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

Purified by Fire, Dancing with Fairies

Chapter 22

Blue and gold banners flew in a stiff breeze, rank upon rank of men in arms standing in disciplined lines, blood splattered on their weapons and armor. Knights were formed up in formation, their steeds' flanks likewise stained in blood, all staring down at the battlefield before them.

The dead covered the ground, Saxon invaders made to pay the price for their unjust coming, faces and bodies slack and eyes hollow and blank in death. Broken and abandoned weapons were everywhere, but nowhere to be seen was the price in blood that the Britons had had to pay for victory.

And yet, that was the whole point. The Britons were victorious, and they had taken their dead away for burial, leaving their enemies to lie on the field for the carrion birds and beasts.

The King of Britain stood at the head of his army, his armor and his steed splattered with the blood of the invader like the rest of those who followed him. But his sword remained gleaming and immaculate, the fey-forged metal unable to be stained by mortal filth.

Abruptly, King Arthur turned his steed around to face his army, and riding closer raised his sword in triumph and to honor of those who had fought under his banner. The Knights of the Round Table raised their swords in salute, as the triumphant shouts of the men at arms filled the air.

"The King abandoned one of our villages."

Ayeme blinked, turning where she was standing and watching amidst the cheering Britons. Looking around her, she tried to find the source of the sullen voice, to no avail. After a moment, it continued.

"Even though it guaranteed our victory, the King was too ruthless."

"Even without sacrificing that one village, victory would inevitably have been ours."

Ayame narrowed her eyes, now seeing things she hadn't noticed before. Though most of the Britons exulted in their victory, others stood sullen, or crumpled to the ground, whether in grief or pain or something else, she didn't know. And still, there were those sullen and resentful voices, speaking critically of their king's strategy.

"King Arthur doesn't bother himself with how his subjects might feel."

"How can such an uncaring king hope to rule his kingdom?"

"That's right!"

"Precisely!"

"I completely agree!"

Ayame's eyes snapped open, blinking as the fuzzy morning light in her room resolved into recognizable images. For a few moments, she lay still, and then rolling over to lie prone rested her chin on crossed arms. "A memory?" she murmured, reaching out to tap her fingers against the floor. "Yes…I guess it makes sense, with our telepathic link. And those dreams in the past…we can see each other's memories in our dreams. But…this dream…"

King Arthur doesn't bother himself with how his subjects might feel.

Ayame closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Is that how it started?" she thought to herself. "The rot that led to Mordred's usurpation, the following civil war that ended with the Battle of Camlann, and the destruction of the Kingdom of Britain? A bunch of dissatisfied knights who couldn't see how Saber…Arthur, had to make hard choices for the sake of his people? Is that how Mordred and Morgana began to undermine Arthur's reign?"

Ayame sighed and rolling over again, forced herself to sit up. "What a bunch of short-sighted fools." She thought to herself. "Did they actually think they could fight and win a war without making any sacrifices of any kind? If they do, then they should have just stayed at home and not bothered facing reality. If a child like myself can understand that much, then they have no right to be called knights or men at arms at all."

Taking a deep breath, Ayame got to her feet and stretched her limbs. Taking a look at the wall-mounted clock, Ayame scratched her head and made to leave, only to pause as a thought occurred to her even as she touched her room's sliding door. "I might think that way," she thought before closing her eyes sympathetically. "But…what about Arthur? He did everything he could for his kingdom, his people, and those fools just threw it back into his face, all for the greed and ambition of a shallow sorceress and her son. Arthur…Saber…you…could you be…"

Sighing as she let the thought trail off, Ayame slid the door open and left her room.

Ayame finished washing the breakfast dishes and utensils, Taiga having left soon after breakfast to attend to other matters for when repairs at the school were done. Nearby, Saber watched a documentary on modern history, specifically the so-called 'Age of Progress' that was the 19th Century, sitting back against the table while watching the television.

