Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or Fate/Apocrypha or any other Fate series

Also this writing works belong to the writer who posted on the Hameln website in Japan. I'm just a translator who is doing the hard work in translating Japanese to English wanting to share this wonderful story.

The Archer of Black: Chapter Two

The Yggdmillenia castle was built in Romania, under the bright sunlight which was warming the castle walls and illuminating the inner walls. Days have passed since the summoning of the 4 Servants of the Black Faction. Information that the Red Faction had summoned their 7 Servants reached the walls. Although it seemed like the war had yet to begun in reality, which was not the case.

While outside the peaceful days were continuing to pass, all the masters knew that this was not the case. They knew that this was just the calm before the storm, where both sides were trying to gain more information to gain the upper hand. While this was itself a fierce battle, it was not something the other masters could do with Darnic solely focusing on this task alone. Naturally, the other Masters and Servants decided to use the time in their own ways.

This was an important time where the Masters interacted with their Servants to forge the bond needed for the upcoming battle.

Darnic stood next to Lancer as a liege would do to a king in respect.

Roche was treating Caster as a teacher, absorbing the knowledge and ideas taught to him like a sponge.

Celenike was appalled by the innocent looks and the curious nature of Rider and was thinking of ways to corrupt him

Gordes banned his Saber from opening his mouth, which he had agreed on to do so. They had decided to be a servant-master relationship where only orders needed to be given and received.

Fiore's little brother Caules tried to converse with Berserker, chatting animatedly to her.

And Fiore-

"You are quite full of surprises, Archer."

Still could not understand her Servant.

Their relationship was a positive one. While Archer was sometimes sarcastic and an arsehole, that made him seem more human to Fiore. If he was a King like Lancer, she wouldn't have been able to stand being in the same room with him with being uncomfortable. In that way Archer was excellent.

He understood the shortcomings that Fiore had with the inability to walk and accordingly supported her. If one would look at them they would say that they were not only building trust as a Servant and Master but as individuals, talking to each other and trying to understand them.

Fiore placed the teacup on the saucer resting on her lap. The scent of tea wafting through the air.

"Thanks for the tea Archer. This is very good. Where on earth did you acquire such skills?"

Fiore was a talented woman who had studied at the Clock Tower in London, which was the headquarters and main branch of the Mage's Association. Even though the Yggdmillenia clan was looked down on within, Darnic had been a well-respected member before seceding from them, so her status wasn't low. She had lived in London, the home of tea during those times, making her able to taste great qualities of tea. She could say that it made her fastidious when it came to the taste of tea.

She could not find any fault in the tea that Archer had brewed for her. It was a taste that one could only make when they knew the right procedure and could select fine tea leaves for the brewing.

Archer could only shrug at the praise Fiore gave him.

"It seems I cannot recall where I did. It is quite peculiar that even though my brain can't remember it, my body does."

"I see, but I thank the root that you have such skills."

Although this kind of skill was not needed as a Servant, it was blessing to have it next to her.

And with this she could narrow down the era that Archer had lived.

Tea was first introduced to Portuguese priests and merchants in China during the 16th century, and had become famous since then in Europe. It was first used as medicine, used by royalties and aristocrats then became known to the common people.

Therefore Archer was a Heroic Spirit that existed after that period, which made sense regarding his low stats. Mysteries accumulate over time and grow stronger with age. If Archer was someone who had existed in a more modern era, it would make sense that his stats were low considering the common knowledge of magecraft.

However the 16th century was the era where longbows where replaced by muskets. Even if in earlier times the longbow exceeded the musket in power, was it possible for someone to become a Heroic Spirt where guns were commonly used?

Heroic Spirits were beings who achieved great deeds in life, having become objects of worship after their deaths. Beings of higher existence, that became categorically closer to Elementals.

Yet worship came in different ways. While some were worshiped for their heroic feats and great acts of nobility, inspiring generations beyond with their purity, others were worshiped through fear, hatred, and hideous deeds, with the path of their actions stained with enough blood that the river would turn red. Such beings were villains that fought against heroes or monsters slain by them.

