Saber fought to keep her expression neutral, to keep her hands from restlessly adjusting their grip on Excalibur, even as every instinct in her body screamed at her to disregard Irisviel and her Master's instructions to leave alone the creature leaning against the wall across the hall from her. That she would only get a single chance to attack, that she needed to win in that single attack … she fought down the impulse to unleash her Noble Phantasm against the monster that seemed to pay her no attention. Of course, she had offered information - knowledge on the true Caster of the Grail War, the one Servant that not revealed himself to the others, as well as possible information on the other five Servants that remained.
All, however, offered to Irisviel. Despite knowing that she was not Saber's Master, the monster - introducing herself Remilia Scarlet - had met them at the Einzbern castle, and then proceeded to ignore, as much as she was able, not only Saber but also Kiritsugu. She spoke with Irisviel, acknowledged the presence of Kiritsugu's assistant Maiya, but studiously ignored Saber and her Master, saying that it was 'better' for everyone involved if she restricted her interactions to Irisviel. And then she had invited them inside, to meet the next great surprise - a girl calling herself Illyasviel von Einzbern, identical to the child Saber had seen Kiritsugu playing with in the forest, and claiming to be from the Grail War a mere ten years after this one. And she had, at Remilia's insistence, secluded herself with them to discuss the matter, while Saber and Remilia waited in the entry hall. And so she found herself here, waiting, unwilling to remove her armor or even put away her sword, barely able to look away from the creature across the hall from her. Her hands twitched, the tip of the blade flicked away - but she regained control of herself and planted the sword's tip in the floor. At the sound of the holy blade sliding through the stone floor, Remilia's right eye opened halfway.
"Hmph. Does my mere presence bother you so much? Should I await the conclusion of their meeting in the town? Perhaps I should go to the church and pray." Saber ground her teeth at the mocking voice and its contrast with Remilia's expressionless, disinterested face.
"Perhaps if you could explain your dislike for me, I could better understand your position," Saber replied. Remilia's eyes opened fully, and then she slowly blinked before tilting her face up to look directly at Saber. And still she leaned lazily against the wall, black wings crossed over her body like a bat. For a long moment, she held herself perfectly still, and Saber fought the compulsion to ready her sword.
"One reason, I suppose, is that you are a charlatan of a hero. A complete and utter fake. And that you have the gall to proclaim yourself a mighty Servant disgusts me." Saber's mind froze, but her body did not. The invisible sword swept up and she lunged forward, halting herself less than a fingerlength from driving Excalibur through Remilia's throat.
"You - you -!" Words failed the King of Knights, and her hands shook as part of her tried to thrust her sword the last few centimeters and the rest of her fought that desire. Despite her obvious hatred and the possibility of her death, Remilia didn't react to the explosive charge.
"Do you know who you are? You are Saber - the servant of the Sword. Nothing else. What have you done of your own will? What have you accomplished without that sword by your side? Nothing. Without that sword, you would be an ordinary girl, living an ordinary life until an ordinary death took you. Instead, you took up that sword, followed its cause and purpose. It is why you became king, why you threw away that most valuable possession - why you became nothing but a servant to a higher order. Nothing you have done has been done of your own will; nothing you have built has been built by your own hands; nothing you have slain has fallen to your own abilities. All has been accomplished by the sword, and by those who follow the sword. You are nothing but a worthless, incapable figurehead." Saber stiffened and stepped awkwardly back. It was true that her own desires had been left by the wayside, that she had given all to being the greatest king she could be - and that she regretted her decisions, those choices she had made that had led to the destruction of the kingdom she had sought to save. But to call her a false hero, to claim that she was nothing without the holy sword Caliburn, or the replacement blade Excalibur …! Before she could reply, however, a loud crack echoed from deeper in the castle. Saber's eyes widened, and this time there was no hesitation in her attack - something had threatened her Master, and this creature was the only possible source.