Wiping her hands dry on a clean cloth, Ayame approached, coming to a halt a couple of steps behind Saber. She focused on the TV, listening and watching as the narrator described the ruthless and determined leadership of the Iron Chancellor of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck, and how he succeeded in transforming the patchwork of mutually-competing and jealous German states into the mighty German Empire. In particular, his famous – or infamous depending on who you asked – statement, on how matters of politics would be decided not by flowery rhetoric or popular opinion, but by blood and iron, brought back to mind the dream…

…no, not the dream, the memories of her Servant. The memories of weakling knights and subjects, who unable to see how their king had to meet the needs of their nation by making hard decisions and even sacrifices at times, had laid the seeds for their own destruction.

Ungrateful, short-sighted fools…

…but…Saber…

Ayame hesitantly reached out, and briefly reconsidering pulled back for a moment, and then taking a deep breath, she sat down, and reaching forward tugged at Saber's sleeve. The blonde Servant turned to look at her curiously. "Can I help you with something?" he asked.

"No…I…I just…I was just wondering you see…"

Saber tilted his head. "About what?" he asked.

Ayame lowered her face with some hesitation. "It…it might be…a sore topic." She said.

"Oh?" Saber said before smiling reassuringly. "Well, whatever it is, even if that's the case, I'll give you my word that I'll weigh things accordingly and not overreact. So, go ahead. Ask what's on your mind."

"…I already asked you once before, but...I'll ask you again. Do you...do you have any regrets? Only this time, not as the King of Britain, but as a person?"

"Everyone has regrets." Saber said at once. "There's no one who hasn't ever made a single mistake in their lives, at one point or another. It comes with being Human. The important thing is how we face those mistakes, and how we choose to live with our regrets."

Ayame still looked torn, and Saber tilted his head in curiosity again. "What's this about, Ayame?" he asked.

"I saw your memories." She said.

"…what?"

"We have a telepathic link," Ayame said. "So I see…flashes, of your memories, as dreams when I sleep at night."

Saber hummed uncomfortably while rubbing at his head. "Yeah…I'd forgotten about that." He said with a sigh. "And? What did you see?"

"I…I heard…I heard dissatisfied knights, grumbling about the choices you made. The sacrifices you had to make for your kingdom." Ayame said. "And I was thinking, maybe it was there that the rot began?"

"Which eventually led to civil war, and Britain's downfall?" Saber asked gently, and Ayame nodded. "I see…is that all?"

Ayame made a sound of disgust, looking away in anger. "They're so ungrateful." She snarled. "And so shortsighted. They're supposed to be knights, weren't they? Lords, even. So how could they not see that sometimes, sacrifices just had to be made. You gave everything for them, and in the end…they just threw it all away. Turned their backs on you. Made everything you did, everything you ever worked for, dreamed of…it was nothing in the end."

"Do you really think so?" Saber asked.

"Huh?" Ayame asked, looking at Saber in surprise.

"I have no regrets for all the choices I made as the King of Britain." Saber said, making sure to meet Ayame's eyes as he spoke. "The only thing I regret, is that those choices, both the ones I made and rejected, were the only choices I had available. As you say, I did the best I could. I gave everything I had. And that is not something to be ashamed of, much less to be regretful about."

"Saber…you…"

"As for the dissatisfied lords, knights, and others who followed Morgana and Mordred…" Saber said before giving a sad smile. "They made their own choices. It's not my regret, or shame, to keep."

"But," Ayame persisted. "If…"

"If they hadn't been dissatisfied in the first place," Saber interrupted with a knowing smile. "If I'd done things differently, if I had been a perfect king, then could Britain have avoided destruction?"

Ayame didn't answer, and after a moment Saber reached out, and taking Ayame's hand squeezed reassuringly. "Just as there is no such thing as an immortal person," he said gently. "There is no such thing as an indestructible nation. Britain's fall was inevitable, sooner or later. All I could do, was to cherish what time I, and those who followed me, was given, and to make the best of it. That is enough, and it is not in vain. I know it wasn't. And you know it too."

Ayame nodded weakly. "I guess I do." She said. "The Once and Future King, right? A legend of peace, justice, and prosperity in the past, and an example for the future."

"Exactly."

"But…are you really just satisfied with that?" Ayame asked.

"I'm only Human, Ayame." Saber said with a shrug. "I can't do everything perfectly. I can't save everybody. All I can, could, and did do, was what I could, and as best as I could. You know that too, don't you?"