『Anti-Heroes』

Maybe Archer was one. With Darnic meddling with the Grail it was possible to summon those who had the aspect of a Heroic Spirit. Her little brother's Berserker was a good example. Perhaps Archer was also a case where he wasn't a true Heroic Spirit.

With the development of weaponry from the Late Middle Ages, the opportunity for an individual to gain fame in battle was severely rare. In modern time, the more wicked you were the more chance you had to be recorded in the Throne of Heroes.

However Fiore looked at her Servant who was preparing more tea and cookies for her.

Was this Servant in front of her, a man who would do horrible acts because of a selfish desire?

The answer was no.

Although the time they had spent together was short, she could confidently say that she knew what kind of person her Servant was. He wasn't a kind of person to act upon selfish desires. Maybe her analysis on Archer was wrong. Maybe she was just hoping that was the case. However, she was sure that she had read him right.

Lost in thought, she absent-mindedly drank the tea that Archer had placed on her lap.

The rich scent and taste flooded through her senses, drowning her in euphoria. She had never experienced such a feeling; where just the act of drinking tea would ease all her troubles and warm her body with pleasantness.

"Quite fitting as a servant it would be. Perhaps your class as a Servant was not an Archer but a Butler." Fiore said with a laugh.

"Hm. I seem to recall a memory doing such similar things. Perhaps I was one in the past."

Fiore wanted to tell that it had been a joke but couldn't as it really did suit him.

"But if I try to recall more about it, shivers seem to run through my body like remembering unpleasant facts…It seems like instinctively my subconscious does not want to remember those particular moments.

"Is that so? My apologies Archer."

"It's not something you need to apologize for. Speaking of which, what are you doing?"

Archer looked at the object Fiore was whipping with a cloth with such care.

"Oh this? I was cleaning my pendant."

She held a red jeweled pendant with the shape of an inverted triangle. The jewel was a blood red stone which was as big as her palm and linked by a silver chain. The reason why Archer had not seen it before was because she wore it inside her clothes, making it unseen except when she took it off or cleaned it.

"That pendant…"

Fiore continued to clean the jewelry not noticing the fact that Archer was staring at it with wide eyes.

"This was one of the jewels Darnic had prepared for Caster for the preparation. I had asked for this one since it caught my eye."

She looked down at the fiery red jewelry resting at her palm. She treasured it greatly having it worn every day hidden inside her. She had also charged the jewel with prana, hoping that it would help her in the war that would soon happen. While she told others it was because of that specific reason that she held onto the pendant, it was clear that it was also because of the woman inside of her that liked to wear pretty jewelries.

When she looked at Archer he had a face that Fiore could not exactly read.

"So that's why…" He muttered under his breath.

"What is it Archer?"

"It's nothing. I was just thinking that although I do not really have interest or liking in jewels, your pendant quite suits you."

"Wh…why thank you," Fiore said, turning her face so that Archer could not look at her face that was heating up. Although she couldn't help but blush at his teasing words, she had gained another information about her Servant. Her servant it seemed was not materialist. He did not seem to care about wealth that much.

Was it unselfishness or just him being pleasantly plain she did not know. She didn't even know what he wished for the Grail.

"Ah."

"Hmm? Is there a problem Master?"

"N-no, nothing is wrong Archer," she answered mentally scolding herself for making such a sound, "It's just that I do not know what you want to wish for the Grail."

Like Fiore had something to wish for, it was certain that Archer had one too. The Heroic Spirts who were summoned in the Holy Grail War were those who had wishes that they wanted to be fulfilled.

"I do not have one with my memory still in a daze…" he answered with a troubled expression.

