Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Final Fantasy Tactics and am not making any money off of this fanfic (although that would be nice)^^ They are all the property of Square-Enix and I write this for your enjoyment only (and mine too) I hope you like it! ;)

Chapter 1: The Abduction

The sun had just set when the Knights Templar of the Glabados Church returned to Riovanes Castle after finishing their raid on Orbonne Monastery. Their leader, Vormav Tingel, was on business elsewhere so he left his son and second-in-command, Izlude, in charge of searching for the Germonik Scriptures, telling him to do whatever it takes to find them. Unfortunately, the raid had failed to turn up the legendary lost book because one of the knights under Izlude's command had killed Simon Pen Rakshu, the head priest and only person who knew the whereabouts of the book.

Since he and his men could not find the scriptures, Izlude assumed that Ramza Beoulve had probably gotten to them first so he kidnapped the young nobleman's sister, Alma, to take back to Riovanes Castle for questioning and possibly use as a hostage later to get the book back from Ramza if the heretic did have them. Unfortunately for him, the young noblewoman did not let him take her without a fight. As soon as Izlude returned to Riovanes, he left Alma in the custody of one of his knights and went to his room to treat his wounds. As he sat in front of the mirror on his dresser and examined his injuries, a faint smile came to his lips as he remembered the one who had caused them. It wasn't every day that someone managed to get one over him, and one so delicate and frail at that. He closed his eyes as he thought back to that fateful encounter…

SSSSSS

It was the last few moments of the raid on Orbonne Monastery. The raid took less than ten minutes and in that short period of time, the Knights Templar had completely trashed the place, turning it upside-down and inside-out in their desperate search for the Germonik Scriptures and killing anyone who got in their way. Izlude knew that Simon Pen Rakshu, was the most likely person to know the whereabouts of the ancient book but before he could arrest him for questioning, one of his knights had unknowingly killed the head priest.

Not only did Izlude fail to turn up the scriptures, he also had Wiegraf urging him to leave quickly because Ramza was leaving the basement of the monastery and returning to the main floor to confront him for ordering the raid. As Izlude was preparing to leave with his knights, he ran into a well-dressed blonde girl not much younger than he was. He realized that this girl was one of the last people seen with Simon and hoped that she might know the whereabouts of the scriptures so he decided to take her back to Riovanes Castle for questioning.

Despite all the heavy fighting around him, he couldn't help noticing how lovely the girl was with her long honey-colored hair that she wore tied back in a ponytail with a red silk ribbon and the fine, delicate features of her face as well as her sparkling sapphire blue eyes. He was awed at the young woman's beauty and it would have been love at first sight except for the fact that he had to subdue her and take her back to Riovanes for his superiors.

As he approached her, he sheathed his sword and made a beckoning gesture. "Come with me." He told her calmly "There are some questions I need to ask you. Just come quietly and I won't hurt you."

"Like hell you won't!" the girl shouted. "Why should I trust you? For all I know, you might use me as a hostage to get to my brother and kill me later when I am no longer of any use to you!"

Izlude was taken aback at the girl's defiance and fearlessness; since it seemed unlikely that she would leave quietly and willingly with him, he had no choice but to take her by force. He quickly charged forward and grabbed the girl by her arms in an attempt to sling her over his shoulder and carry her off but wasn't prepared for her dramatic reaction.

He had expected the girl to resist by trying to push him away or pull back like other girls normally would but what he got instead caught him completely off guard. When he grabbed her, she struggled with all her strength, managing to free one of her hands and strike him across the face. The unexpected blow stunned him for a moment, long enough for her to free her other hand and strike him again in her attempt to escape.

"Let go of me!" she screamed. "I'm not going anywhere with you!" Izlude quickly grabbed her again before she could run away, but she struggled more fiercely than ever.

"Miss, please calm down!" he cried. "I swear I won't hurt you! Just come quietly!" He knew he was just wasting his breath because there was no way she was going to leave without a struggle. When he saw the defiant expression on her face, he knew what he had to do. Returning her vicious glare, he snarled:

"Fine, Miss. If you want to do this the hard way, so be it!" He tried again to capture her but she continued to fight back. All his knightly training did not prepare him for this; the blonde girl punched and scratched his face and neck with her long fingernails, drawing blood and barely missing one of his eyes. She also pulled his hair and bit him when his neck came within her reach. She may have appeared delicate and frail on the surface but her actions seemed to suggest otherwise; By God, the girl was as strong as a wild mare!