"…yes, I guess I do."

"Besides," Saber continued with a sigh, looking out at the sunny garden outside the veranda. "The perfect king you mentioned earlier…would that really have been good for Britain? For my people?"

"Merlin seemed to think so."

"Merlin?" Saber echoed, glancing back at Ayame. And then something seemed to click, and Saber laughed. "Ah, I see, so you saw that memory too, did you?"

Ayame blushed and looked down. "Merlin was wise." Saber said. "But wise doesn't mean he's always right. I'm sure the actions and choices he advocated were…correct, but they weren't necessarily right. And I would prefer to be incorrect but right than to be correct and wrong."

"…I…think, I understand what you mean."

Saber smiled at Ayame, and poked her on the forehead. "Hmm…yes, I think you do." He said. "Otherwise, you wouldn't think the way you do about your people, that just because that's how they do things, that it's the best way for things to be done, it's the right thing to do."

Ayame laughed weakly and shrugged. "I guess I do." She said, and Saber nodded, again looking out at the sunny garden outside.

"People…Humans, are imperfect beings." He said. "A perfect being isn't a Human being. And it's not right for someone…something that isn't Human, to rule over Human beings. I might not have satisfied all my subjects, but at least I was one of them when all is said and done. I shared their flaws and weaknesses, their strengths and abilities, and stood among them, with them, but never above or beyond them, to the very end. So I do not regret making the choice to reject Merlin's advice in that regard, that the King of Britain should be an inhuman being."

Saber paused, and looked into Ayame's eyes. "Listen, Ayame." He said with a grim smile. "Let me share you this wisdom my foster father told me once, and which is as profound as anything Merlin has ever told me. A true king is not someone who accepts every piece of advice his advisers give him, but someone who listens and understands what is given to him, and then chooses what to accept of his own judgment, for good or ill. Do you understand?"

Ayame nodded slowly. "I think I do." She said, and with a wider smile Saber ruffled the hair on Ayame's head.

"That's a good girl!" he said, and Ayame pouted.

"I'm not a dog." She protested, and Saber laughed.

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry." He said. For several minutes after, they just watched the documentary on TV, but as a commercial break began Ayame spoke up again.

"Hey, Saber." She said.

"What is it?" he asked.

"If you have no regrets," Ayame began. "What do you want to wish for from the Holy Grail?"

Saber stared at Ayame for several long moments, and then nodded slowly. "Well," he said. "I guess it's time you should know. Absolutely nothing at all."

"…what?"

Saber smiled and poked at Ayame's forehead. "Stop that." Ayame protested, and Saber laughed.

"To be honest," he began. "The moment you succeeded in summoning me, my wish was granted."

"What?"

"When Heroic Spirits are summoned as Servants," Saber began. "They feel the intentions of those attempting to summon them, and depending on what they perceive, can choose to accept or reject the would-be Master's summons. Back then, when you were summoning me, I knew that you were only joining this war to protect yourself, to keep past tragedies born of the struggle for the Grail from being repeated, and finally to prevent those who would abuse its power from obtaining the Grail. And I'm not just a king, I'm also a knight. And a true knight would lend his strength to a worthy cause without thought for reward. To be allowed the chance to fulfil my oaths, to live up to my ideals as a knight…thank you, Ayame."

Ayame blushed, lowering her face while poking her fingers together. "Um…you're welcome, I guess." She said. "And I'm glad you're a good man, Saber."

"As am I, Ayame. As am I."

The doorbell rang, and Ayame jumped up to her feet with surprising speed. "Um, I'll just go and get that." She said, unable to meet Saber's eyes before rushing off without waiting for a response.

As Ayame vanished out of the living room, Saber chuckled to himself. "I suppose when all is said and done," he said softly to himself. "She's still just a maiden at heart. But that's fine. She's still so young, after all. Let her cherish that innocence for as long as she can, before the cruel and uncaring world we all live in takes it all away."

Ayame returned after a few minutes accompanied by a tall woman dressed in a maidservant's uniform. While the woman's hair was hidden behind an all-enclosing piece of headwear, between her red eyes, general air of…something, and a previous encounter with another homunculus, it was clear that she too was a homunculus.

