The Tohsaka mansion was, by some way, the most lavish place Saint Martha of Bethany had ever lived. Even if, as a Servant, she didn't need to sleep – and so far, most of her nights had been taken up with making sure Archer didn't level the place – Tokiomi had kindly offered her an empty room to call her own.

There were quite a lot of those.

It was a lovely, finely-furnished thing, and Martha would be lying if she didn't admit that she'd jumped up and down on the giant fluffy bed in excitement, that first night.

After a while, though, all the grand décor started feeling… soulless.

Some of the best times in Martha's life were marked by simplicity. She'd been happy, as a simple village girl in Asia Minor – and then the Saviour had arrived, had changed her life for ever, and after that things were still simple but in a different way. Having seen the truth of the Lord, she decided there and then she would follow His example and His way, and she would thus both safeguard her immortal soul and deliver others from evil. It wasn't hard.

There were ten quite well-known rules, to start with.

Sometimes it had been difficult, of course – but Martha had never once regretted it. She had always considered herself fortunate to have a clear sense of right and wrong, and wherever her heart led her, there righteousness lay.

Now… now she was troubled. Deeply so.

Martha was in the habit of giving thanks for small blessings – and of the blessings she found herself with, in this strange existence she now found herself in, one of the greatest was to have found a friend here in Kotomine Risei. The priest was kindly, patient, and genuinely interested in what she had to say, without putting her on a pedestal just because some old men she'd never met had sainted her after death.

New friends were a joy to meet, and she could not have asked for a dearer one than Risei. That Martha's Master was friends with him, enough to run the War in tandem, was surely providence smiling upon her.

Lately, however, Risei had been giving her a lot to think about.

I would never ask you to put your duty to your Master above your duty to God. You shall do as your conscience demands, Rider.

Yes… a lot to think about indeed.

Martha was a Servant – which made her role unclear. She knew it was impossible for her – that was, the Martha that now paced back and forth in her room, and talked and felt and saw and thought – to be her actual soul, returned from the Kingdom of Heaven. Like any Servant, she was a simple copy in the shape of someone long since passed.

In other words, she was a tool for the purpose of delivering the Grail to her Master.

The question was, did this tool called Martha not have a higher purpose?

Like any Servant, she had been called to the War by the presence of the so-called 'Grail'. Most Servants desired it in order to make a wish. Martha's view was different. One story behind the Grail legend was that it was the cup that received the blood of the Saviour at the Last Supper.

Personally, Martha had never heard of such a thing. However, if it were true, then it would be a relic of unparalleled holiness and significance. If possible, it should be returned to the hands of the Church – and it especially must not be allowed to become a simple wish-granting artefact.

No, Martha would personally intervene before she let that happen, and crush all those that sought to pervert the power of the relic to simply grant their earthly desires. She would smash her foes aside with righteous fury, and against the chosen agent of the Lord none would stand, until she stood victorious and triumphant over a field of broken heathens.

… not that she enjoyed fighting, of course.

And in the past, it would have been that simple. A week ago, it had been that simple. While Tohsaka Tokiomi was a magus, and Martha did not trust magi as a rule, he was at least of the faith. And Kotomine Risei vouched for him, which meant a lot. Her Master's goal did not seem to be so terribly objectionable – as Risei explained it, it could be seen as the pursuit of enlightenment, and a path towards becoming closer to God.

Martha had accepted this, mostly on the strength of Risei's recommendation, even if she privately felt that becoming closer to God didn't really count if you were taking a shortcut. The Lord had intended one way of becoming closer to Him – nothing less than salvation for mankind, through the sacrifice of His son Jesus Christ. Anything else was… bordering on heresy.

Still Martha was willing to fight. From what little she had seen of the other Masters and Servants, the Grail going to her and Tokiomi was the best outcome.

And then Risei had abandoned their cause.

Now… now she found herself, for the first time in a long while, unsure as to what was the right thing to do.

So, ever since she had retrieved her staff from the bottom of the river – or, well, gotten Tarrasque to retrieve it, but what good was a river dragon if you couldn't send him to pick things up for you? – she had spent the day in her quarters in prayer. The Tohsaka mansion didn't have a chapel, but she was a saint, for goodness' sake, wherever she chose to pray would be holy enough.

