.

A faint sense of regret, no, should I call it vague regret? Perhaps calling it "mild regret" would be more accurate?

That's the feeling I get when looking back on my childhood.

I was an active kid with good beginnings and good parents. We weren't rich, but we also weren't poor. We knew how to be frugal so there was never a lack of essentials.

My parents had good jobs, they worked for charities. My mum worked in child-care charities, a youth centre and later started training to be a teacher.

My dad organised charities, he would allocate funds, direct human resources and have organizations group up for better effect.

With those two I was naturally of decent moral fibre. They raised me well.

At five I got a little sister. I learnt care.

We were a happy family of four.

But it was nothing with family that I regret. Rather it was my schooling, or rather my clubs.

As I said I was an active kid, I did Karate from the age of six, competitive swimming from the age of seven, full contact rugby from the age eleven and anything else done in school PE and sports lessons.

Those three sports (karate, swimming, rugby) accompanied me for the better half of a decade.

I was proud of it.

I was good at it.

I had to stop.

Around half way through secondary school, I was about fifteen, things came to a head.

No family is perfect, but that wasn't the main thing. I was simply doing too much.

Rugby every other Lunch and Saturday mornings, swimming after school every other day and karate every Friday to Sunday evenings…

I'm not the smartest kid by any stretch, not stupid, but middling. So I had to work hard to get any satisfactory academic results at that time.

Eventually it got above my head. I couldn't keep up. I flunked a test completely.

It was stifling.

I tried to cling to them, but I they still slipped out from between my fingers.

First went karate, I got dropped off at the site by my parents, and with the home situation it was easy for me to sacrifice that if it meant easing the tension somewhat.

I don't really know if it made a difference, but I recall things cooling down a bit around that time.

However it wasn't enough for my situation.

It was the time of hellish GCSE's after all.

Next went swimming, I enjoyed it but I was never the best. I was just barely scraping by in B squad. It was fairly easy to inform the coach I wanted to focus more on academics.

The hardest to go was rugby. I loved it. I was good at it. Out of all of my sports I was best at rugby.

I clung to it. I saw exams as a river to cross, rugby was my passenger.

I endured.

I almost made it.

But in the end, it was taken from me by means beyond my grasp. I broke my leg. Completely unrelated to sport, I was in a car accident.

I was fully imbursed, my bills paid for and my grades took a turn for the better. Somehow... 'it's not as bad as I thought'.

As soon as I thought that it was over.

My leg healed but I never returned to rugby.

I would come to regret that.

In the end, those subjects I struggled with; 'math, science, languages,' became completely irrelevant in college.

I went for an Art course.

That said, by no means do I think all that studying was useless. It taught me patience, and enriched the mind. The feeling of going beyond what I thought I was capable off in those subjects was something I do not regret.

But I do regret never going back to rugby. I could have also started going to karate by myself, or taken a dip in the public pool at any time, but I never did.

Maybe I just put those times on a pedestal, those sports were my youth, did I not want to defile them with half-hearted dedication?

Perhaps it was fear, was I scared of enduring that pressure, that pain once more? Perhaps. But most likely, it was just plain old Laziness. I became content. Comfortable.

By the time I realised I regretted it, I was all wrapped up in college work. I no longer had the luxury of time. I was not a child, but a young adult. I was working for money, working for my future, I was growing up.

'Heh, my youth was no over yet' I thought back then, 'not by a long shot. I plan on going wild at university' I planned. 'But I'm no longer a child.'

Nostalgia, happiness, achievement, no little longing for a simpler time… but also mild regret.

That is the feeling I get looking back on my childhood.

'I wonder if that's normal.'

Why am I thinking of such boring things now you may wonder?

Because for the first time in what feels like decades, I once more stand before a classroom.

A different country, a different time, but still, a classroom.

"Stand."

Such nostalgia. I couldn't help but indulge in some useless memories.

"Bow."

Though this time I'm not just any old student.

"Be seated."

I straighten the collar of my jacket and pat down my hair.

"Ehh, It is unplanned but today we will be having a new student join us."

I wait patiently outside the sliding door.

"Yes, yes. I know it's at an awkward time, but there are circumstances. Regardless, I hope you act appropriately and help your new classmate as is propper."

My auto translate works well, but often makes normal phrases slightly old fashioned and stuffy. I get most of the meaning via tone of voice and pasture.

The teacher continues saying something.

Although I can't see her, she probably has one hand on her hip and one and holding a clipboard resting on her shoulder. Facial expression is probably professionally neutral. Neither too enthused nor too dispassionate. The appropriate amount of effort with the appropriate distance.

