For the entire following week, Shirou's mind was occupied with the upcoming mission, which was turning out to be more and more infeasible as the days went by. Unfortunately, none of the others who were involved had come up with any decent ideas either.

It wasn't as if sitting around the castle and thinking was all they did. Shirou, accompanied by the twins, had visited Achmed's mansion twice. The first trip was to observe the mansion's surroundings. It was easy getting past the outer gate that led into the count's territory, as in order to promote trading it was opened for everyone to enter and leave freely during the day. Believe it or not, Achmed owned a ridiculously large property that could easily house hundreds of people, which it did.

Despite the large number of civilian structures within his land, Achmed's mansion was located in the middle of a rather empty lot with its back facing a dense forest. In case anything went wrong, Shirou was certain that they could solve it without involving innocent bystanders.

On the other hand their second trip, where they intended to tackle the main problem, proved to be unfruitful. Just as the scheme suggested, there was no weak point within the wards, at least none that they could figure out. Even the entrance to the mansion itself was restricted. Only registered personnel could pass through the ward boundary unharmed. Anyone else that wanted to enter the mansion ground needed to have Achmed's given permission slip.

Like he had initially assessed, even in war time, the mansion was a very impressive fortress.

However, that wasn't enough to make Shirou give up. On the eighth night following the mission announcement he decided to take another trip, hoping to find something, anything, to help them.

After informing Henrietta of his absence, Shirou then changed into his mission gear and headed out. It took him quite a long time to reach Achmed's territory boundaries, reaching the mansion took even longer. It was much bigger than Gauvain's, and no matter how many times Shirou saw it, he was still impressed. Like on his last trip, he started to circle the mansion, avoiding the guards. This time, however, Shirou had traced a Gae Dearg and was carrying it with him. Finally, he'd settled on a nice spot at the back of the mansion, and began to probe the wards with the crimson spear.

It went without saying that Gae Dearg was able to pass through the ward without tripping anything. However, immediately after Shirou withdrew the spear, the hole it created was mended. Tracing another one, he then tried to use them both at the same time to carve into the ward. However, even with his body reinforced as much as it could handle, he still wasn't able to make it through in such a small window of time.

"Damn," Shirou frowned after his fifth try. He even used Rule Breaker as his last resort, but nothing happened. It wasn't much of a surprise though. In order for the dagger to work, he would have to use it directly on the ward stone.

Feeling slightly tired, Shirou finally decided to retreat back into the shadow of the forest and sat down. While trying to think of any other possible solutions that he hadn't tried yet, he sensed a prana source slowly approaching his position. There was no hostility, however, and Shirou was able to recognize its owner.

"You want me to arrest you again?" He called out, not bothering to turn back to look at the newcomer.

"Nice to meet you too, colleague," came Fouquet's voice. "Didn't think I would run into you again."

"What are you doing here?" Asked Shirou in an indifferent tone.

"How cold," the thief laughed. "And here I am actually missing you a little."

"I'm not here to play with you, Fouquet."

"Fine, fine," she replied and sat down next to Shirou, an unexpected move that surprised him a little. "Say, am I wrong to assume that we're here for the same reason? Thinking of raiding the popular count Achmed?"

Shirou didn't answer. After all, it wasn't like they were friends, and he didn't have to share anything with her.

"You can't ignore me forever, you know?" Fouquet snorted. "We're in the same boat here."

"No we aren't," Shirou grumbled. "I'm not here for my personal gain."

"Neither am I."

"Right," he shrugged.

"Well, it's true though," Fouquet sighed next to him. "Believe me or not, I'm here for a friend this time."

Once again, Shirou ignored her. They spent several minutes in silence together before she decided to stand up.

"As I said, silence doesn't really suit you, you know? Anyway, gotta go. Still it's nice seeing…"

Her sentence was cut short. From where he was, Shirou could see her eyes widen as she stared at him in shock. It was understandable, anyone would have reacted like that if they suddenly couldn't move their body. Right now, if Fouquet had been able to turn her head around, she would have seen a Black Key stuck to the ground, right where her shadow rested.

"You… What did you do to me?" She asked. There was a trace of fear mixed with anger in her voice.

"Keeping you here while I call reinforcements over to put you in jail," said Shirou, standing up. If he went back now and called Agnes, they would be able to return here before dawn.