Although the girl was unarmed, she was still able to injure him in very unpleasant ways. Since the other knights had their hands full, he had to subdue her alone and barley succeeded. He had already sustained a good number of face and neck injuries by the time he managed to knock her out. By then, he was also pretty much exhausted so leaving the rest to Wiegraf, Izlude left Orbonne Monastery and headed back to Riovanes Castle. As soon as he returned, he left the girl under the custody of his knights while he went back to his room to examine and treat his injuries.

SSSSSS

Izlude winced in pain as he dabbed a piece of cloth moist with some healing potion on one of his facial wounds. Although none of his injuries were serious, it was possible that a gash on his cheek was deep enough to leave a scar; his scalp also ached from having his hair pulled. Despite all the trouble the girl had caused him, Izlude still could not bring himself to despise her. In fact, he admired her bravery and fiery spirit as well as beauty. Realizing that he had taken an interest in her even though they had just met a few hours ago, he decided to see her again after he finished patching himself up.

Later that evening, Izlude went down to the dungeons of Riovanes Castle to see the young girl he had kidnapped earlier. As he approached the cell where she was being kept, he was greeted by a single guardsman assigned to watch her. When Izlude stepped into the light, the guardsman noticed the healing welts, gashes, bruises, and bite marks on his face and neck and his eyes widened.

"Sir Izlude!" he gasped. "What on God's earth happened to you? Did you get into a fight with a wild animal or something?" The knight blade smiled bitterly.

"Yeah, I guess you can say that." He replied with a bitter laugh. "Anyway, where's the girl I took from Orbonne earlier?"

"She's in here chained to the wall. I'd be careful if I were you, sir. Even though she's restrained, don't get too close, she's pretty unpredictable. She nearly bit off the ear of one of the guards before we could restrain her."

I'm not surprised, Izlude thought. But instead of voicing his thoughts, he simply said "Don't worry, I'll be careful." And with that, he opened the door to the cell and went in, closing it behind him.

The cell was dimly lit with only two torches on the wall for light. Izlude found the blond girl he took from Orbonne Monastery sitting on the floor, dozing, her wrists chained to the wall. Her dress was dirty and torn in many places and her hair was mussed, most of it sticking outside of her ponytail. After making sure he was a safe distance away from her, he cleared his throat to catch her attention.

"Excuse me, Miss." The girl looked up and when she saw him, her eyes widened. Even in this dim light, she could still recognize him as the man who abducted her.

"You!" she cried. "You're the one who brought me here! What do you want from me now? Are you her to gloat over my predicament?" The young knight shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I really didn't want to have to use force but you left me no choice. It was nothing personal; I hope you understand."

The young girl laughed bitterly. "Understand?! You kidnap me, lock me up in a dungeon, and now you're asking me to understand?! You've got some nerve, Mister!"

Despite himself, Izlude grew angry. He came here to see if she was all right despite what happened between them and she mocked him for his trouble. He didn't have to take this! He could just leave her here and let the guards do what they wanted with her!

Breathing in deeply and calming himself, he continued slowly. "In spite of what you think, Miss, I am not here to 'gloat over your predicament' as you say. I came to check up on you and maybe offer you something to eat and a more comfortable place to stay."

The girl stared at him, puzzled. "And why would you do that?" she asked, not mockingly, but curiously.

"Because you are not my prisoner, but my guest. I do have some questions for you but I also want you to be comfortable during your stay here at Riovanes. So do you accept my offer? Or would you prefer to spend the rest of your stay in this filthy dungeon?"

The girl was surprised at his politeness and offer even though he had brought her here against her will. She didn't know why, but deep down, she had the feeling that the knight was genuine in his desire to help her. When he stepped into the light she got a closer look at him and noticed for the first time how attractive he was with his dark hair, handsome face, and muscular physique. Looking the knight in the face and managing a polite smile, she said:

"All right."

