Hello. I'm a newbie writer for Vesperia. I wrote this fic because I got inspired about a certain character, namely, Sodia. Most people would hate her for being a total biatch, but for me, she had her reasons as to why she had done such actions. Just try imagining yourself in her shoes, and you will really get what I mean. :3

Just some notes before we start:

First off, I have yet to play Tales of Vesperia, but not to worry. I've painstakingly watched the video of the whole game, so yes, I know the spoilers and all those. I hope that would be enough to compensate for my lack of play. I did my research, however.

If there are any mistakes in this fic, please do not hesitate to tell me politely. Do not bash me for it though.

Second, I gave Sodia a last name and the explanation as to why I chose it would be revealed in the story. XD

Third, this fanfiction takes place before the start of the game and after First Strike. I've been interested with Sodia's past and so, a friend of mine sent me the scanlated manga of Flynn's story. When it was mentioned that Sodia was part of the nobility, it made me more curious of her family background.

Hence, I came up with this. By the way, this fic has very heavily implications of Flynn x Sodia, because I love this pairing. 8D

Warning: There's a bit of drinking on this fic. However, both are of legal age, so it's perfectly safe for them to drink alcoholic beverages. :3

Without further ado, please enjoy! :3

Dedicated to LaZyEnErGeTiC. Thank you for introducing me to Tales of Vesperia and to wonderful, chever pairing of Flynn x Sodia. :D Love you lots, shobe/imouto!

Chevalier

As a noble of the Empire, Sodia Fortescue's duty was to simply get married and have children. It was easy, considering that her background was more than enough to woo a potential suitor. A daughter of a marquess, her family title said it all, and it was an advantage that she had over the other daughters of nobles who were presented at court when they all reached the age of twelve. At the young age of six, mathematics, philosophy, the arts and sciences had been drilled into her head by her tutors, while her governesses taught her as to how she would act as a proper daughter of Marquess Fortescue. Meanwhile, her sword master taught her how to defend herself, though it became more of a pastime for her when they were done.

All of these things, she did perfectly.

However, ever since she had been presented to court twice, Sodia have had not any prospects. At the age of fourteen, she had no suitor. She intimidated every male noble, for she was smarter than your average female, and she proved it so when she had engaged in a conversation with the son of an earl. Not only did she make a fool out of him with her witty remarks, but also she had shown it straight to his face that she was smarter than he was.

Of course, men hated it whenever a female showed that they smarter.

Rumors spread, and that led to her being ostracized and ignored by the men.

While everyone was dancing in the imperial palace ballroom, she stood by the refreshment stand, drinking punch all by herself.

She needed to find a husband soon.

Her shelf life was only until six years from now, for once a woman hits the age of twenty, she was set to become a spinster. Though she had plenty of time to catch a suitor, she found court life boring, as well as the aftermath that would follow.

She simply did not want to be a wife to someone.

She knew she can do more than produce heirs for the empire.

Minus her intelligence, she was beautiful enough for any greedy man who wanted to show off the fact that he could marry a daughter of a marquess. She had dark brown hair that reached past her shoulders and resting just below her shoulder blades. Her piercing amethyst colored eyes was of unique coloring. While everyone had green, blue or brown-colored irises, she stood out among the nobles with her eyes that could either cast a chilly glare at the offender or flash warm violet at her potential suitors. A mole could be seen just near the corner of her left eye.

When she reached her sixteenth birthday, her father had summoned her to his study.

"Sodia, what is the matter? Four years and still no proposal?"

She did not have the heart to tell her father that no man would think of marrying someone who was smarter than they were. Instead, she changed the subject by saying, "Father, I would like to join the Imperial Knights."

This came quite a shock for her still young father in his early forties. Most females did not want to join the Knights, for they consider it unfeminine, but some had no choice. Each noble family was to send off one of their children to the Army 'for the glory of the Empire' for a period of two years. There was no such thing as an 'exception' for the women who were an only child in the family. Sodia was his only daughter, and while she had an older brother currently serving the Imperial Knights for the mandatory service, it was unheard of for a female to volunteer herself, much more if she were a daughter of a marquess whose family line did not have the blood of military ancestors.