"This is Sella." Ayame said, clearly having regained her composure. "She's my sister's maidservant apparently, and Illya sent her to deliver…well, something."

Sella bowed. "I thank you for allowing me to enter your home." She said, before taking a seat opposite from Saber and Ayame at the latter's gesture. Sitting down, she placed the two satchels she was carrying on the table, while keeping the other, long, wrapped-up package she'd brought beside her on the floor.

"So," Ayame began. "How can we help you, Miss Sella?"

"Just 'Sella' is fine." Sella is said. "And I do not require assistance. My purpose here is to extend my lady's congratulations on your glorious victories on the battlefield. First, at slaying Archer and thus becoming the first Master and Servant pair to eliminate another pair of combatants on the battlefield. Second, for slaying Rider and his Master, thus eliminating a second pair of combatants on the battlefield. And finally, and most commendably, for ending the accursed Makiri lineage once and for all, thus freeing this world from its abominable legacy for good. The first two alone are worthy of recognition, but the last especially so. Therefore, my lady would extend not just her congratulations, but would also offer gifts to her valiant and noble sister, to honor her triumphs on the battlefield."

Ayame looked very flattered, grinning from ear to ear. "Well," she began, much to Saber's amusement. "I like to think I only managed to succeed against Matou by luck…"

"Good fortune does not last forever," Sella said. "But while it does, and it is used most properly, then it should not detract from achievements made with its assistance. Any who claim otherwise, bear the burden of suspicion of speaking tainted with envy."

"True…and I guess burning those filthy, disgusting worm vampires isn't something I'll ever regret."

"And be grateful for it." Sella said. "We of Einzbern must forever regret ever having associated with such pitiful beings, and squandered so much in doing so. But enough about that: my lady's first gift, is a set of magi field-wear. Please press your finger here, to complete the transmutation process, and to adjust their sizes accordingly."

"Wait…you can do that?" Ayame asked.

"We Einbern pride ourselves on our skill with alchemy." Sella said. "In any case, this is a one-time function. Once the clothing has been resized, the mystery will have been completed and will dispel, and may not be used to resize this set of clothes again."

Nodding at that, Ayame reached out, and touched the brass button on top of the first satchel. It pricked at her finger, taking in a small amount of blood and gaining from it knowledge of her physical dimensions. That knowledge was added to the mystery, the prana present in Ayame's blood triggering it and sending dark-colored tendrils of energy through the clothes inside the satchel. Existing dimensions and how they related to each other were recorded and then reduced or increased in proportion, excess matter here transmuted into energy and then back to matter where it was deficient, and where raw energy was left and no further changes could be made, released as exhaust in the form of a murky burst of prana into the surrounding air.

The satchel popped open, and Sella pulled out crisp, neatly-folded and arranged clothes and laid them out on the table. Saber looked on curiously, while Ayame's eyes widened and her mouth fell open in shock.

No…could it be…it can't be…but it is!

How did she know?

"These clothes are alchemically-treated." Sella explained. "This renders them immune to all forms of single-action spells, and are resistant to conceptual weapons with less than five hundred years of accumulated weight. They are receptive to the wearer's mysteries, so they may be reinforced as needed, though other mysteries cast on them risk destabilizing the alchemical treatments previously-applied. They are fireproof, waterproof, shockproof, toughened against wear and tear more so than other clothes made out of the same materials would be, and even resistant against acid to some degree. They also may not be stained by common colorants. They must however, be washed by hand."

Ayame nodded slowly, reaching out with shaking hands to touch the clothes.

They're real…

…I'm not dreaming.

Sella raised an eyebrow at Ayame's reaction, but didn't say anything else. She opened the second satchel, and pulled out a large, leather pouch of some kind, clearly meant to be worn on a belt as a kit of some sort. She also pulled out a hardbound book of some kind, bearing German words on the front above the image of a serpent eating its own tail.

"My lady would also offer…" she began, only to trail off as Ayame held up a finger.

"Hold up on that." She said, before gathering the clothes with what looked like giddy enthusiasm. "I'll be right back."

And then rushing off, Saber and Sella were left alone.

"So…fine day isn't it?"

