A Social Divide
This fiction is semi-au, certain aspects remain the same whilst others do not, Yuri is a knight captain who is instructed by royalty to teach Princess Estellise in the art of swordsmanship an art that all of royalty must learn, but what happens when Estellise's feelings begin to change for her teacher. Slow Romance.
The Common Captain
Zaphias the imperial capital, the centre of world trade and the most technologically advanced city in the world was the home to one very special princess. This princess was already tipped to be the future queen of the empire when her grandfather the Emperor stepped down, this was due to the eternal compassion she held for all life on Terca Lumireis.
There was only one problem with this princess; she was too inexperienced in life, so on the order from her granduncle she set off on her journey to become worthy of inheriting the throne, this is the story of her journey.
(Story Start)
Time trickled away slowly as the teacher droned on and on about something that didn't interest the pink haired girl in the slightest, despite this she listened intently, scribbling down notes on offensive magic theory in beautiful cursive handwriting matching her royal heritage.
Her attitude towards the class was the complete opposite of what her friend showed. Instead of listening intently her friend opted to show her disdain for the class by placing her head comfortably on the desk, falling asleep peacefully in the process.
As the lesson continued the princess turned to her side to spot her friend sleeping soundly and giggled, this however was a bad move because it attracted the attention of their teacher who was not impressed in the slightest.
"Ahem!" the man cleared his throat dramatically to catch everybody's attention, well nearly everyone's that is.
"Miss Mordio!" the man cried dramatically waking the sleeping girl from her slumber.
"Ugh, shut up" the teen groaned sleepily causing the teachers face the turn red from anger and incite a small bout of laughter from everyone in the classroom.
"Miss Mordio" he began again as he grinded his teeth angrily, "this is the twelve time this semester that I've caught you sleeping in my class, what have you got to say for yourself?" he asked the teen genius in a patronizing tone.
Now awake Rita, more commonly known as 'Mordio' to the faculty grinned mockingly, showing her haughty attitude to the world.
"Well if you actually bothered to teach something I DON'T already know then I wouldn't fall asleep" she said in a proud tone before mumbling something about stupid researchers telling her she need a degree at the University of Zaphias.
At her words the teachers teeth began to grind again and his eye began to twitch angrily, until a crooked smile donned his face.
"Well then, Miss 'genius' mage, how about you come up here and show the class exactly what I've been trying to explain" the teacher challenged her in a patronizing tone, throwing a piece of chalk across the room to her so she could get to work instantly.
Rita not being one to step down from a challenge stood up proudly, to reveal her tiny form to everyone, this was due to the fact that she was three years younger than the minimum age the university accepted.
As she walked up the aisle, showing her bizarre odd coloured socks and untidy clothes to everyone she began to smile in anticipation, feeling a weird sense of joy from the fact that she was about to humiliate this 'expert' in front of his own class.
"I can do more than just write a formula on a blackboard unlike a certain 'expert' we all know" Rita claimed boldly as she started to concentrate, allowing herself to become one with the aer itself before taking that aer and manipulating it into what the teacher was trying to explain.
"Blah, Blah, Blah... Freeze Lancer" Rita said unenthusiastically as a storm of sharp ice spikes ploughed into the blackboard ripping it to shreds, before continuing into the wall behind the blackboard piercing it slightly.
As the teacher watched the act unfold his expression paled and he nearly fainted on the spot.
"Mordio, do you have any idea of what you've just done?" the man gasped as the rest of the class joined in with the scared expressions, well nearly everyone except for the pink haired princess who continued to smile, though she did feel slightly ashamed of her friends actions.
"You're lucky I held back" Rita replied nonchalantly with a cheeky smile before spinning on her heel and walking back to her seat, ignoring the looks of fright on her classmates, many of which were hoping to become mages themselves, unlike them though she wanted to become a Blastia scientist.
"H-held back, what made you think I wanted you to do this?" the teacher replied in a stutter causing Rita to grin as she sat in her seat.