"But wouldn't it be quite silly when the time comes for you to state your wish but to say that you do not have one? Of…of course that is to say when we win the Grail War but…"

It was a known fact that archer had blanks in his memories. But Fiore needed to know what her Servant wanted, since they were partners working for a single goal. She needed that Grail. She desperately wanted to cure her legs and walk around without the help of a wheelchair. She had a clear motive to win. But if Archer did not…there was a likely chance that she would not be able to have her wish granted.

"Even if you say that I do not have a specific wish. That does not change whether I had my memories intact or not."
"Is it possible for a Servant to not have a wish? I mean doesn't Servants agree to be summoned because they hope to have something granted for them?

Since summoning a Heroic Spirt was to call out for a being that far surpassed mankind, preparations for the control for the one summoned was needed to be done accordingly. Comman Seals were one way, but it was not flawless. Therefore other preparations were needed and one of them was an aligned goal that the Master and Servant could work on. If the Servant did not agree with one's master, killing them would be easy as breathing. That was why the Servants summoned for the war all had wishes of their own.

However-

"That is always not the case," Archer denied.

"Some answer to the summons even if they do not have specific wishes for the Grail. Some answer because they would like to test their skills in battle against stronger opponents and to simply fight. Others answer because they just want to enjoy the second life granted to them."

Fiore could understand what Archer had said. Servants were mostly beings that trained their skills to the utmost peak, fighting in constant battles against overwhelming enemies or ones that were far stronger than them. It wouldn't be a surprise if some of them wanted to cross their blades with others that were like them.

"That makes me even more curious of why you have answered to my summons Archer. You do not seem like a man who enjoys the rush of battle. Nor do you look like a man who acts on selfish reasons. So what do you wish Archer? It doesn't matter if your memory is full or not. I would just like to know what you wish now…Please Archer."

"That is quite a question you are asking me Master."

"But I have already told you my wish before. It wouldn't be right if I did not know yours."

Fiore didn't want to sound as if she had become sullen but couldn't help it.

Archer, knowing she was right, couldn't help but sigh at the situation. His wish wasn't even something grand.

"Well if you really want to know," he began looking at his master who had a triumphant look on her face.

"How does permanent world peace sound?"

"Honestly, Uncle Gorde could be such an arse sometimes!"

The day after Fiore had heard of Archer's wish, she came back to her room with a dark look on her face, pushed by Archer due to her being angry so much that she was clenching her fists, making her unable to push it herself.

The reason why Fiore was seething like this, which was not like her, was due to the conversation she had with Gorde Musik Yggdmillennia when they were passing by in the hallway.

"He thinks he's so high and mighty just because he had summoned an excellent Saber! Urgh!"

To put it simply what had happened, Gorde had ridiculed her Servant. Not in a direct way but by being sarcastic, saying that they should leave the Grail War to them, that she and her Archer should stick at the back where they would be useful, and that her Archer should just wait behind and continue to stay that way until the war was over.

"You do not have to be so upset Master. After all, he seems to be a petty man."

"Do you not feel anything with just what he had said?"

"There is no point. What he said was true."

Fiore couldn't help but glower at her Servant who was agreeing to what Gorde had just said. She did not like it at all.

"Saber would be stationed at the front and I would be stationed at the back for maximum efficiency. That is the most logical tactic. Therefore I would just have to crush the enemy before Saber could have a chance to engage with them won't I?

She couldn't help but stare at Archer after he said that, not really getting what he was implying. However, as soon as her mind connected the dots she couldn't help but incredulously stare at her Servant.

"Are you telling me that you would try and destroy enemies that not even Saber would be able to defeat?"

"That would be enough to crush his arrogant nose don't you think?"

"Are you perhaps…angry at what uncle Gorde had said about you Archer?"

"I am not that petty to be angry by such trifle words, Master."

She looked at Archer with a deadpanned look, whose body language was screaming 'I am royally pissed off, and couldn't help but suppress a laugh but failing at it splendidly.

"What's so funny Master?" He asked but with no actual bite in them.

"It's nothing Archer."

The relationship Fiore and Archer had had improved greatly as time passed by.