And, praying for guidance was where Tokiomi's voice found her.

Rider, he said. Please come to the living room. Kirei and I are almost ready to begin our strategy meeting.

At once, Master, Martha said, rising from her knees. She brushed herself down and straightened her headdress, checking herself in the mirror. It wouldn't do to present anything less than her best foot forward, no matter how troubled her thoughts may be.


It had initially surprised Martha to learn that her Master had formed an alliance before the War had even started – but, she had decided, she would be thankful. It was one less thing to worry about during the opening stages, she was sure she would be able to work with any family of Risei's, and of course any help in battle would be welcome.

The real thing had been a little disappointing. According to Tokiomi, Kotomine Kirei had – by a complete fluke – succeeded in summoning a vastly more powerful Servant than anticipated. The focus for winning the War was now all on Lancer, rather than Martha herself. While she was grateful not to be expected to fight, it did bother her a little how easily Tokiomi had abandoned his plans for her upon obtaining a more valuable resource. It was logical, but… well, it felt a little coldhearted.

But she hadn't been summoned to give her opinion. Lancer would be held in reserve until more was known about each Servant, and until the other Masters had had time to draw up allegiances, grievances and battle lines – had Lancer made their entrance from the start, the whole War would be united against them. This way, there would be distractions, infighting, and confusion, ensuring Lancer was free to bring all their strength to bear.

Of course, Berserker had rather spoiled that plan.

Martha made her way down the stairs, and entered the living room that served as Tokiomi's main base of operations.

Tokiomi lounged on the sofa, a glass of red wine in his hand. Relaxed as only a magus surrounded by allies in his own home could be, he still took pains to present a dignified air. Martha approved – of that, if nothing else. She sat down next to her Master, on the other end of the sofa.

"Welcome, Rider," he said. "Kirei shall be here momentarily."

And… that was that. There wasn't any more the two had to say to each other – not here, not right now. Tokiomi was the Master, and Martha would be his Servant, and neither of them would step outside those roles.

The living room lapsed into silence, until the door opened.

Kotomine Kirei entered silently. He glanced at Martha as he passed to sit in a stiff-backed dining chair, but didn't smile.

Martha nodded to him anyway. Kirei was so different to the warm-hearted Risei that it was hard to believe they were related. Nevertheless, he was a man of the cloth, and Risei had only good things to say about him.

"Excellent," said Tokiomi. "Kirei, are we-"

He broke off, looking towards the doorway. Martha followed his gaze – and startled.

Servant Lancer, the Chain of Heaven, strolled casually through the door to sit cross-legged at Kirei's feet.

Martha liked to think she was fairly unflappable, at least when it came to scary monsters. But now, she found herself hyperfocused on Lancer, and wishing she were in a wider space so that she could call on Tarrasque. Every sense she had was screaming at her that there was an enemy in the room.

One she had absolutely no chance of defeating.

She remembered that night - remembered the earth quaking, the sky-piercing blasts of flame, the rain of masterwork weapons. She couldn't go up against that. Not even with Tarrasque, not even using her Jacob's Limbs fighting style, not with every advantage she could ever wish for. It would take literal divine intervention for her to even make it out alive.

But, she firmly reminded herself, she and Lancer were on the same side. She was being silly. More than that, she had never made a habit of being ruled by her impulses – well, not for long anyway – so she forced herself to smile politely at Servant Lancer while her heart hammered in her chest.

For their part, they seemed utterly relaxed, and returned her smile with apparently genuine joy.

From what Martha had seen the night before, no wonder they didn't seem threatened.

"Ah…" Tokiomi blinked, seemingly not quite sure how to react. "Welcome, Lancer. I, ah, was not expecting you at this strategy meeting."

"Naturally," said Lancer, inclining their head. "I invited myself. I found myself curious as to what my Master found so vital about them – and, of course, now that I am in the open I believe I am pivotal to every discussion about the future of the War. That being the case, I thought Kirei might benefit from my input."

"I see." Tokiomi was silent for a few seconds, but seemed to collect himself. "Then… we shall move on. Kirei, are we expecting your father at all?"