Izlude smiled. "I'm glad to hear that Miss… I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Alma" the girl answered. "Alma Beoulve." Izlude raised an eyebrow.

"Alma Beoulve? As in Ramza Beoulve?"

"Yes. Ramza is my older brother, as are Dycedarg and Zalbag Beoulve."

I understand now, he thought, back at the monastery, she mentioned being used as a hostage to get to her brother but I never thought that brother would be Ramza Beoulve.

"Well then, I guess I shouldn't keep a noblewoman such as yourself locked up in here. Wait here for a minute. I'll have someone escort you to your room, serve you dinner, and get you some new clothes. After you're refreshed, we can talk."

"New clothes?" Alma was puzzled at first but when she looked down and saw her torn and dirty dress, she blushed and giggled softly. "Oh, I see. Well, thank you Mister…"

"Izlude Tingel, knight blade at your service."

"Right. Thank you, Izlude."

"You're welcome. Just wait here." And with that, he left her and went outside. When the guard saw him, he asked:

"So did you get any information out of the prisoner, sir?"

"Not yet."

"If she won't talk, we can always torture her."

"No, that won't be necessary." Izlude replied. "I really don't think she knows anything, but if she does, I will find a more effective way to make her talk."

"Really? How so?"

"It's not your concern." Izlude said irritably, annoyed that the guardsman was starting to pry. "I'm sending a maid to escort her to her room and serve her dinner. As long as she's here, she is my guest and will be treated as such. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

Soon after Izlude had left, he sent a young maid to escort Alma to her room and serve her dinner. When she arrived at her chambers, she marveled at the room's beauty. There was a large bed with soft satin sheets that matched the window curtains as well as exquisitely carved wooden tables and drawers. There was also a bathroom with running water, much to her amazement. Back home, even at Igros Castle, she still had to draw water from the well for a bath. There was a plate of food on one of the tables along with a glass of fine wine and a new dress on her bed. After escorting her to her chambers, the maid filled the tub with hot water for Alma's bath. Before she left, she told the young noblewoman to eat her dinner first while waiting for the water to cool down. After that, she made a courteous bow to Alma and left. When the scent of the meal caught her attention, Alma realized for the first time how hungry she was; she hadn't had anything to eat since she was taken from Orbonne; the raid began just before the monastery inhabitants was to have lunch.

As Alma ate her dinner of roasted pheasant, bread, and vegetables and sipped on her wine, she wondered why the mysterious knight blade who abducted her was being so courteous to her now. Then a thought came to her as she remembered why the Knights Templar had raided the monastery in the first place. That's right, she thought, they came for the Germonik Scriptures and when they couldn't find them, Izlude kidnapped me because he thinks I know where they are! If it was possible, she would have tried to escape but unfortunately, there was no way out of the castle. There were guards around every corner and she could not climb out of the windows either because her room was on the highest floor of the castle. All she could do now is eat, bathe, and get dressed.

After she had finished eating, Alma hid the holy stone Ramza had given her under the bed before taking off her torn and dirty dress and took a bath. As she slowly plunged into the warm water, she sighed with relief. After such an eventful day, the water felt wonderful against her bare skin and she took her time lathering herself with soap to wash off the grim from her struggle with Izlude and brief stay in the dungeon. As Alma leaned back to relax, her thoughts wondered back to the dark-haired knight. He said he wanted to ask her some questions; no doubt they had something to do with the scriptures. But why go through the trouble of providing her with a comfortable room, clothes, and food? Not that she minded as she had no desire to stay in the castle dungeon for God knows how long. But if the scriptures were the only thing Izlude cared about, he could have had her starved or tortured. No, there must be another reason for his hospitality where Alma was concerned. After all, she doubted many prisoners got this kind of generous treatment. Unfortunately, the only person who knew the answer to that was Izlude himself.

Since she could not leave the castle until she answered his questions, Alma relaxed in her room after getting dressed and sat on her bed as she combed her wet hair while waiting for the knight blade to arrive. She didn't have to wait long. Not long after she finished combing her hair, she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Alma called. The door opened and Izlude walked into the room wearing a plain white shirt and brown leather pants. All of his wounds were healed except for the light scar on his right cheek from a gash that she made earlier. Making a formal bow to her, he smiled pleasantly and greeted her in a gentlemanly fashion.