"Well I had to get rid of that blasphemy of a formula, that fleck symbol shouldn't have been there, if someone had actually followed that the spell would have collapsed on itself" Rita replied in a haughty tone causing the teacher to turn red again, this time of embarrassment.
"Miss Mordio I demand you leave this classroom at once!" the teacher ordered, as if it was some kind of punishment for damaging his pride.
Rita not being one to care stood up and walked to the door before a small voice protested causing the teacher to freeze on the spot.
"Mr Brook, I ask that you please excuse Miss Mordio's behaviour, I believe she didn't mean any harm from what she did" the princess pleaded quietly causing the entire class to seemingly swap sides and jump to Rita's defence.
"B-but Princess Estellise she damaged property and disrupted the class, I beg that you understand" Mr. Brook the old teacher pleaded but to no avail.
"If I remember correctly, you were the one who started the disturbance in the first place" the princess replied sternly causing the old teacher to gulp nervously.
"Furthermore If you hadn't of purposely called Miss Mordio out this wouldn't have happened, this is the seventh time this year that you have picked on her despite other disturbances, so if you still want to punish her I'm sure we could bring this to a hearing" the princess said in a calm tone, there were many things that Estellise could remain passive about, but having a friend punished was not one of them.
In response the teacher began to sweat nervously before turning to Rita and signalling that she should return to her seat, much to the satisfaction of the young brunette.
As Rita sat back down once more she flicked a quick smile to her friend before dropping off to sleep once more.
(Scene Change)
The bell rung signalling the end of class everybody piled out the doors quickly that is except for the two girls who had been involved in the incident and their teacher.
As the brunette slowly opened her eyes she spotted the pink haired princess looking down at her with a smile on her face.
"Wake up Rita, rise and shine" she chimed happily causing the young teen to blush in embarrassment, before slowly getting to her feet.
"So ready to go?" the brunette asked, as if she was the one who just woke up her friend.
"Yup!" the princess replied cheerfully and walked towards the exit with her best 'and only' female friend.
As the pair walked out the door they headed for the exit of the university, after all that was the last lesson of the day for both of them and they wanted to get away from the scene of the crime as fast as they could.
Once they got outside they headed for a nearby bench which was surrounded by luscious green hedges and freshly cut grass, accompanying this sight was a large fountain and a large group of strangers who were coming in and out of the university.
"Thanks for that earlier" Rita told her friend as they both relaxed on the bench, pulling their lunch out of their bags.
"No problem" Estellise replied happily before adorning a stern expression, "but you will have to learn to stop doing stuff like that Rita, I can't protect you all the time you know" she lectured before placing her hands on her lap.
"Oh I know how about you apologise!" Estelle offered enthusiastically as if apologising was the solution to every problem.
"Hah that may work for you, but for someone like me who is of common birth apologising is worthless" Rita said in a slightly hurt tone, it was a common part of life in the empire, those who were commoners often got the short end of the stick, whilst nobles and royalty could get away with everything.
"Th-that's not true" Estelle protested weakly not understanding what made them so different and why it would even matter.
Rita in response turned to her friend spotting her sad expression and decided to drop the issue, knowing it was always a sore spot for Estellise who was of royal birth, because of this she never had experienced the troubles of commoners and thus could never understand.
Yet despite this Estellise was one of the few nobles and royals that Rita knew who actually didn't care for the social divide between the social classes, this is what made Estellise so attractive to Rita and why she spoke to her despite her bad social disposition.
The friendship between them hadn't always been close though, originally Rita disliked her because she seemed like the typical princess so she expected Estellise to start acting superior but the time never came, this is what helped their relationship to grow into a friendship that Rita would always cherish.
"Fine, fine" Rita conceded, "I'll apologise tomorrow ok" Rita offered causing her friend to smile happily.
"On the note of birth right though" Rita mused as she bit into the rice ball she had made. "Where are those knights who are at your every beck and call?" Rita asked as she finished off the rice ball with a loud gulp.
