Now hear me out! I've told a couple friends about this pairing and they've all said the same thing: "Aren't they both married/in relationships?" You have to read it but it's all explained. I was never a huge fan of Beatrix (although I have seen worst FF characters I'm looking at you, Rinoa!) but I am a huge fan of Amarant (for those of you out there who have read any of my other works) so I feel kind of bad breaking his character. But I guess that won't come in until later.
Speaking of later; it was hilarious! I had my husband pre-read this chapter but told him to stop at the line (I have a line for a chapter break in my notebook) and he said "Why? Is that where the porn starts?" Oh, come on! You think it would take one chapter for Steiner to get his leg over Lani? ...It takes more like 4 or 5 chapters... But it will be coming, thus the M rating... Assuming I actually get off my ass and write it without being hit by a wave of self-consciousness and chickening out like I always do... But I digress... Enjoy!
Steiner dragged his feet, grudgingly following one of his underlings who tittered away about one of their prison guests. None of them would know how this day was particularly special to their Captain and how all he wanted was to crawl into bed and wonder how even after all these years he could not escape his memories. But they did expect him to be their Captain and hold his head high and work his way through whatever emotional turmoils he may encounter. He certainly would not have issue with that but why was he suddenly required to deal with this random prisoner? If they were trying to escape, then he would hunt them down and throw them back into the dungeon as they would deserve. But the only information he was getting was that they were 'particularly feisty' and claimed they know him. Lots of people would claim anything if it meant it could maybe get them out of trouble, so he did not give their report much credence.
As they entered the dungeon, he rolled his eyes. Another one of his Knights of Pluto was already talking to the captive in question. "You fools," He scolded, approaching the cell, "Must I get involved with every urchin that gets-..." He stopped, recollection touching his senses upon seeing the woman in the cage. "...Lani?"
She rolled her eyes. "I didn't ask you to bring him down here." She said, taking a few casual steps toward the back of the cage.
"I believe your exact words were 'If you bring him down here, he'll kick your ass'." The guard said. He turned to Steiner, smiling sarcastically. "So, are you going to kick my ass?"
"Lani, what are you doing here?" Steiner ignored the sarcastic remarks of his charge and placed his hand on the prison bars.
"She was found breaking into somebody's house." The guard interrupted before Lani could even draw in breath.
"A noble's house?"
"No, a commoner's house. Down by the docks."
"Why would you want to break into a commoner's house?"
"You can't break into a house you own!" Lani protested.
"You don't own it!" The errant guard bellowed, getting his face as close to the bars as he dared to emphasize his point. "Before it belonged to its current owners, it belonged to a man named Xoana, and he never had any kids!"
Lani huffed angrily.
"Did she steal anything?" Steiner asked.
"No, sir, this was the only thing she had on her." He said, holding up her over sized combat axe. "Thankfully we caught her before she could take them for all they are worth."
"I have had issue with you in the past, Lani, and thought I had set you strait." Steiner said.
"Now I'm sure you're going to tell me I'm a criminal to the core and you should lock me up and throw away the key." Lani said, leaning back against the wall of the cell.
He just stared at her harshly for a moment before turning to his assistants. "I will make sure she gets disciplined properly. Go file her weapon then return to your rounds." They both saluted him then took their leave.
"Just couldn't wait to get me alone, eh, Rusty?" She asked sarcastically.
Steiner was taken aback, that line nearly mirrored any line Zidane or Amarant might have said to him. Although Zidane had calmed down since marrying the Queen and he hadn't even seen Amarant in years now. But it was the kind of thing that made him think back to the time the eight of them were still close, before everyone had children or jobs or other obligations keeping them from dropping everything to have an adventure or even just come for a visit. He sighted inwardly, he really did not want to deal with this right now.
"Hmm, you must be having an off day." Lani said, "Normally you'd be lecturing the hell out of me."
He must have been buried in thought longer than he thought.
"Or have you just so solidly made up your mind I'm not even worth addressing?"
"If you break the law it eventually catches up to you, perhaps it's time to pay the piper." She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "What were you doing in that house? Tell me truthfully."