"Why the sudden interest in the military?" he asked her.

"… I want to prove to myself that I am not like them…" she said, though it was more to herself. The Marquess simply raised an eyebrow at this, but did not comment. True, his daughter was stubborn and strong-willed, and it was not the first time that she was very vocal about become a Knight. At a young age, she had expressed interest in joining, but her older brother had told her that she did not have to do such. After all, she was female, and it was better if his sister would not be exposed to the dangers of the outside world.

But now, there was no older brother to stop her.

Sodia usually gets what she wants, and this time, her father was unable to deter her.

A week after her proposition, she had packed her bags and headed off to the Imperial Academy for Knights.

As part of the Knights-in-training, Sodia wasn't spared from the hard labor, despite being a noble. Her long hair was cut off up to her nape, and while the barber had wanted it all to short, she had requested that the right side of her hair, a portion of it in particular, was to be left alone for her to braid on. That part of her hair would at least remind her that she was female. While there were females in the Imperial Knights, they only make up a minority, around five percent to be exact, while the men dominated the number. In her platoon alone, she was the only female.

It did not bother her in the least that she was the only hint of estrogen in the sixty-member force, though she found it hilarious that she was more of a man than all of them combined. Because the majority of the Army were from the nobility, most of the men who had joined have led pampered lives and were not able to adjust to military life as fast as Sodia did. Not only did she outwit them, but also outranked them all after four years of proving herself. From a mere cadet, she rose through the ranks, and when it was time for them to graduate the academy, she had attained the rank of second lieutenant. In addition, she was only a girl of eighteen years, and she bested most of her fellow cadets.

From a noble woman, Sodia became one of the few female Imperial Knights. Her views have changed as well: from her very shallow and naïve insights, it became broader. Despite traveling only a few days under Cumore's brigade, she finally found her purpose for now, and that was to serve the empire as best as she could. True, the throne was empty right now, but her country needed her help.

She strived to do her best to assist the citizens and be the best example of what a Knight should be. Unfortunately, it would be hard to accomplish on her part. In the capital alone, those who resided from the Lower Quarters are wary of the Knights, and as much as she wanted to volunteer to assist them, Sodia would find out that someone got ahead of her.

Before she could even make it there, she would always spot that familiar blond knight chatting casually with an old man. His frame was familiar to her, for she would always catch a glimpse of him whenever his back was turned at her direction. Frankly, she had never seen his face before, not even in the Academy and suddenly, she wondered if he was of noble lineage who simply continued his mandatory military service.

Whoever he is, he is accepted by the commoners…

In Sodia's mind, he was the finest example of a knight that she had ever seen. He was approachable, and the commoners took a liking to him.

Somehow, in her mind, he became some sort of model for her.

She vowed to strive as hard as he did.

A few days later, Sodia could hardly believe what she had just heard.

The blond knight whom she saw hanging out with the commoners was indeed a commoner.

She could let that pass, yes, but what followed that information made her feel as if someone had punched her gut.

Him, that Flynn Scifo, a commoner, was to have his own brigade. He had just made it to Captain, after the Commandant found him worthy of the rank for his efforts in keeping peace in the name of the Empire, while she, a noble, became his second-in-command and was promoted to first lieutenant.

For once in her life, she felt so angry at herself.

How could she let herself be bested by a mere commoner who was a nobody until now?!

How could someone like him beat her?!

Why, her blood was bluer that he could ever hope to achieve, and her background was certainly far more superior than he could ever wish for in his lifetime. No amount of bestowing ranks and titles to a commoner can ever surpass someone who descended from a noble lineage since time immemorial.

Some common lowlife bested her, a daughter of a marquess, and she did not find it amusing at all.

Someone must have thought it was a joke to make a commoner into her captain.

It had to be, but unfortunately, the punch line of the joke never came.

After the ceremony, Scifo suddenly walked towards her direction and flashed a smile, something that irked her. "So you are Sodia Fortescue… I hope we can work well together."