The reverence she had towards her intended summons before the summoning or the bitter feeling she had after the summoning, where no longer there. Time had passed for Fiore to embrace the fact that she had summoned the Heroic Spirit in front of her, and was thinking of Archer not only as a familiar but as a companion. That was why she could be relaxed and joke around with him.

"Although for a hero like him to be summoned by such a master…I find it quite sorry for him."

"Huh? Are you saying that you know the true identity of Saber, Archer?"

No one in the Yggdmillennia Castle knew of the identity of the Saber of Black, aside from his Master, Darnic, and Lancer. Gorde had forbidden him from saying out who he was. Therefore the only Servants whose identity was not known was Saber and Archer.

"Yes. I have the ability to structural grasp any bladed weapons. I simply did when we were first summoned."

"But…"

Structural Grasping was a simple branch of magecraft. Even a novice magus could learn and do Structural Grasping. But to actually grasp a Noble Phantasm...that was another story, with the mystery exceeding one could grasp. One could fry one's brain even by attempting to do such thing.

But Archer had done that impossible feat. And by the way he was talking seemed to know who the Saber of Black was.

"Why haven't you said it sooner?"

"I believed that I should hide this fact until our relationship was stable. I did not want any trouble that might come to you."

By trouble Fiore knew she he was talking about Gorde.

It wouldn't be pretty if he knew that Fiore had found out who Saber really was. Also that kind of information could not be given until Archer knew what kind of person her master really was.

With this Holy Grail Way different than others, it was essential to have good relationship with their allies.

"It is important that Uncle Gorde never finds about this."

"Yeah. I agree."

"So, what is the true name of the Saber that Uncle Gorde had summoned Archer?"

She was interested in who Saber really was. A Heroic Spirit matching the statistics with Lancer who was Vlad III: the Lord Impaler, who in his homeland had reached the height of his stats due to his popularity in the area. Stating the Servants name was to know its legend. And the famous the hero was the more know the legend was meaning that information could be gathered about them and ways to defeat them could be figured out. That was why Gorde wanted to have the true identity of his Servant under wraps.

"Although my speculations are gathered from the sword, would that be okay?"

"I doesn't matter Archer." Fiore said, nodding to him so that he would tell her.

"Very well then. His sword is a two-handed, golden greatsword, an A+ Anti-Army Noble Phantasm. It's the sword sung in the Nibelungenlied and the Völsunga saga. It's name is Balmung: Felling of the Sky Demon. Only one hero would fit this category and that would be-"

"-Siegfried, the Dragon Slayer."

She couldn't help but gulp at the name.

The hero who was said to have the same origin as Sigurd, known as the Greatest Hero of Northern Europe. The dragon slayer who slew Fafnir, the evil dragon. It was said that he was bathed in the blood of the dragon, giving him a body that was invulnerable making weapons useless at him. But that invulnerability did not reach his back as a single linden tree leaf stuck at his back, making it his one weak point. His end was famously known for being stabbed by his friend in the back where the invulnerability did not reach.

And Gorde had been able to summon such Servant as a Saber. No wonder he was so high and mighty. He had all the reason to do so.

"Now, it seems like a good time to tell Lancer that I have figured out the true identity of Saber."

"And why is that?"

"He is our king. Also it would me a good opportunity for someone like me, who is full of mysteries in the eye of others, to gain trust is it not?"
"I see. A logical reason it seems. Very well Archer, we shall."

Fiore nodded and started to plan the course of action needed to be taken.

Perhaps it would be better if she shared the new were Gorde was not around. Making sure lancer was in a good mood was another factor she had to take in consideration.

She sipped the tea Archer had prepared for her.

Or she could just make Archer brew tea for him

That would do the trick alright

FunFact: The reason why Fiore suspected Archer was a Heroic Spirit from an age over 16th century was because the tea brewed for her was 'Black Tea'. Tea was recorded to have been brewed from the 3rd century in China, but that was "Green Tea". Black Tea was discovered in the 16th century and before that people only drank green and oolong teas.