"I wasn't lying!" She pleaded, "I used to live there!" He looked at her incredulously. "Well, when I was a kid. I had a cache of money hidden under one of the floor boards. I was just going to take it and leave, I swear." she paused for a moment before turning her back to him. "But then again, I'm sure you're still going to throw the book at me. Better get used to seeing these walls-" Before she could finish her sentence she was interrupted first by the sound of keys jingling then by the loud creak of the door's rusty hinges. She turned around only to see him standing aside with the cell's door open.
"Then come with me."
"Huh, somehow I expected it to be bigger." Lani said as Steiner ushered her into the Alexandrian Royal armory. It looked like someone had remodeled a regular jail cell with wall-to-wall shelves and jammed them to the rafters with extra foot soldier breast plates and standard issue weapons. But the sheer volume of stuff in this room made it almost impossible to even enter. "Or at least less cramped. Your ranks must be very thin." She said, running her had over a stack of short swords.
"Peace treaties with Burmecia and Lindblum forbid our armies from growing beyond a certain point." Steiner said, waiting just inside the door, watching her wander between racks of weapons.
"Not surprised there."
"I will make sure all the charges against you are dropped."
She shrugged as if not sure how to answer. "...Sweet."
"Do you know where you will go?"
"I was going to go to Treno. But now that I don't have my money, I have no idea."
"You were no doubt going to use that money on evil deeds to perhaps it is best you do not have it."
She spun around to glare at him. "This coming from the guy who just sprung me from jail. Besides, I don't think buying a house is a particularly evil deed."
"You were going to buy a house?" He seemed rather taken aback at the prospect.
"I know, the hills of Treno is hardly a home owner's paradise but it's what I can afford." She shrugged, resuming her inspection of the displayed equipment.
"If you do not know where your travels will take you, then I have a proposition."
"Oh, do you?" She said, sticking her arm into a narrow slat between racks, reaching for something against the wall.
"I seem to be finding myself at a loss, I have recently had two of my Knights of Pluto retire and my ranks are unacceptable small."
"Are you asking me to become one of your knights of whatever?" She asked, straining to pull something from the bottom of the pile.
"Yes." He answered simply.
She laughed lightly, finally loosening her target piece of armor. "Sorry but I don't think I have what it takes to be a knight. Besides," She held up the commander's breast plate in front of herself. "Do you really think this would do justice to all this?" And she dropped the offending armor and motioned to her own body.
He tried his hardest not to crack a smile at the thought of her bound up inn the confining form-hugging metal bathing suit or the female Alexandrian armor. It had not really occurred to him before just how silly that armor was. Aside from the chest, it offered practically no protection. The arms and legs were both left uncovered and it was cut far too high to protect the hips even. Besides, he realized, there was no way they could modify an existing set to accommodate her rather full bust.
"I will admit though, Dame Lani sounds pretty cool." She took a moment to rub her chin thoughtfully. "Do you think I could just get knighted to get the title?"
He rolled his eyes, such disrespect.
"Is that why you brought me back here? To ask me to work for you?"
"Well and this." He reached into a pile of weapons near the door and pulled out her battle axe.
She dashed over and snatched the beloved weapon from his hands. Her hands could move that giant weapon so gracefully, even in this confined space he realized as she spun it around a couple times before returning it to the harness on her back. "Ahh," She sighed blissfully, " I feel so naked without it." He certainly did not need that mental image. "Now, riddle me this: Why are you being to nice to me?"
"You are a friend of Amarant, I feel it is the least I can do."
"Pfttt," She scowled dismissively. "I don't talk about him any more."
"Hey, Amarant is a good man."
"He ditched me, what kind of good man does that?"
"He ditched you?" He asked incredulously.
"He was next to me when I fell asleep and was gone when I woke up. I'd call that being ditched."
"That does not seem like Amarant. I'm sure there is more to it than you think."
"I would say so too if it wasn't the fourth time it'd happened." She sighed, slouching her shoulders in defeat. "I'm tired of waking up alone."
"I know the feeling." He said off handedly.
"That wifey of yours an early riser?"
His eyes widened suddenly like a deer caught in a hunter's light. He had said too much. Never before had he had loose lips, why was he letting himself slip now? "Never mind. You have your belongings, you are free to go." And he turned to leave.
With surprising speed, she dashed in front of him, blocking his exit. "Oooooh," She taunted, "Problems in paradise?"
"You rogue!" His armor clanked loudly as he shook his fist, "I release you from jail and this is how you thank me?"