"Wait," Fouquet called desperately as Shirou turned around. "I...I can help you get into Achmed's mansion. You still haven't found a way yet, right?"

That actually made Shirou pause for a second, considering her words. If he were to be honest, the offer was rather tempting, and she might actually know something that he didn't. However, considering the person the offer was coming from…

"You should save your sudden kindness for the interrogation," finally, Shirou said. "That may help with reducing your sentence, probably."

To his surprise, Fouquet chuckled and said with a mocking tone.

"Oh, I have no doubt about that. There are so many things I might let slip if I'm arrested, like, you know, the person responsible for the raid at Gauvain's…"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Shirou replied, a little too quickly.

"And yet you still haven't gone back to call for reinforcements. Don't play dumb, colleague. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"You have no proof," Shirou said through gritted teeth.

"Do I?" Fouquet laughed. "More importantly, do you really want to risk it?"

Of course he didn't want to risk it. Henrietta's position was too important for them to risk anything that could damage it. He knew it was too good to be true when Fouquet didn't tell anyone about his true identity. Silently cursing himself, Shirou then turned around and faced the thief.

"What do you want?" He asked tiredly.

"Good answer," a grin crept onto Fouquet's face. "First, release me. I won't run away since we still have many things to talk about."

With a sigh, Shirou silently made the Black Key vanish. Apparently, Fouquet could feel it too, as she immediately stood up and started to dust herself off.

"Brimir, that was awful," she groaned. "How could you treat a lady like that? You're supposed to be a royal guard and all… Unless your little Princess likes it that way. Wait, does she?"

"Just tell me what you want," Shirou said, ignoring her obvious teasing, though he could feel his face heat up a little. Thankfully it was dark, so Fouquet couldn't see his face properly.

"Well, like I said, I will get you into Achmed's mansion. But you have to help me out with something first."

"That's not possible. I'm not going to help you in any of your heists, or anything to that effect," Shirou shook his head. He knew he was being a bit of a hypocrite, but there was a limit to what he was willing to do.

"I figured as much," Fouquet waved her hand dismissively. "How about a rescue mission?"

"I'll need more details than that."

"Right," she nodded. "Remember what I said about me being here for a friend? That's the truth. A while ago, my stupid partner got himself caught. He was about to be executed, secretly, of course. The catch is that I can trade a valuable artifact for his release."

"And said artifact is inside Achmed's mansion," Shirou guessed.

"Precisely," Fouquet grinned. "Only a tiny little problem remains. Namely, that this mansion is just like a damned fortress, and I might not make it in time if I were to work alone. It maybe possible with the two of us. However, a much better idea came to my mind."

"Which is?"

"You help me rescue my partner, then we will help you, and your little party, get inside the mansion," she continued. "Because frankly, it would be much easier if we had that guy here with us."

"How do I know you aren't just saying that to make me want to save your friend?" Shirou frowned. "Who is he? And how can he help us?"

"He's an old friend. We go way back. That guy is a rather... let's say unique, Warding specialist," Fouquet answered, folding her arms in front of her chest. "Underground, of course. He's also a bit of an idiot, but I doubt that you could find anyone else with his kind of talent."

"Anything to prove that?"

"Nothing," the thief shrugged playfully. "If you choose not to believe me, that's fine. Since you let me go, I won't tell anyone about you or your little Princess even if you walk away now. But think about it, colleague, can you do it all by yourself?" She pointed her thumb backward at the mansion. "It can't hurt to accept a little help, can it? After all, we will both benefit from this."

"As good as it sounds, Fouquet. I have no reason to believe you," Shirou sighed. If what she said was true, then it was indeed a way out of the problem that they were facing. On the other hand, the one who was making the offer was an infamous thief. Anyone would be wary of her.

"You don't have to decide now," said Fouquet, smirking. "Talk about it with your Princess if you want. I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow as well. If you don't come, I'll take it as a refusal and we will be on our own ways. Goodbye."

With that, she walked away and soon disappeared from sight. Her prana signature was also gone shortly after, leaving Shirou alone, staring at the fortress in front of him while thoughts swirled in his mind.

"I will need to talk to Henrietta first," Finally, he thought, shaking his head. It was only natural to seek her opinion, seeing how it affected her personally.