Oh, shut up. "I hope so too." She said blandly, bitterness evident in her tone. Fortunately, Flynn did not notice it.

"I have heard of you. Daughter of a marquess, you entered the Academy because you prefer to serve the empire." He continued, not noticing the way she was glaring at him with her amethyst eyes. Somehow, this self-righteous bastard was making her sick, and if he didn't shut up right now…

Before he could utter another word, she raised a finger and pressed it against his lips.

Bad move.

To her surprise, she could feel her face heating up. She wore no gauntlet right now, and the feeling of his lips against her skin was some foreign and weird. Most especially if it was done to someone of the opposite sex. Such intimacy was shared only between close friends and loved ones.

Flynn blinked at her.

Sodia withdrew her finger immediately and looked away, trying to hide her cheeks that was slowly turning red.

What was she thinking?!

"Anyways, I hope we get along and get things done."

He sounded as if it was nothing.

Sodia let out a sigh of relief inwardly. At least he didn't pick on her all of a sudden.

"Agreed." was all she could say.

Her heart was pounding madly against her chest, for some odd reason. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she tried to calm herself down but failed to do so. Against her wishes, she was hoping for something more after that embarrassing event with Scifo, but she had no idea what it was as of the moment.

Maybe she'll figure it out in a while.

Sodia nodded at him and excused herself, heading for the female quarters.

She needed time to think.

Truth to be told, Flynn Scifo nearly blushed when she pressed her finger against his lips. It was something that he did not expect, nor was he anticipating. He tried to make small talk, and it ended up in that manner.

Of course he wanted to talk to his now second-in-command. Superiors and their subordinates need to have a harmonious, working relationship to ensure that the brigade wouldn't fall apart just because they couldn't get along. Unfortunately for him, things got too awkward in the end and Sodia ended up leaving.

As much as he wanted to keep telling himself that he simply wanted to engage in small chat with her, Flynn knew it wasn't the case.

Him and the skies above knew how much he had been itching to talk to her ever since, well, ever since he had caught a glimpse of her working harder than everyone else during training. While most of her male platoon mates looked like they would rather be somewhere else as they did their tasks half-heartedly, she looked eager, even willing to do all the tasks, even if it meant crawling in the mud and accidentally eating dirt in the process.

… He never knew such a woman existed, more so a noble woman who willingly volunteered to enter military service.

Of course, he did not know she was a noble at first.

It was only when his platoon mate mentioned it.

"Sodia Fortescue." Someone nodded in the direction of a brown-haired young woman who was walking towards a long table in the mess hall.

"Who?" Flynn asked once again.

"Oh yeah, you don't know." The person repeated the name and pointed at her direction, who was now sitting beside a fellow cadet and was in the process of eating her meal. "She's a daughter of the marquess. She was supposed to have been married off, but somehow, she found her way to the Imperial Army."

"Is that so…" the blonde knight said, trying not to sound so interested.

Fortunately, it worked.

"Most of the nobility marry early, most especially the women. As soon as they are presented in court, they can start the courting process and, if all goes well, the engagement."

"W-what? That early?!"

His fellow knight shrugged. "Nothing unusual, considering that it is their duty to produce an heir."

He figured that such a lifestyle was too boring for her that she considered entering the army.

He was very impressed.

But of course, he has no intention of letting her know of this.

That would be his secret.

After spending half the day in her quarters and finally clearing her head from all the confusion, she began to wander around the barracks to take her usual evening stroll. Now that she was lieutenant, she had much more freedom to go around and do whatever she pleased, as long as she was back to her room before lights out. Dressed in an oversized shirt and shorts that reached mid-calf, Sodia had already a destination in mind until she reached the gates leading to the Noble Quarters.

Flynn Scifo was heading in until he spotted her.

"There you are. I was just about to head to your quarters."

She blinked in confusion. Huh?

"I was thinking of having a small celebration with you, since we'll be working together from now on." He explained, seeing her purple eyes glinting in confusion. "It's like a bonding session of sorts."