"Yes, it is."

Ayame rushed into her room, sliding the door behind her closed before stripping down to her underwear. Rushing to her closet, she pulled out a fresh undershirt, and pulled it on before rushing back to where she'd left the clothes Illya had gifted her with, and taking them placed them on her dresser before standing in front of the mirror.

First, a short-sleeved, button-down blouse of white, with black cuffs buttoned a short distance above the elbow. Then, white trousers, ending in black edges a third of the way down the shins.

Above that, a black dress fringed with gold along the edges of the skirt, reaching down to her knees, and buttoned with black, star-shaped buttons over her chest and torso. Then a leather bandolier in black, a wide and matching belt, and matching leather half-gloves that reached a third of the way up her forearms.

Then a cloak dyed or treated black, held by star-shaped clasps at her collar. A scarf striped black and white followed, and finally…

…a witch's hat…okay, maybe not since it wasn't pointed, but it was wide-brimmed, and the crown decorated with a leather belt wrapped around its base. Face marked with awe, Ayame slowly lifted the hat, and placed it on her head.

"Oh wow…" Ayame whispered, wiping tears from her eyes as she looked at herself in the mirror. "World…say hello to the Black and White Magician…!"

Whooping and squealing with delight, Ayame jumped and pranced around in front of the mirror, enjoying and playing with the way her cloak billowed around her with every movement. Finally, she rushed out and back to where Saber and Sella were sitting in increasingly-awkward silence.

"I trust you found my lady's gift to your liking?" Sella asked.

"My liking?" Ayame echoed. "I love it!"

Saber's mouth fell open at Ayame practically squealing with delight, and even Sella looked a bit taken aback at Ayame's happiness at being able to look the part of a stereotypical witch. "Well, yes," Sella continued. "Apart from that, my lady would also offer this basic, field alchemy kit, and a basic manual for alchemy. It is unfortunately written in German, but my lady expresses her confidence with your being able to cope."

"Oh, I will." Ayame said with a grin reaching from ear to ear. "You can count on that. I most certainly will."

For people who'd spent the past several minutes sitting in awkward and uncomfortable silence, both Saber and Sella managed to carry a whole conversation on a single glance between each other. "Finally," Sella said. "My lady would offer this as well, a replica of the discontinued but venerable Batilana Alhawa model line produced by the Magic Foundation in the Middle East…"

"A broom?" Saber asked.

"Not just any broom," Ayame said with awe. "A witch's broom."

"…so you can fly with it?"

"Yes!" Ayame gushed while grabbing the broom and brandishing it around. "Of course you can fly with it! Yes! Yes, yes, YES! I'm finally a witch!"

"…um…Ayame," Saber said, standing and taking Ayame by the arms to restrain her. "Don't you think you're being too excited about this?"

"Yes! Yes, you're right!" Ayame said after a pout and a moment's thought. Saber smiled and letting Ayame go, the magus…witch…the (self-proclaimed) Black and White Magician coughed before drawing herself up and facing Sella with a solemn expression on her face. "Sella von Einzbern, you may inform my sister that I am most humbled by her congratulations on my victories, and that I am most honored and grateful for the gifts she has offered me."

Sella bowed low. "Then my duty here is complete." She said while getting to her feet. "I will of course relay your messages to my lady."

Ayame nodded. "Then I take my leave." Sella said, and with another nod Ayame escorted Sella to the front door. Saber raised a concerned eyebrow as Ayame brought a pair of socks from among those included in the set of witch's clothes, and put them on along with a pair of short black boots that flared just above her ankles.

"Ayame, please don't do anything foolish." Saber said after Ayame finished closing the gate behind Sella.

"Oh relax," Ayame said, playing with her new broom and adjusting her hat on her head. "When have I done anything foolish?"

"None that I can recall." Saber conceded. "But…"

Saber broke off as with a blast of displaced air, Ayame shot up upwards, a blur of black and white flying into the sky with a cackle.

"AYAME!"

A/N

Some character development, and then some comedy. Seriously, the past few – if not more – chapters have been so serious, it's time for some laughs. If magical girls have a place in Fate – I'm looking at you, Fate/Kaleid – then why not witches on broomsticks?