When Shirou finally returned to the castle, it was late into the night. Despite what Henrietta had said about feeling free to talk to her anytime if there was progress with the mission, he still decided to wait until morning before bothering her.

At least, that was what Shirou intended to do at first, but it all changed the moment he happened to walk by Henrietta's study. It was faint, but there was definitely a sound coming from inside that caught his attention.

"Was that… sobbing?" Shirou stopped in his tracks and wondered. He then darted his eyes along the hallway. No one was there. It was doubtful that the Musketeer guards would leave the Princess alone at a time like this. On the other hand, he was sure that it was her behind the door. Hesitating for a moment, Shirou finally took a step forward and knocked lightly on the door.

"Anyone in there?" He asked. The sound stopped, but there was no answer. Strange.

"Your Highness, is that you?" He called again. A few seconds passed with no response from the other side, however, at last Shirou could hear light footsteps getting closer and closer until the door slowly opened. It was indeed Henrietta who was in there.

"Shirou?" She asked, a little surprised. "I didn't expect you to return this early."

"Something came up and I decided to come back. I was going to discuss it with you in the morning," Shirou replied as he looked at the Princess. It was obvious that the earlier sobbing was hers, if her red eyes were anything to go by.

"More importantly, are you alright, Your Highness?" He asked. He couldn't help but feel concerned. Something terrible must have happened while he was gone. He'd never seen Henrietta cry, even on their first meeting where she had a blade pressed against her neck.

"Oh, it's nothing, I just couldn't sleep with everything going on," she said and gave Shirou a gentle smile. However, it was a little forced.

"I see," Shirou nodded. It looked like Henrietta wasn't going to tell him what was bothering her anytime soon. Still, it might not be such a good idea to leave her alone. Her emotional state aside, they were in dangerous times. If the King could be murdered in his own quarters, then nowhere was truly safe.

"Say, would you like some tea?" He asked, then quickly waved his hands as he saw her opening her mouth to refuse. "I'm not that sleepy anyway. If anyone needs to be in bed right now, that's you, Your Highness."

"Oh, alright then," finally, Henrietta relented and stepped aside to let Shirou in. "Sorry for making you do this."

"Think nothing of it," giving her a smile, Shirou then started preparing the tea. While he was doing so, there was an awkward silence between them. Despite having a rather good start, he was now at a lost for words, not knowing anything to say in that situation.

Luckily for him, it wasn't long before Henrietta decided to break the ice.

"So Shirou, you said you wanted to discuss something with me?" She asked as he placed the tea tray between them.

"I don't think right now is a good time," Shirou frowned a little as he sat down on the opposite seat from her. "I'm sure that anything work related can wait…"

"It's okay, Shirou," Henrietta shook her head. "If it's related to the mission, I want to hear it now. We don't have much time left."

"If you're certain…" Said Shirou, feeling rather unsure about it but decided to talk anyway. At least they wouldn't have to just stare at each other while drinking tea. "I ran into Fouquet. I was about to arrest her, but…" He paused and scratched his head bashfully.

"But she got you by threatening to reveal your secret," said Henrietta.

"That's right. My apologies, Your Highness," Shirou sighed.

"There's no need," she shook her head and sipped on her tea. "I figured that she would use that information against us when she got the chance. What happened next?"

"She then offered to help me to get into Achmed's mansion. The catch is that I have to help her rescue her partner who got himself captured. According to Fouquet, this guy is supposed to be some kind of warding genius."

"Is he now?" This time it was Henrietta's turn to frown. "Did she mention his name?"

"She didn't," Shirou replied.

"Well, there aren't many people who could be considered that, even among the royal circle. The number is even smaller if we only take the underground specialists into account…" said Henrietta, more to herself than to Shirou. Though he was a little relieved to note that she looked a little better than when he first entered the room.

"It would be a huge advantage if we could get someone like that on our side," Shirou said thoughtfully. "But it's Fouquet who is making the offer. Do you know anything about her? Is there anyway we can verify her information?"

"She's crafty, that's for sure," answered the Princess. "Unfortunately, it looks like that's our best bet right now."

"So you suggest accepting her offer?"