Suddenly, she wanted to back out.

Those 'bonding sessions' with her fellow cadets way back still gave her nightmares. Because she was the only girl, she was forced to put up with their silly antics as soon as the liquor took its effect. More often than not, they usually thrashed the pub with their rowdiness and the whole platoon would share the burden of paying for the damages caused by their idiocy.

"Uh… where will we be going?"

"Just the local pub."

She shuddered inwardly. "I-I think I'll pass. No offense, Captain." She added hastily.

"Not up for some drinking?" he raised an eyebrow at this, thoroughly confused and bewildered at her hesitancy.

"I-it's not that."

How would she be able to explain…?

"… Let's just say I'm not so fond of drinking." In came the flashback of her fellow cadets painting their stomachs and doing some tummy exercises while they were dead drunk and she was unable to go because of fear of 'abandonment'. After all, it was always 'one for all and all for one'.

Oh, the horror.

"No matter. The pub we'll be going to doesn't really cater to drinking. It's more on the food." He informed her. "Let's get going, or we won't be able to get a table."

Before she could voice out another complain, he placed a hand on her shoulder and stared into her eyes.

Heavens above, she needed help.

"You can go back early if you like, but I insist on this." Flynn told her. "Once we get dispatched, who knows when we'll be able to have some time off. Also, we need to know each other a bit before we can work together. That way, we can work out the differences that we may have to lessen the friction."

He did have a point but still, she hesitated. She wouldn't want to experience yet another disaster with drunks and their painted bellies. Her whole time with the squad was enough to last her a lifetime.

"If you insist, Captain."

He brought her to an izakaya [1].

Located in the Lower Quarters, for heaven's sake!

She started panicking as soon as she saw the sign outside the establishment but when Sodia had stepped inside, the noble was suddenly thankful that the place was unlike any other izakaya she had been to with her platoon. It was clean, the customers were not screaming nor were in the process of getting drunk and most of all, the ambiance suited her.

"The food here is great, as well as the drinks." He helped himself to get the menu and proceeded to sit down at a table near the counter. Flynn then proceeded to shout his order at the owner, who greeted him as if they have known each other their whole lives.

"And for your lady friend?" the owner smiled at her.

"U-umm… takoyaki [2]. A-and… just Orange Chuhai [3]." She said. At least her beverage wasn't that alcoholic, for it would be diluted with carbonated water and orange.

"Go all out. This one's on me." He informed her with a smile.

She couldn't help but blush this time.

"I'll keep that in mind, sir." She lowered her gaze to the table.

He nodded at her, and as soon as their drinks were served (Flynn has his usual beer), he took a sip and set it down the table. "What made you join the Imperial Knights?"

What the heck.

Was this a question and answer portion now?!

As much as she wanted to tell him that it was none of his damn business, Sodia knew she would come across as rude, and her pride as a noble was preventing her from doing such. A noble did not act like such; it would surely mean that she was uncouth, and her governess would frown if they knew that she acted very unladylike. Thus, she was forced to answer his inquiry.

"I want to serve the empire in the best way possible. I simply don't want to marry and produce an heir." she said in the most direct way possible. After all, this was the simple truth as to why she joined the ranks. "It is meaningless if I produce one child after another just to continue my husband's line and the titles that go with it."

"I… see." Sodia knew that Scifo could never comprehend the life of the nobility. Bloodlines and family alliances were an essential part of their existence for them to carry on the titles, the wealth and the family name to the next generation. Commoners wouldn't be able to comprehend such unless they studied the nobility extensively.

"Do you find it strange, Captain?"

He shook his head. "I've heard of it before from a member of the platoon I used to belong to."

Ah, so he was aware. "You must think of me as unladylike and uncommon."

"Not at all." As a server was laying the food down the table, Flynn took one of the many slices of the okonomiyaki [4] he had ordered and placed it on his plate. "I find it refreshing."

Sodia thought that he was mocking her, but his cool blue eyes said otherwise. It was sincere, serious and understanding. Almost as if he knew what she was feeling towards her decision that had been frowned upon by many of her peers.