"Yes, well then. You may come in now."

As instructed I open the sliding door, ignoring the murmurs I walk to the blackboard (which is actually green).

Artus Knightley. I write in katakana.

Turning to the class, I observe.

'39 students, 40 desks, one teacher, windows to the right, two exits to the left… not much of note, no one of particular interest... save one.'

I bow politely as per custom. I rise and face them with a neutral smile.

"Greetings, my name is Artus Knightley, Artus is my given name, Knightley is my family name. I was born in Japan but have lived abroad for the last few years due to family circumstances. I am seventeen and like rugby."

I see the feigned polite curiosity of my contractor. My lips quirk.

"Let's get alon- oh heeey princess!" Smiling widely with the abrupt change of tone, I look to one person.

She suddenly look less composed.

"Due to family ties, my current place of residence is the Tohsaka mansion. I owe her a lot," I look to the class, still smiling but my eyes narrow to hide my mirth. "If any of you bully her…" I stop smiling, "I'll kill ya."

Her eye is twitching. She's resisting the urge to face-palm.

'Guehehehe.'

"Ah! With that said," I bow low once more, "let's get along yeah?"

Silence.

Rising I survey the scene. Seeing what I like and temporally content, I turn to the teacher.

"So, my seat's over there right?"

.

.

The last thing I recall was Mordred-chan punching me in the face.

Now I suddenly speak Japanese.

'How strange.'

But right now, I'm falling.

I impact, I breath, I land.

'What?'

More information is... downloaded? It's like knowledge I didn't know are suddenly surfacing in my mind. But only bits.

'Holy Grail, Master, Command Seals, Servant…'

Then it stops. I blink. I feel there should be more but I more or less realise what's going on.

I'm indoor. Dim yellow lighting. Shelves to my right. A sofa behind me. Fireplace before me. Door nestled in the corner and windows to my left covered by rattan curtains.

'An attic maybe? Why would an attic have it's lights on with no one in there?'

Ah, also the floorboards have quite the dent in them. That impact I felt was me landing. My metal boots have made quite the impressio- wait.

'Metal boots?'

Suddenly there were bangs on the door. I feel a weight in my hands, they are wrapped around a handle at chest height. I feel it's tip stab into the floor.

'What? Sword?'

The door is knocked down and a figure stumbles in carried by their momentum.

'Oh yeah, this is actually happening isn't it.'

[Play Archer's Theme]

I observe her.

She rights herself and stands on the fallen door, hands on her hip. She's young. Black hair tied in twin-tails, red long-sleeve top, a too short black skirt and black stockings.

'Pretty cute.'

I can't help but smirk. For some reason I feel calm, slightly amused and despite everything; clear minded.

I can faintly feel there's a connection between the two of us.

The girl narrows her eyes at my smirk and appearance, then looks surprised at something, suddenly composer breaks. Clutching her head turning around she squats out of distress. It's pretty amusing.

'Her skirt is too short to squat in though...'

… However she is relaxed. Despite the situation and distress there is no panic. Perhaps you could call it a loss of composure to outwardly show her distress, but you could also see it as a show of confidence to show an unknown man her back.

She has surety in her safety, be that out of arrogance, naivety or something else is yet to be seen.

She looks over her shoulder to me.

"Well? What are you supposed to be?" Nice composure for someone showing me their ass crack.

"Hmm. That's the first thing you say? It would seem I've gotten quite the unusual contractor." I surprise myself with my voice. It's different than I remember, deeper, yet also familiar. "Good grief, a little princess on my hands yet again."

'Again?'

She grunts and stands, walking off the door towards me where I wait, minding the cracked floorboards.

"Just to confirm..." her voice is haughtey yet cute. "You're my Servant, right?" She crosses her arms.

"I am a Servant, but are you are my Contractor? You were absent upon my summoning." I can't help but throw tit for tat.

"You aren't a baby bird. Don't joke like you imprint on your Lord when you first open your eyes." She tilts her head, I get the feeling she's trying to look down on me. "Well alright, fine. I'm just asking to confirm. Master-Servant relations should be clearly laid out, right from the start."

She stressed the word Master. Noting my use of Contractor instead. How amusing.

I can't help but smirk wider.

"Hmmm. Well then…" I pause for effect. "Why should I serve you, princess." I lean in, still towering over her.

'Am I taller than before?'

"Excuse me?" She looks taken aback.

"I'm used to serving princesses," I feel I am, "but I had a reason. What reason is there for me to serve you?" I step forward, looming. To her credit, she doesn't step back.