Estellise smiled at Rita's words as if she'd been waiting for Rita to ask.
"I asked them to allow me to attend without their constant guarding and they said yes!" she said excitedly much to Rita's surprise.
No the surprise wasn't that they would let her go to university without guards, but the fact that she actually believed them, Rita was sure that they were somewhere.
"That's good" Rita commented before looking to the side to spot a man watching them intently, at this she smiled and turned back to her naive friend.
"Isn't it?" Estellise replied joyously and Rita nodded in response, she couldn't reveal to her that she was being lied to because she didn't want to see Estellise upset, or 'angry' so she decided to just play along with her friend.
(Scene Change)
"So how's the old man doing?" a concerned voice asked from behind the bar to the man sitting in front of her.
The black haired man sighed dramatically as he stretched his arms out.
"Ah he's in a pretty tough state right now, no wonder Flynn called me back from Yurzorea, it's a shame though, there are some pretty nice girls in Yumanju you know" the man said calmly with a small grin.
"Oh, anybody catch your eye?" the woman flirted, leaning over the bar to give him a nice view of her cleavage.
Not giving in to her charms Yuri averted his gaze reluctantly causing the woman to smile mischievously.
"As a matter of fact there were a few, but you can find better girls right here so I guess I can live with that" the man replied as he returned his gaze back to the woman, making sure he made eye contact when he said it.
"Oh Captain. Lowell you do flatter me but you're going to have to try harder than that you know" the woman replied trying to prolong their little 'game' for as long as she could, to ensure this she reached over the bar and grabbed his chin softly averting his gaze back downwards.
Just as the captain was about to indulge himself the door of the bar flung open.
"Yuri!" a masculine voice shouted irritating the black haired man who was in the middle of some 'important' business.
"What is it Flynn, can't you see I'm a little busy here?" Yuri asked not turning around to look at his long term best friend.
Flynn looking at the pair in front of him glared, having always found Yuri's attitude toward women annoying he didn't take lightly to his current 'important' business.
"Oh just imagine Hisca's face if she walked in here instead of me" Flynn said in a taunting tone causing Yuri to flinch slightly in response.
"Y-you don't say" Yuri stuttered for the first time, feeling extremely wary and strangely compliant to whatever Flynn was about to say.
"Yup I do say" Flynn said, feeling victorious over his best friend.
"So what brings you here calling my name at the top of your voice?" Yuri asked after a long sigh, despite this he didn't avert his view from the bartender who adorned a sly, fox like smile.
"Glad you're finally going to be serious" Flynn said as he walked up to the bar and sat down next to his best friend.
"Anything you want?" the woman behind the bar asked with her eyes still locked to Yuri's.
"Just some water will be fine, thanks" Flynn replied before frowning at the sigh she made in response to his order.
"Same old Flynn I guess, dutiful as always" the woman commented before walking away from Yuri, making the captain laugh.
"Well I'm sorry that I'm not as laid back as Mr. Skirt Chaser here" Flynn responded to the woman making her laugh at the black haired man's expense.
"Hey, I resent that, I don't go out of my way you know" Yuri responded as a glass of water was handed to the blonde haired captain.
"Yeah right, ahem 'can't you see I'm a little busy here?'" Flynn responded as he imitated his friend making the bartender laugh again.
"Fine I get your point smart ass" Yuri groaned.
"Seriously though what brings you here, it's not every day that two captains are in the Lower Quarter so what's up?" Yuri asked as he ordered some Zaphian Ale causing Flynn to glare at his choice of drink.
"I got word from the emperor, apparently your 'vacation' as you would put it won't be all fun and games" Flynn started before sipping his water.
"Go on" Yuri encouraged getting irritated at Flynn's slow form of speech.
"Anyways, he told me personally that whilst you're in Zaphias he wants you to perform a certain task" Flynn continued before drinking some more.
"And that task is?" Yuri asked, wondering if Flynn was doing this on purpose.
