(Thank you for your time in reading my story and appreciation, I really am delighted to know that you find it to your liking. It's not an easy journey because I have to brush my history sometimes and do research in what I am writing here xD Anyway, with all my heart I present the next chapter and this will have more twists in it.)

Disclaimer: I OWN NO MASTERS OR SERVANTS

II - Weaving Through The Unknown

Rin remained silent and focused in her food after it was finally served before them, she put all regal elegance and cool demeanor upfront to hide the conflicting feeling beneath her; the dining room was not entirely enveloped in intense unwanted silence for as Diarmuid would sometimes engaged the pale haired counter guardian in a small talk about trivial matters. A part of her mind seemed to assessed the persona of this Lancer and she concluded that he acts so different from the blue haired one that she encountered before.

"So Archer, did you know how you came to this place? Were you also transported?" Diarmuid asked, finally catching the only female's undivided attention.

It almost slipped her mind that she personally requested to have them speak about their current problem but she's the one zoning to La La land because of being offended by a single comment, how ridiculous, she thought.

Her aqua eyes slid to look at the silver haired counter Guardian, masking her expression to show him that she was interested in knowing how he got there.

"It was disturbing," Archer gave Diarmuid a quick glance before looking straight at his former Master's eyes. "I was in that place where I usually go to when I fade until the sky broke like shards of glasses and a huge thick plate gold key literally fell down from above before me. The key has a clock symbol on it, then a person showed up standing ontop of it."

"Time Keeper?" Rin's sudden input in his story was out of impulse, feeling that she was right about who appeared to him.

Archer raised a brow, "Yes he introduced himself as one."

"Well I was able to speak with him earlier this morning…" She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "He told me stuff like we'll be dealing with a different war and there's no holy grail in here."

"He said the same thing to me." Archer agreed, "Not totally similar choice of words but the idea itself is same."

"Me too," Diarmuid nodded, "I did not see him physically but I heard his voice, and I tried asking for more but he's too elusive."

"And you two got here as…normal humans? Without noble phantasms and magical powers?" Rin asked, forking a piece of pancake and shoved it in her mouth.

At this question, the dark haired Lancer frowned and sighed heavily, "Unfortunately that's correct milady, it feels strange at first and I tried conjuring my weapons but it did not appear. I am empty handed as how you saw me earlier."

"Same here, it's annoying we don't have a single idea what we got ourselves into and no one asked for it to begin with." Archer groaned in annoyance, leaning back on his chair.

Thoughts of conflicting emotions spiraled out of the window as the gear of Rin's mind began rotating to try connecting the series of situation she found out from them. So in this world, they are not Servants or Heroic spirits, they're just ordinary humans which could prove a disadvantage if they will really engage in a fight; but what about her? Did she lose her affinity for magic? She did not try any sorts of actions yet since she woke up so she wasn't sure.

"We will find out and get out of this alive," The blackette placed her fork down, "Time Keeper mentioned about other people so aside from you two, there could be others that are in the same situation as ours."

Suddenly, their meeting was interrupted by a loud knocking on the gate; Diarmuid was first to rose up from his seat and gesture for Rin who was about to do the same to just sit back down.

"Let me do it, Miss Rin, it could be someone suspicious."

Rin puffed her cheek, "No I am coming with you, Dia, you are not a Heroic Spirit anymore so if it's anyone out of normalcy then you will be no match to them." She stood up and walked out before Diarmuid could say something.

"Your former Master is stubborn but in a good way, Archer." Diarmuid said with a smile as he went to follow after the long haired young woman.

Archer did not reply and has his lips compressed into a thin line as he also rose up to follow them to the gate.

When Rin stepped out of the door, she was somewhat glad to find a huge garden nesting on the left in front of the house with variety of flowers and bushes, it looks well tended and relaxing in the eyes; giving it one last glance she neared the white gate and slowly turned it open.

"Good Morning, Lady Tohsaka!" Standing before her was a tall male in a long pale blue tail coat and formal suit, he's holding a copper pocket watch on his left hand; his hair was a pale blonde that looks almost white and his eyes were sky blue.

Rin raised a brow, how come these people know her and she didn't even know them? "Exactly how are you able to identify me, stranger?"

The blonde stranger bowed in a butler-like way before replying, "Why would I know not?" A knowing smile spread on his lips, "You are the chosen one after all."

"Chosen one for what? Cut the crap and get straight to the point." Archer glared daggers at him, fists clenched tightly on his side.

"Oh I am sorry, I did not come to stir any trouble." The blonde shrugged, unfazed by the murderous aura Archer is now emitting. "I am but stating a fact, Lady Tohsaka is the chosen one of the Ice King to be his bride." He pulled Rin's hand and placed a rolled parchment wrapped in red ribbon on her palm. "He expects you to show up tonight, shall I pick you up or would you rather have your subordinates-" He pointed at the two behind her, "take you there?"

Silence fell over them after the stranger's question and one statement keeps on repeating in their mind, the three of them stood frozen with eyes and mouth wide open as they tried making sense of what they heard.

Bride…Bride…Bride…Bride…

!

(Insert boiling kettle explodes in the background)

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" Rin stepped out of the gate and lunged at the stranger both hands with all her might and started kicking on his legs, "I AM NO BRIDE TO ANYONE WITH SUCH RIDICULOUS TITLE! WHAT THE HELL IS REALLY HAPPENING HERE?! AAAAHHHHH!"

"Miss Rin, calm down!" Diarmuid went after the young woman, although it was not something he's certain she could not be calm about but she's acting like a wild animal on the loose. "Please let us settle this down pro-"

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO, DIARMUID! I AM GOING TO RIP THIS BASTARD INTO PIECES!"