"I'm not entirely dissatisfied, you are rather cute," no visible reaction, "but that's it." She narrows her eyes. Good. "Why should you be Princess instead of Girly hmmm?" I once more stab my unknown sword into the floorboards to stamp my point. "Why should I serve you?"

A silent beat, then I turn, my sword magically sensing it's no longer needed, dissipates. It's not there, I can't feel it, but somehow I know it's always within reach.

I walk to the sofa a sit, hearing it creak under the combined weight of my body and armour.

'Armour?'

"If there is no reason… then I will simply fight this war myself." The words come out unbidden, but true. I would rather not enter a deathmatch with a child. I would prefer her safe.

"I see…" she gritts out, "you're not entirely... dissatisfied due to my looks, but you refuse to serve me without a reason?" It seems the quip on her looks is a bit of a sore point. She is very prideful. "Very well…"

Come to think of it, why am I provoking her. I don't want her fighting, but there was no reason to dissuade her in such an abrasive manner.

"You are my Servant, aren't you?" it seems to be a rhetorical question but I answer anyway.

"In form only. So I will obey only when it aligns with my own wishes," when I feel like it, "you aren't my Princess after all." That seems important.

"When there is fighting, I will fight alone." now I get to express my reasons. "I don't want a child fighting, nor do I really want to abey a mere child. I call my own shots. Until this war," more like a skirmish, "ends, I would prefer you stay here where it's safe and hide."

"Of course you are my contractor after all, I have no quarrel with that. You summoned me to win you victory. My victory is your victory, I will yield all glory and spoil to you. No matter of your involvement henceforth, that will not change." You stay safe, I fight, I win, you get the grail. "Surely that is ideal?"

She's looking down. Being told to stay and hide must hurt ones pride after all. But I'm confident she will see reason. No child wants to die.

Seeing no response, I decide to end the conversation.

"Mah, leave everything to me girly, you will have victory, for now see to your own wellbeing." Still no reply.

She might feel guilty at me doing all the work. I smirk. How cute.

"Don't worry," I look at her bowed head with sincerity, "I don't expect anything more from you." I smile reassuringly. "You are my Contractor, but you have no need to be my Princess." It's a heavy name to bear after all, to be my Princess.

I nod at my own thoughtfulness. I'm so nice.

I hear an illusionary snap.

'Huh?'

Her frame trebles for a moment before exploding into movement. The sudden movement flipping up her too short skirt.

'Oi, oi.'

"Ahhhh, Now I'm mad!" Hands clenched in front of her she glares at me.

'It's cute, but why?'

"Reason? You need a reason huh? I'll give you a reason!" Flamboyantly waving her fist at me she clenches her right hand, it's Command Seals facing me, and holds her forearm with her left hand.

'Oro?'

"Fine! If you need a reason I'll give you a reason!"

'Eh-!'

"You wouldn't!" What?!

"I would! Anfang!"

'Anfang!' The word reverbs through me too.

"'Vertrag. Ein neuer Nagel'…"

'Why?!'

"'Ein neues Gesetz. Ein neues Gesetz'..."

"Wait, are you serious girly?!" 'What did I do?!' "You would use a precious Command Seal over silly pride?!"

Her voice gets louder at that.

"'Ein neues Verbrechen.' Shut up! Get it, your my Servant! You need a reason?" She thrust up her hand. "Then by the power of my Command Seal; I'm now your Princess!"

A ring of read light suddenly spread out from her hand with an eerie ring, staggering me as it went through. A mark on her hand faded to a smudge.

"Ghu." I felt something change. The ringing noise faded

'... Oi, oi…'

She held the pose, embarrassment creeping onto her face. Suddenly realising what she just did.

I could only look at her slack jawed.

"Y-You impulsive girl! You realise what you just did right? You would waste such a precious Command Seal for t-this?! For such a broad Command?" 'What the heck Princess.' "...Couldn't you have worded it a bit better at least?"

She blushes bright red at that. Looking to the side she awkwardly lowers her hand.

"... L-Lets take this elsewhere…" Her voice was pretty meek now.

'Goddamn bipolar Princesses…'

.

.

The rest of the night wasn't particularly interesting.

…

"I have amnesia…"

"What do you mean you have amnesia?!"

...

"I have no astral form…"

"What do you mean you have no astral form?!"

…

"I have no Noble Phantasm…"

"What do you mean you have no Noble Phantasm?!"

…

"I want to go to school with you…"

"... Yeah, sure. Whatever…"

…

Nothing of particular importance.

.

.