As he took a bite of his food, she sighed and sipped on her drink as well, trying to clear her mind.

Flynn Scifo sure knew how to throw her off-track with his comments.

When her order came, both were quiet as they began to fill their stomachs with their dinner while occasionally taking sips from their hard drinks. While the young noble was finished with her takoyaki, the lull in the atmosphere made it a bit unbearable for her. Gathering up some courage, the lieutenant knew that it was her turn to do the questioning.

"Why did you join the Knights, Captain?" she asked. When the blond man looked up, she blinked and looked away. "If you don't mind me asking, that is…"

He swallowed before answering. "… My friend and I wanted to change the empire."

With that simply answer, Sodia Fortescue's outlook on her Captain drastically changed.

All night long, they talked about their goals in life. The captain had told her of his life story, which surprised her greatly, considering the fact that they have just met, but Flynn had assured her that when she had given him the answer to his inquiry earlier, it was enough for him to lay his trust upon her.

They were the same, he told her. They both had the same ideals and goals, which was to change the empire from within through their duties as Knights. Both loved the empire to the point that they had sacrificed a part of their life to make it happen, with Sodia sacrificing her noble status and eligibility to marry while Flynn sacrificed being separated from his 'family' in the Lower Quarters.

At this, Sodia knew her respect for the man was growing as she listened to him more. All of her hatred towards him for besting her quickly disappeared. Jealousy does rear its ugly head at the worst possible time, and somehow, she regretted treating him so coldly.

In the course of their second serving of food and drinks, he told her of his childhood, the living conditions and his way of life.

As Sodia listened to it, she suddenly felt guilt. While she lived a pampered life in the Noble Quarters, the Captain struggled every single day of his life until he made it to the Imperial Knights as a cadet. Seeing her solemn face, he grinned at her. "It wasn't that bad, Sodia. I had a friend to help me out."

"A friend?" Now that was interesting.

"Yes. Unfortunately, he quit as a cadet after a few months." He shook his head. "Until now, I do not know his reason for doing so, but fortunately, he and I are still… civil to one another."

She was thankful for that. "That's good to hear."

He nodded. "If there's anyone I can rely on, it's him."

Upon hearing this, Fortescue made a promise to herself.

Someday, she would become the person whom Captain relied on so much.

Whoever he was, she wanted to be like him. He had the Captain's full trust, and she wanted it as well.

She wanted the Captain to rely on her.

It was illogical, she had to admit, that she was seriously bending over backwards just to make her former target of hatred like her. It was illogical, yes, but somehow, he had managed to convince her to change her opinion of him. From an 'unfit commoner', Flynn immediately skipped to 'people who are deserving of my respect', which somehow made her chuckle as she thought about it.

It was Flynn Scifo, of all people, who did the seemingly impossible feat.

The next morning, after waking up with a slight hangover from yesterday's 'bonding session' with the captain, Sodia still smiled despite the pain.

Today was the first day they will be working together, and she was ready to go.

Sodia Fortescue, reporting for duty, Captain.

She was dressed in a new uniform that day, as part of her promotion. She wore an oversized brown long-sleeved shirt that reached the middle of her thighs. As not to let it hinder her movements, the female soldier wore long black shorts. Sodia sighed as soon as she saw the turquoise and sapphire-colored skirt, and while she preferred wearing pants, the woman knew that she could not have it replaced anymore.

A matching sleeveless top came with it and right after she put it on, next came the gauntlets and the shoulder armor. Next were her thigh high brown boots that she had attached to the ends of her brown shirt using a brown-colored garter. Metal boots protected her calves.

Finally, she took the sword from her dresser and attached it to her left hip.

Before she left her room, she did her trademark braid on the right side of her head and ran off, smiling to herself.

Heavens help her, she was actually excited about it.