"What can I say? I'm ungrateful." She shrugged apathetically. "You know it's a sad state of affairs when a wife won't even wake up with her husband. Is she even still sharing a room with you?"
"You shut your filthy gob!" He jumped up and down dramatically. "I will not have you speaking ill words of Beatrix!"
"Then again, you talk to loud, maybe she just got tired of listening to you."
Then he did something she never expected, he threw a punch at her, missing her head by mere inches and hitting the bars of the cell behind her. The heart wrenching sound of metal on metal echoed through the barren stone hallway for what seemed like ages as he stood towering over her, his breath uneven. "I will hear no more of your slander or lies." He threatened in a low voice.
Slowly the fear in her heart subsided, her heart rate returning to normal. That was quite a start! "Then set me strait." She whispered between shallow breaths.
He finally withdrew his fist, taking a step back. "I do not have to tell you anything."
"Yeah, but I can tell you want to."
"Gahhh!" He let out an exasterbated yell, taking off his gauntlet and throwing it toward the back of the armory, knocking over a stack of spears. "She left me!" He bellowed over the cacophony of tumbling weaponry. As the deafening cascade settled, he took a seat on a stack of breast plates. "She left me." He repeated. "Four years ago... today."
She took a moment to let that sink in. "I'm sorry." She said finally, taking a seat on another stack of armor across form him. "I didn't know. And believe me, I pride myself on keeping my ear to the ground."
Blood dripped from his knuckles from where the hinges of his gauntlet pierced his skin. He sat for a moment watching as the drops fell impotently to the stone floor. "Four years ago," He continued slowly, "The day after the birth of our son."
"Your son? I thought the kid was stillborn."
"That is what I had the Queen announce so the public would not think ill of her for suddenly leaving the service." Slowly he pulled off his helmet, letting it slip to the floor with a hollow clank. "As far as the public knows she labored a stillborn then went out of town for some time alone. Everyone assumed she had returned and retired, but I never saw her again." He looked up to see her staring at him in wide eyed shock. "What is wrong?"
"Your hair..." She said slowly, a smile spreading honey slow across her face, "Is gorgeous!" She had never seen his hair before and what she saw was absolutely not was she was expecting. It was long, easily down to the small of his back and looked very clean even though he kept it up under his helmet. But the most striking part was the shade, even though he had very heavy black eye brows and thick dark lashes, his hair was the most beautiful rusty red color she had ever seen. "Why would you hide something like that?" She reached out to touch it.
But he batted her hand away. "Hey, don't touch it! The Gods only know where your grubby hands have been!"
"They're not grubby." She said, looking down at her hands.
"Regardless, I do not like people touching my hair. I don't even like having it long."
"Then why grow it out?"
He sighed. "When Beatrix began showing her pregnancy she often complained of discomfort. So I offered to do something equally as discomforting. She said it looked distasteful but I promised I would cut it after our son was born." He bowed his head and ran his fingers through his hair. "I didn't see much point after she left."
"You really miss her, huh?"
He looked her strait in the eye. "To the very bottom of my heart."
As she held his gaze, she realized his eyes were not as dark as she remembered. Or maybe it was that they looked so misty. There was so much intensity, so much emotion in his gaze, she found herself unable to look away. "So why didn't you go after her?"
He again bowed his head, returning his eyes to the floor. "There must have been a reason she did not want me in her life. It seems wrong to try to force myself back into it."
"So you have no idea why she left?"
He shook his head. "Not a day goes by where it doesn't bother me."
"Oh, for fuck's sake, Rusty!" She stood up suddenly, drawing him out of his wholly depressing moment. He looked up at her startled. "It comes to a point where you have to stop wallowing in the past, wondering what kind of misstep you made that changed your fate. Either let it go and move on or chase after her and find out."
"If only it was that simple."
She glared at him. "Yeah, it is that simple... In fact..." She reached up and pulled something out of the front of her shirt.
"Hey, that's my wallet!"
She rifled through the leather coin purse for a moment, pulling out a big wad of money. "Well, you've just paid for my services, we're going to go find your wife." She said, dropping the wallet onto his lap and turning to leave.
He dashed after her. "You scandalous wench!"
"Do you want to find her or not?"
"And where do you propose we look for her? She's been gone for years."
"First rule of interrogation; the most obvious source usually has the most information."