"Honestly? I think it's worth a try," she said. "Even if Fouquet lied to us, we would just come back to where we are now. If she really wanted to harm our reputation, she would have done so already, without going through so much trouble. What do you think, Shirou? I want to hear your opinion."

"I'm conflicted," Shirou admitted with a sigh. "Like you said, it's a good chance for us to get the ward problem out of the way. On the other hand, I'm wary of working alongside a criminal. Is it too late for us to change targets now, Your Highness?"

"We can do that," Henrietta nodded. "But this is the best opportunity for us to get to Achmed. If we postpone it now, it will only get harder in the future," she then paused and observed his expression. "I'm not saying that to pressure you. If you really don't want to do it, we can think of something else."

"I understand," said Shirou after taking a moment to consider his options. She was right, a chance like that was hard to let go, and he could see how important it was. "I...will give it a go. But I have to see Fouquet first to make sure her plan doesn't involve anything too outlandish."

"It's your decision," the Princess said. "Though if you are going to do it, please keep it hidden from Agnes. I don't think she will approve."

"Yeah… I can't even imagine what she would do to me if she ever got wind of it," Shirou shuddered as he thought about the hot headed Captain. However, his answer managed to make Henrietta chuckle lightly.

"I will wish you luck if it comes to that," she joked before smiling at him. "Thank you, Shirou. And I'm sorry for making you worry. I...wasn't in my best mood today."

"It's no problem, Your Highness. I'm happy that you're feeling better," Shirou returned her smile as he stood up to clean the tea set. As he was putting them away onto a shelf, Shirou heard Henrietta's voice from behind him. All of a sudden, her voice sounded so despondent that it made his heart wrench.

"You know, Shirou, I received a letter today from Wales. Albion just lost another major battle yesterday. He didn't show it, but I think he was losing hope."

"So that's the reason she cried," thought Shirou. However, he didn't say anything. He knew that she hadn't finished.

"Sometimes I wish I could just leave everything behind and be with him, to help him with his battle. I just feel so...useless, sitting here in safety when my loved one is risking his life on the field," she paused and took in a deep breath before continuing. "Ever since you came here, we've managed to make some progress, and I've been thinking that way less and less. But those battle reports...and his letter...they feel like a slap to my face…"

"You shouldn't think like that, Your Highness," Shirou cut her off as he returned to his seat and looked at her solemnly. "Just like you said, we're making some real progress. Maybe things aren't going as quickly as you hoped them to be, but it's already getting better, thanks to you. As for Prince Wales, I don't know him personally, but from what I've heard about him he's a great man. I'm sure that whatever he is doing out there, it isn't just for his kingdom, but for you and Tristain's safety as well. It isn't right to have such discouraging thoughts, Your Highness."

"I know that," Henrietta said and gave him a sad smile. "And I won't let any of this affect my work. Still, it's hard to pretend that I'm not hurt or worried. I...just get tired of it sometimes."

"It's natural to be like that," said Shirou. "You're not a machi-I mean golem, after all. I'm glad that you told me about all this. It's not good to keep these kinds of thoughts bottled up."

"And thank you for listening, Shirou," she said after eyeing him curiously. "It actually makes me feel a little better."

"You're welcome," Shirou smiled. "If you don't mind, you can come and talk with me anytime you want."

"I think I will accept that offer," Henrietta replied. "We should get to bed though. It's really late now, and we have a full day of work ahead of us. I will write back to Wales in the morning."

The two of them then left the study. Shirou intentionally stayed behind for a little while to wait for the Princess to get back to her room before moving. It wasn't safe for the two of them to be seen together at this time. Nasty rumours could come from it, and that was one of the last things that they needed.

The following night, when Shirou got to the meeting place, Fouquet had already been waiting, leaning against a big tree and looking at his direction with a triumphant grin on her face.

"I take it you have your answer?" She asked.

"I still don't trust you," Shirou grumbled. "But I can't deny a good chance when I see one. I will be keeping an eye on you however, if you try to double cross me..."

"Wouldn't dream of it, colleague," Fouquet snorted and handed him a package.

"What is this?" Shirou raised an eyebrow.

"The outfit that you will use during the rescue."

"Why do I need this?" He frowned, taking the package from her hand. "What's wrong with my current outfit?"