But as her instincts had warned her, nothing short of unleashing her Noble Phantasm could secure her victory, and she was too close, her blade out of line. The holy sword swung across and bit deeply into her foe's chest - but the other hand that reached for her grasped the top of her breastplate and hauled her closer to the monster she fought. And yet Remilia did not follow up with an attack. Instead, she was yanked aside again - and again, and again - and then realized that she was being carried deeper into the castle, closer to her Master. And then they crashed through a door and Saber was thrown to the side. She landed on her feet, slid back, and caught her bearings. She was standing near Kiritsugu, a large gun still in his hand, and Remilia, seemingly unharmed, was standing near the door they had burst through. The child Illyasviel was standing away from Kiritsugu, face showing nothing but shock and betrayal … and between Kiritsugu and Irisviel stood a dark giant of a Servant. Saber froze, trying to determine what had happened, and Illyasviel collapsed to her knees.
"B- … but … why?" Saber stared at the heartbroken child, then whipped her head around to stare at Kiritsugu as the man suddenly looked completely defeated. His hand fell to his side and the gun dropped to the floor.
"Because that's all he knows how to do, Illyasviel. He finds a problem, and he solves it with a gun." The leaden giant roared as Illyasviel turned her attention to Remilia.
"You knew! You knew!" The giant thundered forward and slammed one massive fist down on the winged figure. One slender, tiny hand, no larger than Illyasviel's own, came up to meet it - and the floor behind Remilia exploded with the force of the Servant's strike. "… Why? Why didn't you say anything?"
"I told you that I thought your meeting your parents was a bad idea. And I believe you met that man, spoke with him, and knew of the actions he took? If that did not convince you, what could I have said? Yes, I could have told you that informing Emiya Kiritsugu of the truth behind the current Heaven's Feel would have led to him trying to kill Irisviel von Einzbern - but what could I have said to make you believe me?" Saber stared wide-eyed at her Master, reacted belatedly to the sound of running feet.
"Madam - Sir -" Kiritsugu's assistant ran into the room, stumbling slightly as she reached the rubble, and held her weapon on the figures immediately before her. She couldn't hope to threaten either one with such a mundane weapon.
"What did you think would happen, Illyasviel?" For the first time, Remilia's voice held emotion - not quite concern, not quite helplessness, but something mixing the two. "He came with the hope of using the Grail to turn the world into a paradise of peace, a place where people wouldn't fight anymore. And you come to tell him that the Grail is cursed, that any wish made upon it will unleash the evil trapped within it sixty years ago. What is he to do? His wife is already lost, unless he can convince the other Masters and then disassemble the Grail mechanism without first defeating their Servants - and how can he do that? They will simply kill him and his Servant. The only thing he can do is what he already tried. Kill his wife and destroy the Lesser Grail, which will, at least, prevent anyone from unleashing Angra Mainyu for another sixty years. Then return to Germany with Saber and use her to break into the Einzbern stronghold and rescue his daughter." Saber's breath caught in her throat. What was going on? The Grail - cursed? Illyasviel looked up, blinking back tears.
"But … but I'm here! I could help Mother with the Grail, if any Servants did die. And Berserker's here, too! And … and … please? Could you help, too?" Shaking hands clasped together in front of her as she begged the monster for aid. Saber's hands fell to her sides and she held her breath. For a moment, Remilia stood silent and motionless.
"Impossible. You were only promised a meeting with your parents, nothing more. We will return to Gensokyo now." Illyasviel's head ducked down - and the giant Servant roared deafeningly before she climbed to her feet and ran to stand beside Irisviel.
"No! I'm staying! If - if you want to go back, fine! Leave without me!" Remilia's eyes glowed brightly and her wings twitched back at the ultimatum. Berserker vanished, reappearing by Illyasviel's side with a massive axe-like sword in one hand, and Saber raised her own blade as she stepped between her Master and the vampire.