"We are not," came the blunt reply. "He appears to have withdrawn his support fully."

"A shame," said Tohsaka, sighing deeply. "His aid was hardly necessary – but it was welcome nonetheless. It appears all are present who are going to be, then." He clapped his hands, and jewels hidden in recesses within the walls began to glow, tracing elaborate designs across the walls. It was an anti-eavesdropping spell, Martha knew, sealing the confines of the room so that no-one could peer within by magical means. Tokomi sat back, satisfied, when it was done. "Are we observed?"

"No Servants nearby," said Martha, as she had at every strategy meeting thus far. It wasn't much, but Servants' ability to sense each other could come in handy.

Lancer smiled. "Indeed. All other Servants are within their own territories, with the exceptions of myself and Caster, who is on her way back to Mount Enzou. I cannot sense Assassin, but this equally means they cannot be anywhere nearby. Nor is Emiya Kiritsugu's associate in the vicinity, either," he added, turning to Kirei. "If we are secured against scrying from Caster – and with her on the move I believe it unlikely she is testing us – then we are truly private."

Martha's lips parted in surprise, and she stared at Lancer. She had an idea that they had some advanced sensory capabilities, but on that level? She shuffled her feet, embarrassed to have been outperformed so conclusively.

"Very well. Then on, I suppose, to our first order of business," Tokiomi said, swirling the wine in his glass in thought. "In fact, your being here makes things simpler in some regards, Lancer. It is my intention to press the advantage. Your power is overwhelming… startlingly so. The last thing we need is for someone to think of a way around it, or find a weakness to exploit. The best course of action is to immediately go on the offensive, before the other Masters can react to the new threat."

Kirei's face was impassive. "I understand."

"Good," said Tokiomi. "I believe our first target should be-"

"Excuse me," said Lancer. All eyes in the room turned to them. "The War is currently on hold. For two days more. Let the city rebuild. Let the people heal. After that, we may begin anew."

A silence fell in the Tohsaka mansion. Tokiomi looked at Kirei, who appeared uncertain. Martha looked back and forth between her Master and Lancer. Lancer, for their part, simply sat, utterly unconcerned.

"That… is what you said, I acknowledge," said Tokiomi carefully. "And, of course, I would never wish harm on the residents of my city. But, Lancer, we are running a War here. There will be casualties. Access to the Root is at stake here, every magus' dream. Sad as it may seem, pitting a few thousand lives against that is… really not much, in the end."

"I imagine those lives feel rather differently," said Lancer quietly.

Martha sat frozen, stuck between two impulses. Of course, she was a loyal Servant, and had pledged to support her Master's fight for the Grail. And, of course, she was not so naïve as to believe it could be won without any casualties.

But, the truth was, she agreed with every word of Lancer's. And she was very worried that her Master didn't seem at all concerned.

Tokiomi switched targets, apparently deciding the other Servant was a lost cause. "Kirei, do you not see the logic in maintaining the offensive? I know little of what the Executors teach, but surely it cannot be to back off when victory is in your grasp."

Kirei shuffled in position. "It is not."

"Of course not. It is only sensible to maintain the momentum. And, of course, our foes are varied and cunning. You were worried about Emiya Kiritsugu, were you not? Do you wish to give him time to plot against you?"

Kirei's face flickered through a range of emotions. "I… am unsure as to my intentions regarding Emiya Kiritsugu."

"Then please, my pupil," said Tokoimi, spreading his hands and smiling genially. "Let me guide you, as I always have. To remain motionless for the entirety of the three days is folly. I advise you to strike, and swiftly. Now. Our main priority is to-"

Lancer tapped a hand on the floor.

The room shook, plaster falling from the ceiling and the furniture shuddering in protest. Martha tensed, ready to leap to her Master's defence, as futile as it might be.

"I said," Lancer continued politely, as though nothing had happened. "The War is on hold. For the next two days."

Tokiomi stared at Lancer in impotent fury. He turned to Kirei. "Kirei, please-"

"Kirei, remember what I said," interrupted Lancer smoothly, voice easily drowning out Tokiomi's. "You are a man just as any other, blessed with a will and soul of your own. Think about what you want." They glanced at Tokomi. "I am your Servant, not Tohsaka Tokiomi's. I will do as you wish – once you decide what that is."