As she made her way to the barracks that morning in her full armor, she headed off to the field where Flynn was to assemble the brigade for the first time. Today would be the day when the Flynn Brigade would finally set off from the Capital for their first mission. Despite having set foot outside the Capital, she was still nervous. Without the safety of the blastia, there were to wander off to dangerous territories, probably even to places that have yet to be explored.

No matter. We'll be fine. I'll have to protect the brigade.

When she saw some of the soldiers that had been assigned to their brigade, Sodia went over to them. "Gather around and stand in attention until the Captain gets here!"

Dumbfounded, they stared at her. "Ma'am, you're not the Captain?"

"No. Do not ask absurd questions and stand around!"

"… We're not taking any orders from a commoner."

She threw a frosty glance at the poor soldier, who was now cowering in fear. "What did you just say…?"

"N-nothing."

Despite her short stature, the young woman was strong enough to hold the man by the visible collar under his armor and firmly gripped on his neck, but not strong enough to choke him. "Regardless of your status in society, everyone will respect each other in this brigade…" she hissed. "Anyone whom I catch insulting the Captain or a fellow soldier will be punished accordingly. Repeat that mistake again, and I will make sure that you will never be able to hold a sword again. Do you understand me?"

He managed a choked reply.

"Good." With that, she threw him aside and dusted off the skirt that she was forced to wear along with her uniform.

Once more, she cleared her throat and screamed her orders. As soon as she had uttered them, all the soldiers ran as fast as they could to their respective places.

'… This will take some time. All of the soldiers in his brigade are of noble blood.'

Before she could formulate a plan to at least bridge the gap between the all-noble brigade and the commoner captain, she spotted him running towards them, face all flushed. Judging by his swagger, he was suffering from a hangover.

'Well, he DID drink six huge mugs…'

"Sodia, you've… formed the brigade." He said as soon as he went over to where she was standing, surprise evident in his tone. "Thank you. I apologize for being late."

"No worries. I… needed to talk some sense into them."

"Meaning?"

"If you must know, Captain, the brigade is composed of nobility. I'm not so happy to say this but… you're the odd one out in the brigade." She told him. "Right before you came, someone had already insulted you. I had to do something about it. But please don't worry about it."

He suddenly felt silent, and at this, she suddenly panicked. "Please, don't concern yourself with this. I'll settle the matter with them. Among them, I am the highest ranked noble. Surely, they will listen to me."

"Are you very sure?"

"Yes!" she saluted at him. "My family name will not fail you."

"Alright then. I'll leave that to you." He nodded at her. "For now, we must get down to business."

As he began to introduce himself to the brigade, she began to formulate a plan that would at least ease the tension between the major social class and the lone lower class, though she was unsuccessful. Her mind kept flashing back to her promise to him that she would not fail him because of her family name.

Flynn Scifo must have thought that her family name would meant that she would be able to let everyone know of her rank, status and bloodline.

Sodia Fortescue actually meant for it as a double meaning statement. Yes, her family name usually induced fear and commanded respect from their fellow nobles, but the real meaning of her family name was what she actually meant.

Fortescue.

Strong shield.

She will be his strong shield against her fellow nobles. Even if it meant betraying them, she would not falter. Her loyalty was to the empire above all else, and to the man whom she was starting to have a deep respect for.

She would protect him from anything.

She would do anything to keep him from being corrupted.

Even if she had to dirty her hands just to keep him safe and incorruptible.

End notes:

[1] izakaya - I'm not sure if such a thing exists in the Vesperia universe, but I simply couldn't resist it. It's the perfect setting for friends to dine in and eat and drink to their hearts' content. By the way, an izakaya is a Japanese establishment that caters those who like to have some food on the side as they drink their alcoholic drinks.

[2] takoyaki - octopus fried in batter.

[3] Orange Chuhai - alcoholic drink that is flavored. It's a recommended drink for those who have a low tolerance for alcohol.

[4] okonomiyaki - Japanese pancake. Usually cooked with cabbage and meat. The ingredients in the okonomiyaki varies from every region.

And... that's about it, I guess. Comments, please? I know it sucked badly because I have yet to play the game but please be a bit gentle on the comments. D8