others if I hadn't gotten involved." She said. "That's the first and most important thing I got out of all this, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Second, well just imagine how much harder things would have been for me otherwise. Orientals don't exactly prosper here, remember?"

"That's a rather selfish thing to say." Elizabeth remarked, and Sakura grinned at her.

"I'm just being honest." She said with a wink, and the other girls laughed. "I can hardly deny I've been benefitting from the Hohenzollerns' patronage. And now it's time to earn my keep."

"Well look on the bright side…" Elizabeth said. "…you're nobility now."

Sakura blinked. "I am?" she asked, and the other girls rolled their eyes.

"Yes Sakura, you are nobility now." Anika said. "Non-hereditary knight, remember?"

"Oh yeah…" Sakura said. "…feels empty though…"

"Join the club." Anika said with a shrug. "Though having been stuck with us for years now, you should already know that having a title isn't such a privileged status as it's made out to be. It's full of obligations and stuff like that. Just like now."

"Well that's true." Sakura agreed before reaching for her teacup and taking a sip. She then turned to the other figure in the room, a tanned man with silver hair in black and red. "Now then Archer, shall we get to the topic we've been dancing about for a couple of days now?"

"I'm at your convenience, Master. Or would you prefer my lady?"

"Either will do." Sakura said, putting her teacup down. "To be honest, in private at least addressing me by name will be fine."

"In that case Sakura…" Archer said, straightening and walking closer. "…you want to talk about something?"

"Let's start with your true name." Sakura said. "As your Master I am entitled to that much."

"True enough…" Archer answered with a nod. "…very well, I am…well to be honest I don't really know."

"Excuse me?"

The girls gaped at the man in question. "How could you not possibly know your name?" Elizabeth finally asked. "Is it even possible for a Heroic Spirit to not know who they are, or their legend?"

"I do not know." Archer said with a shrug. "All that I can say is that my memory is blurred. With that said, nothing appears to be missing, and I do have a theory for my lack of recollection."

"Oh?" Anika said, sitting back in her chair. "Do tell."

"Take a look at this armour I am wearing." He said, gesturing at himself. "The alloy it's made from hasn't been developed yet, and will not be for some years yet."

"Wait a minute…" Anika said. "…are you saying you're from the future?"

"One possible future…" Archer said with another shrug. "…there is still the kaleidoscope to consider."

"Is that even possible?" Elizabeth asked.

"I don't see why it shouldn't." Sakura finally spoke up. "Heroic Spirits are enshrined within the Throne of Heroes after all, which is located outside of Gaia's time axis. And to my knowledge there's no rule that says Servants always have to be summoned from the past. It only seems that way thanks to the use of catalysts. Naturally, we can't exactly get our hands on catalysts from the future. But with a summoning based on affinity…"

"I see." Elizabeth said with a nod. "That certainly makes sense. I don't see how though this would explain Archer's loss of memory."

"I think I do." Anika suddenly said, and eyes turned to her. "It's simple really. Either Gaia or Alaya or even the Counter Force sealed his memories to prevent a time paradox."

Eyes widened at that, and after sharing glances with each other the girls looked to Archer. "Are you sure you're capable of using your full strength?" Sakura asked.

Archer smiled at her. He wasn't particularly handsome – at least not in a way that would make a woman's heart beat madly – but the smile was earnest and endearing in a simple, uncomplicated way. "Nice smile…" Elizabeth murmured, and the other girls groaned while Archer gave a short laugh.

"Yes…" Archer said with a nod. "…thank you for the complement. With regards to your question my abilities are all available to me."

"Really…?"

"What reason do you have to doubt me?"

"Nothing…I suppose…" Sakura slowly answered before reaching up and running a hand through her hair. "…sorry about that…"

Archer nodded at her. "No need really…" he said. "…it's understandable for you to have doubts about me, considering the situation. I'll just take it as a test of my abilities, to be answered when the time comes."

"That's a good attitude." Sakura remarked with a smile. "Alright, we need to work together and we can't do that if we can't trust each other. So I'll trust you, Archer."

"That's good to hear. I'll make sure not to disappoint you then, Sakura."

Sakura nodded and reached forward to refill her teacup. "By the way…" Anika began. "…when are you leaving for Japan?"

"Hmm…? Oh I've already booked a flight over the weekend."

"I see." Anika said with a nod, leaning and giving a small smile as Sakura took a sip. "In that case I have two days to get a ticket of my own."

Sakura choked. "What?" she gasped out.

"I have two days to get a ticket." Anika repeated, not losing her smile.

"Why?"

"You're my friend." Anika replied, her smile vanishing to be replaced with resolve. "Even if you never asked for it, even if you told me not to, I'm still going to offer my help."

And more if you wanted and needed it.

Sakura just stared at Anika, who stared back. For several moments two pair of blue eyes locked into each other, and then with a sigh Sakura broke the deadlock. "A part of me feels offended that you think I need your help…" she said, pulling a pen from a pocket and using it to write a set of numbers and letters on a piece of scratch paper. "…but friends help each other, don't they? Here you go."

Anika took the piece of scratch paper and looked at it once. "I'll be sure to book myself on this flight." She said with a nod and a small smile.

"Just make sure Johann doesn't tag along. We're both pushing it already being sixteen and all, but there's no way I'm risking a thirteen year-old boy's life. I don't want something that might go wrong to be on my conscience."

"Neither I…" Anika agreed. "…he is my brother."

An unreadable expression briefly flashed over Sakura's face, and she nodded once in silence. "Really, really…" she remarked instead. "…who'd have thought that the Fifth Holy Grail War would come so soon? I knew it was a possibility, but still…this is going to be hard work."

"That's the spirit." Elizabeth said approvingly. "Don't worry though I'm sure you can do it."

"Really…?"

"Of course…!" Elizabeth said with a nod. "You've got Archer and Anika with you. And more than that, you are a Knight of the Red Eagle. Forget politics and obligation: there is no way Her Highness would have agreed with you becoming a knight if you couldn't handle it."

Sakura briefly looked down at that, and then turned to her friends one by one. Elizabeth met her gaze evenly while Anika nodded and smiled at her, taking her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Sakura's eyes then turned to Archer, who smiled and nodded at her as well.

She smiled and nodded too.

That's true. And I guess it's about time I faced the past by going back, even if only so I can finally let go and move on. Father…mother…sister…

A/N

And Sakura gets a taste of what inevitably happens when ambitious and talented little magi get involved in the Game of Thrones between the magi nobility. She got a lot of patronage, admittance into noble circles, becomes a knight…and now she has to earn her keep. She can of course...the only question is: what will it cost her?

So now we have four Servants: Caster of Black, Saber of Red (though she's a Berserker here), Rider of Zero, and Archer EMIYA. Only three Servants left, who could they be, and what would King of Heroes Gilgamesh say?