"It's not appropriate for what we will be doing," Fouquet just shrugged and replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Right, but what exactly is it that we will be doing? I'm not here to play, Fouquet. Either you give it to me straight or I'm going back."

"Impatient, aren't we?" She gave him a mocking sigh, as if to test his temper even more. "I understand that you hate me. But if we're working together, at least put a little faith in me, won't you?"

"Don't go asking for the impossible," Shirou rolled his eyes before realizing that she couldn't see it because of his hood. "But at least we can compromise, I will not question your methods and I expect the same from you, deal?"

Silence fell between them as the thief considered his words. Finally, she said.

"Fine. Looks like that's the best I can get at the moment. Anyway, this is where we will be going."

She then took out a piece of paper out from inside her robe and gave it to Shirou, who soon realized that it was an invitation to a ball at the mansion of a Noble named Eldric.

"Where is this place? I think I've seen it somewhere before but…" Shirou mumbled as he saw the mansion's address.

"It's quite far from the city. It will take us half a day to get there if we managed to find a good carriage," Fouquet answered. "Am I wrong to assume that you don't know anything about that prick either?"

Shirou shook his head.

"Well, to start, he's an arm dealer, quite a dirty trader despite being a Noble," the thief started pacing back and forth, her hand under her chin as she spoke. "Of course, not many people are aware of that little secret. Though I know that he, or at least his contacts, were quite famous among assassins and mercenaries."

"Still, you wouldn't call that 'dirty', would you?" Shirou asked. "There are weapon shops everywhere in the city that anyone, even the shady sort, can go in and buy something from."

"True, but the owners of the shops you mentioned have to get a license, which needs to be renewed once a year. And the price for those is rather steep," Fouquet snorted dryly. "Just another form of thievery, really. Even so, they still aren't allowed to sell some of the more 'interesting' kind of enchanted goods."

"So basically, this guy is doing so illegally," Shirou mumbled, wondering just how many nobles there were in Tristain that weren't corrupt in one way or another.

"Exactly, and that isn't even the best part," the thief grinned widely. "There's also a rumour of him selling weapons to the Reconquista. You know, the one rebel group that is laying siege around Albion?"

"What?" Shirou's eyebrow shot up at that piece of news. "Where did you hear that? Do you have any proof?"

"None. And calm down, you're scaring me," Fouquet said. "Like I said. It's just a rumour. How about finding the proof yourself once we get in there?"

"I have no doubt about that," Shirou growled as he stared at the invitation in his hand. Reconquista, the group that was causing Henrietta and her lover so much grief. And that tosser was actually supporting them just for the sake of his wealth. The idea alone make Shirou's blood boil as he thought about it. What did that damned Noble think would happen once Albion fell anyway?

"That's a good attitude," Fouquet chuckled. "Just don't lose sight of our deal. I still haven't revealed your little secret yet, but if you screw up or anything happens to my partner because of you, then there will be hell to pay."

"As long as you keep your end of the deal, I'll keep mine," Shirou said. "When will we start?"

"The time and place is already in your hand," the thief pointed to the invitation. "It's two days from now. However, since the party starts at six in the evening, we would have to meet at five in the morning. I will take care of the transportation. Come to the inn located in the town square at the appointed time and I'll see you there."

"Works for me," Shirou nodded. "What about the action plan?"

"Since I'm familiar with the field this time, I'll give you a briefing on the carriage. Just prepare yourself the best you can. I think we will have to improvise a lot during this rescue."

"Somehow that doesn't assure me," Shirou sighed. "Basically, we will have to sneak in during the ball, improvise a lot, rescue your partner all while finding my proof then get out of there?"

"Hold on," Fouquet raised her hand. "Who said anything about sneaking in?"

"Then what do you suggest? Please don't tell me we're going to use that giant golem of yours…"

"Oh no, we aren't," hearing his words, a grin started to spread on Fouquet's face, sending a chill down Shirou's spine. His eyes then widened as he saw her pulling out from her robe another paper identical to the one he was holding.

"We will walk in through the front gate, as invited guests. And you will be my date for the night, colleague," her grin turned into laughter as she showed Shirou her own invitation letter.

End of Chapter 7

A/N: This chapter is a bit short, but I think it's good to end here. The next chapter is going to feature Eldric's ball and I don't want to split it up. Hope you enjoyed the update :D.