Edmund Ashford POV
The sound of Illya awaking from her sleep catches my attention as I close the book in my hand with a loud thud.
"Well it's about time you woke up squirt," I said with a grin.
Illya blinked up at me groggy her silver hair tousled and her crimson eyes still hazy with sleep. She looked so small under the heavy blankets like a porcelain doll accidentally brought to life.
"…Avenger?" she asked voice soft uncertain.
I gave her a lazy two-finger salute "present."
"Where back at the castle? Grandfather let you in?" she inquired with a curious tilt of her head.
Ugh she just pulled a cliche anime technique the legendary head tilt that made her look so much more innocent and cuter.
Must resist!
Must RESIST!
I cleared my throat and looked away, suddenly finding the far wall very interesting "…ahem well let's just say that I can be very persuasive when I need to," I replied giving a charming smile.
Illya blinked again the fog of sleep slowly lifting from her expression as she sat up and hugged the blankets closer "persuasive?" she repeated her voice still small and scratchy "did you hurt anyone?"
I gave a wolfish grin "depends on your definition of hurt," her eyes narrow at those words.
"Okay look don't worry your little head off princess," I sighed rubbing the back of my neck. "I didn't kill anyone your grandfather and his walking mannequins are still alive I merely had them learn their place that's all really."
Illya stared at me for a long moment until she nodded "alright...so who are you? Your name Edmund Ashford sounds familiar to me and based on your attire I'd say your knight of some sort?" she asked trying to remember what legend I was from.
"Yeah, you would be right there squirt I am the first of the knights amongst of my best friend and King's Round Table," I affirmed fully revealing my legend.
Her red eyes parted in shock "you're the Knight of Annihilation?! King Arthur's left-hand man," she exclaimed causing me to wince from the volume.
"Right in the ears, princess," I muttered wincing again and jamming a pinky in to dig the ringing out "but yeah that's me although calling me Knight of Annihilation is a much huh?"
Illya jumped from the bed practically face to face with me "but…but you were never confirmed to exist! Grandfather said the records about you were merely fragmented accounts some said that you cowardly ran from the battle of Camlann, others said you were just a fairy tale character not an actual person."
I can feel the clenching of my heart hearing about how people thought I had done something like that.
Then again, they were right I was a coward...to cowardly to continue trying to prevent Artoria's fate I gloomily thought.
"Yeah that sounds just right," I muttered my voice carrying more weight than I intended "let me guess someone scribbled notes in the back of a dusty tome, a half-baked tale about a knight who just upped and left everyone he knew behind whilst they fought? A footnote in the margins of history."
Illya's brow furrowed confused by the sudden change in my tone.
"But that's not true right? You didn't run, did you?"
I looked at her those big curious eyes "I'd rather not say much more about the subject...but in a way you could say that I did run away," I admitted and then I changed the subject "by the way princess you won't have to worry about your grandfather experimenting on you anymore."
She blinked "what?! But I am supposed to be the prepared vessel for the lesser grail!"
"Yeah, about that…" I let out a sigh rubbing my thumb along the leather spine of the book I'd been reading "I didn't like what they were doing to you, I am your servant your protector and weapon whether you like it or not so I made sure to make him stop."
She swallowed hard "you-" her voice cracked "you stopped him?"
I nodded, forcing a small smirk "yeah I pulled off a very convincing trick on both him and the other dolls that made him think twice about shoving needles into you for the rest of his life. The lesser grail will go into an empty vessel not an innocent girl."
Tears welled in her eyes she looked away blinking rapidly as though just realizing the magnitude of what I'd done.
I could feel the cold knot in my gut it wasn't exactly a selfless act I'd hated the idea of anyone hurting her but seeing her so small, trembling under those blankets hit different.
"Look I know you probably don't like-" I was cut off when she crashed into my stomach hugging me tightly "thank you, thank you," she murmured.
I blinked momentarily stunned her small frame trembled against me, her fingers clutched the back of my fur cloak like she was afraid I'd vanish if she let go.
"…Huh," I muttered awkwardly patting her head "didn't think you'd be the clingy type, squirt."
"You saved me th-that's why," she whispered voice muffled against my chest "...not even papa," that last part was said quietly.
My throat tightened at that last word the image of the Emiya Kiritsugu of this timeline dying under the moonlight probably wishing he could have saved his daughter.
This world truly was a tragedy.
"Yeah, well," I grumbled running a gloved hand gently through her tangled silver hair, "just don't go making a habit of it I'm not exactly the heroic type I am actually quite selfish really."
"I don't care about that I'd say I am selfish to!" she said simply tilting her face up eyes wet.
"Damn it, Master," I said looking away again "you're making it really hard to keep up my cool mysterious, and older brother image," I grumbled.
Illya giggled a quiet delicate sound that somehow made the shadows in my chest feel a little less burdened by my sins "hehe you never had that image to begin with," she teased wiping at her cheeks with the back of her sleeve "you're more like…a grumpy wolf."
I turned away with a huff "whatever you say squirt now from what the grail has told me the war doesn't take place until a few months later I don't know how you summoned me so early...but now that I am here, I have to ask what our plan is?"
A smile spreads across Illya's face "there's still a couple of things I want to get done here at the castle but once I do, I want to go explore the country where the war will take place."
"Sounds like a plan princess," I said crossing my arms together.
-end of chapter three-
We'll pretty much be heading into Fuyuki soon after this chapter.