"Good Evening, Miss Beoulve."

"You can forget the pleasantries." Alma snapped. "I know why you've brought me here and I know what you're after. And if you want the truth, I don't have the Germonik Scriptures."

"I know you don't have them" the knight replied smoothly. "But you must know who does and where I can find him." Alma glared at Izlude defiantly. She truly didn't know the whereabouts of the ancient book but she had a feeling that if anyone had found it by now, it would be Ramza and she wasn't about to betray him to this bastard, no matter how charming he was.

"Then you've just wasted your time because I haven't the slightest idea who has them either." She replied with her arms crossed, trying to imitate his coolness. She was not telling the whole truth and they both knew it. Izlude can tell the Beoulve girl wasn't used to lying and therefore wasn't really good at it. The fact that she turned her head and looked in another direction while telling him that was a dead giveaway. Her naiveté amused him to no end. Was she so clueless that she didn't know her life was in his hands? Though it was not something he would normally do, Izlude decided to humor her and play along for now.

"Are you sure?" he asked "I know you've lead a pretty sheltered life but the Beoulves are still well educated. As naive as you may be, I'm pretty sure you aren't THAT clueless."

"And just what do you mean by that, sir?"

"I mean I think you have an idea of who has the scriptures even if you're not sure. Hell, even I can figure it out. It's most likely to be your brother, Ramza, isn't it? After all, my men and I left no stone unturned before we left. And if they were at the monastery, I'm sure Wiegref would have found them by now and so far, I still haven't heard from him." Izlude knew he was making progress when he saw Alma's look of false confidence start to waver. But instead of answering his question, she gave him one of her own.

"If you think you already know who has the book, why bother to question me? I honestly don't know for sure and you can be wrong. Has the thought ever occurred to you that the scriptures might have been unknowingly destroyed in the raid? Your men were quite reckless. If that is the case, then holding me hostage would pointless."

As much as he hated to admit it, there was some logic in what Alma said; her reply seemed to confirm his suspicion that her guess was as good as his. But that didn't mean that there was no value in holding her. If his suspicion about the scriptures being in Ramza's possession was correct, then Alma would be useful as a hostage after all. He had also taken a liking to her and preferred to keep her out of the dungeon and near his own quarters where he could watch her.

"You may be right" Izlude replied "But if I were you, I'd keep my opinion to myself. My superiors are not as generous as I. If they believe there is no value in holding you, they would very likely have you disposed of. For your sake, I hope your brother does have the scriptures."

Alma shuddered as she realized that Izlude was right. "I see… then what will you do, keep me here until you find out?"

"Yes. And if you don't mind my saying so, I think you are far too lovely to do away with." His expression softened as he said this which surprised Alma. Of course, he wasn't the first man to tell her he found her attractive but to hear an enemy praise her beauty and treat her like an honored guest instead of a prisoner was definitely not what she expected when she was brought here.

"Th…thank you… you're not so bad-looking yourself." As soon as those words left her mouth, Alma mentally kicked herself. Of all the things to say! Though she was well-educated and well-mannered as Izlude had surmised, she still had a lot to learn when interacting with men. "Sorry" she apologized "I didn't mean it that way. It's just been a long day for me, that's all. And I don't speak to many men aside from my brothers, priests, and monks."

Izlude could not help but smile. The Beoulve girl may be stubborn but at least she was honest, another quality he liked in a woman. "It's all right" he said as he turned around and made for the door. Before opening it to leave, he turned his head to look back at Alma "I must take leave of you now, my lady, as it is getting late; I will see you again tomorrow. You may be here for a while so try to think of Riovanes as your second home. I have some duties to attend to but if you need anything, my servants will attend you. However, do not even think of trying to escape. You are safe in my care but if you go beyond the boundaries of Riovanes, I cannot protect you."

Alma managed a curtsy, something she hadn't done in a while "I understand, Sir Izlude. Good night and thank you for your hospitality."

"You're welcome. Good night, my lady."

A/N: So what do you think? It's been a long time since I wrote an FFT fic. I have fond memories of playing it as a teenager back in the 90s; personally, I think it's the best FF game ever so enjoy and please review! ;)