"Will you?" said Tokiomi, voice acid. "To me, Kirei, it looks very much like you are letting your Servant control you rather than the other way around."

Kirei looked helplessly between his Servant and his teacher.

"As it happens, Kirei was the one who asked for the ceasefire," said Lancer mildly. "I have never wished harm on the innocent, so I acquiesced. How do you feel about your choice, Kirei?"

"It was… the Christian thing to do," said Kirei. He frowned, as though unsatisfied. "It was the right action, I know it. All scripture says so, and I have been taught all my life to stand up for those who cannot help themselves."

"That's not what I asked," said Lancer quietly.

Kirei looked at his Servant, face anguished. He opened his mouth, then closed it, eyes darting – for some reason – to Martha. The moment stretched on.

Lancer sighed. "Oh well. Think on it, Master."

"Thank you," said Martha, suddenly. She hadn't planned to say anything, but she thought it ought to be said. "For thinking of such a thing, I mean, Kirei. And thank you for agreeing, Lancer. It is right that the innocent should be defended, and you should feel proud of yourself for having the conscience to do so. My heart has been heavy in this War, but knowing I am allied to such good-hearted people makes a world of difference."

For some reason, Kirei looked even more uncomfortable at that. "Yes…" he said. "Good-hearted…" He subsided, and folded his hands together, face returning to a neutral mask.

Tokiomi scowled at her, apparently unhappy with how his Servant was throwing her support behind someone else.

Lancer sighed. "Well. It is done, in any case. Master of Rider, I suggest you begin making plans to take into account the new reality, because I certainly have no intention of breaking the ceasefire – or allowing anyone else to do so. Not until my Master orders me otherwise, of his own will."

Tokiomi ground his teeth together, incensed. Then he grabbed his glass and drained the contents in a single swallow. He glared round the room. "Fine. We shall have to adapt. With the Chain of Heaven on our side," he looked severely at Lancer, "there is little that can go wrong in any case.

"With such an overwhelming advantage in direct combat, I believe our biggest threats to be to our own person, as Masters. Therefore – when the ceasefire is over, naturally – we should prioritise Assassin and Archer as our biggest threats, with the next greatest being Caster, depending on how long we leave them. I can only imagine what kind of mischief the Servant of the Spell may get up to if she is allowed to operate unsupervised…"

Martha let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, while the discussion continued around her.

Conflict had been avoided, for now. But… it seemed Lancer was not quite so co-operative as Tokiomi hoped. Clearly the Servant had some agenda for their Master, even if it was only to prevent him being so biddable.

Martha wasn't worried for Kirei. She wasn't an expert in reading people, and certainly couldn't begin to guess the motives of such an ancient and inhuman presence as Lancer. But she had a feeling that, whatever else they wanted, they had Kirei's best interests at heart.

It made her think. She had been her Master's perfect, passive Servant. And she was fine with that role. But… she was a saint now. Countless people across the world looked to her for guidance, no matter how bizarre a thought that seemed to her, the village girl from Bethany. If Lancer had taken the War as an opportunity to shape the young man they'd been matched with… how could she do any less?

Tokiomi was, in all ways, a perfect magus, which meant he wasn't much of a good man. His acceptance of the reality of casualties in the pursuit of his own power bordered on the callous, and if it weren't for his genuine friendship with Risei, Martha would have doubted her Master had any emotional attachments at all.

And yet, the Grail had seen fit to match him with a saint.

Martha couldn't help thinking that was a sign.

She smiled, inwardly, a new resolution filling her with warmth like a cup of tea on a cold morning, both releasing the tension she felt and rousing her spirits for the path ahead.

This, then, was her purpose – the reason she had been called here as a Servant, even though she had no use for a false Grail. She would fight, to the best of the considerable abilities and with the aid of her mighty ally that chance placed in her path, and help her Master achieve his wish, just as every good Servant should.

And along the way, she would save his soul, so that the man who made that wish was not the coldhearted perfect magus, but a righteous man, who would do so in service to the glory of God.