Archer tsk-ed, "Damn it Rin, just listen-"

To the two men's more surprise, Rin was able to produce her magic without any difficulty and she took this opportunity to fire multiple Gandr shots at the damn stranger. She was not listening to any words Archer and Diarmuid were saying in the background, she just can't find the heart to do so she was so pissed off at being told of cryptic words, woke up in an unfamiliar house and now be told that she's going to marry to a freaking King of whatever. What did she do to warrant such chaos?

"You should really calm down, Lady Tohsaka." The blonde stranger said in a neutral tone now as he effortlessly dodged all the attacks from the blackette. "Do not force my hand to actions, I do not want to hurt you."

"I don't care, bring it on you bastard! Don't look down on me!" She was more pissed that he's just dodging her attacks as if it was a low level of magic.

The stranger pulled out the chains of the pocket watch and it became longer, it floated mid air with just a wave of his hand and closed in on Rin, wrapping around her legs tightly.

"RIN!" Archer tried pulling his ex Master from the chains but it was already latched too tight around her limbs. "Let her go!" He growled, if he only has his sword and tracing ability it would not end this way.

The blonde stranger tilted his head to the side and blinked innocently, "What? I warned her, did I not?"

In the background, Diarmuid found a long wooden stick lying nearby and took it without any hesitation; he knew it would not be enough but he couldn't stand doing nothing so he ran on the other side and while the blonde is busy in a verbal fight with Archer he rose the wooden stick to knock him from behind. But before the stick could make contact with his nape, chains looped around his arms and rendered him immobile on the ground.

"Dia!" Rin yelled upon seeing the dark haired Lancer fell down, the chains wrapping around his torso like a snake. She tried hard prying the chains away from her legs but it was no use, it was no ordinary chain.

"Please stop with this madness, Lady Tohsaka." The blonde scratched the back of his head, "I feel sad that I have to use my chains on you, I did not even come here for a fight. I am just a messenger." He slowly walked towards the binded girl.

"Back off, you stranger." Archer went on a fighting stance beside his former Master, although he has no noble phantasm he still knows how to fight with bare hands.

The blonde just shoved Archer away much to his annoyance, ignored him and kneeled down before Rin, he stroked her head gently. "I am sorry for my harsh actions, Lady Tohsaka but you must take my word seriously…the man you are to marry is not ridiculous, he is called as such because of how he is, once you see him you will know what I am talking about."

Rin saw the sincere and genuine look in his blue eyes, he really was not fooling around; with a closed eyes she sighed and sagged her shoulders, resigning to her fate of wherever she was now. "What's your name? I haven't asked yet,"

Smiles, "Tobias White, milady." He waved his hand again in a gesture different from the previous one and the chains around her legs and Diarmuid's uncoiled and turned into an ordinary pocket watch chain link again. "I need to take my leave now, the Ice Castle is just close by, you will see it quickly if you will take the direction to the village."

"Alright." Rin felt light and weak, but she realized if she really wants to get through this she needs to play by the rules and go with the flow no matter how wrong it feels.

Tobias pulled her right hand and unexpectedly placed a kiss on top of it, "I will see you later, milady."

Rin's eyes went large like saucers on what Tobias did, she quickly pulled her hand away and hid it behind her while Archer still looks pissed off with veins popping on his forehead and a scowl is carved on Diarmuid's handsome face.

"Do you really have to kiss her hand?!" Archer wanted so badly to beat him into a pulp but hold himself back, knowing it will not go in their favor seeing that the weird childish looking guy has a hidden power beneath him.

Tobias gave him a devilish smile, "I can't help it, it's the only thing I can do because she doesn't belong to me."

But she doesn't belong to your goddamn King either, was a thought Archer did not let out.

With that, the blonde messenger tapped the ground and a black medium sized hole appeared; he waved at them again before jumping in the hole and it disappeared.

"Why is this world full of strange things…" Diarmuid ran his hand through his dark locks and shook his head.

Rin hung her head in defeat, "I don't know either but we gotta be careful next time, since we are playing their game we need to go with the flow."

"Careful huh? Says the one who initiated the attack." Archer scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I was shocked, I can't help it!"

XXX

The Ice Castle.

It was the only part in the entire kingdom that looks gloomy and dark from afar, no sunlight or any touch spring could reach out and break its invisible walls; hence its name and the palace was for a long time barricaded in nothing but snow. Every day and night winter. Always cold and unfeeling, exactly the mirror feelings of the King but beneath that is a sense of not being complete.

Arthur stood in the middle of a vast garden, his face a mask of void as his sapphire blue eyes stared at the endless blanket of white around him; the bushes and trees planted did not have any bloom to give new colors for him to look at. The landscape feels empty without any flowers, fruits or bright color, it's always covered in snow.

On his side, a medium sized black hole appeared and out is a man in blue coat but this outfit quickly changed into an armor befitting a knight, he bowed before Arthur.

"My King, I already delivered the message."

Arthur did not bother looking at him, "What took you long, Gawain?"

Gawain straightened up, "I do not want to complain but that transportation you gave me is a little hard to use, I prefer riding on a horse than going through a rabbit hole."

"It's a good disguise," The King said nonchalantly, "How is she?"

"Rin Tohsaka? I must say she's a good catch, your Highness." Gawain looks up at the dark gray sky above them, "She's…different and vibrant."

"You sound so taken, are you smitten by my future wife?"

"I know not to mess with your possession, but if I may be brutal honest that yes I've taken an interest towards her. She has two Servants with her but they don't have their noble phantasms, only Lady Tohsaka gets to keep her magic."

"Are they aware of what was set in motion?"

"No, they are very confused."

"I guess Time did keep the end of his deal after all."

"We just need to make sure to win, sire."

TBC

(Gil and Cu will make their appearance in the next next chapter, anyway as always read review and enjoy!)