"I don't know, and even if I did know do you think I would reveal such information in a public place?" Flynn asked his friend, wondering if Yuri was always this laid back when he wasn't officially on duty.
"Oh come on Flynn, you can talk in front of Judy she's like family, she wouldn't say anything" Yuri claimed feeling slightly angry at his friend, after all they had known Judith since they were younger and she was someone despite her promiscuous attitude, that they could trust.
"Be that as it may, I still don't think you should discuss such matters in front of people not affiliated with the knights" Flynn claimed before turning to Judith and miming an apology to her.
"Well we all have our ways of operating I guess" Yuri conceded before taking a chug of his ale.
"Woah that's stronger than usual Judy, good work!" Yuri exclaimed much to exasperation of his best friend.
"Glad you like it" Judy said honestly before taking Flynn's empty glass off the bar.
"So, when do I have to meet the emperor Flynn?" Yuri asked seriously before pushing the pint of ale in front of him.
"That's enough thanks, don't want to be drunk in front of the emperor again" Yuri continued with a small grin causing Flynn to face palm.
"You're so lucky that was a royal banquet or you could have been facing the death penalty" Flynn interjected remembering the whole event vividly, especially the part when Yuri wanted to hug the old man, luckily though Flynn managed to drag Yuri away.
"Yeah thanks about that night, I don't like the sound of my head on a pike, so how about I fix you up with someone in return?" Yuri offered his gratitude making Flynn glower at him.
"No thank you, who knows who you'd fix me up with, ugh" he said feeling slightly disgusted.
"Oh come on I've been out with some classy girls" Yuri retorted, feeling insulted at his best friends disgust.
"Name one" Flynn challenged causing everything in the bar to go silent for a brief moment.
"... Judith?" Yuri said, though it sounded more like a question, unluckily for Yuri even Judith scoffed at his answer.
"Sorry hon, I'm not a 'classy' girl, I prefer to be called a down to earth woman from the Lower Quarter, instead of a classy rich bitch" Judith replied to his comment with a cheeky smile which annoyed Yuri once more.
"Oh well never mind, I prefer that about you anyway" Yuri shrugged off the comment as he admired the woman's features.
"Ahem, do I have to remind you of Hisca again?" Flynn cut in once more.
"No, I'm fine, I'll stop" Yuri said regrettably before getting to his feet.
"I guess I might as well head to the castle then" Yuri commented as he stretched his body again.
"That'd probably be for the best" Flynn replied as he placed some gald on the bar. After that he got to his feet and stretched.
"So where are you off to now then?" Yuri asked as he fiddled around in his pockets a little.
"Off to see how old man Hanks is doing and then I'll do some patrol over Zaphias" Flynn replied to his friend.
"Good to know, so let's get going" Yuri offered and the two walked to the door before they heard the bartender clear her throat rather loudly.
"You forgetting something Yuri?" the woman asked causing Yuri to sigh dejectedly.
"Fine, fine" Yuri said as he approached her and placed a couple of notes within her cleavage causing Flynn to face palm.
"See you later then" Yuri said afterwards and walked towards the door.
"Have fun boys" the bartender called back sarcastically and the two replied with a 'yeah' and walked out onto the streets of the Lower Quarter where Repede was waiting for them.
(Scene Change)
As the two teens walked through the Citizens Quarter of Zaphias they noticed a certain change to how the people were acting, as if something had happened.
"I wonder what's gotten everyone so surprised" Rita mused as she observed quite a few people whispering to each other.
"Is there something different?" Estellise asked innocently, after all she wasn't used to walking around the Citizen's Quarter without a guard, this seemingly made all the difference.
"No, not really" Rita said feeling slightly disinterested, it was probably nothing serious anyway, it couldn't have been that anyone recognised Estellise because her status as a princess wasn't known to many people, the only reason people at the university knew was because a majority of them were refined nobles who worshiped royalty like gods in an attempt to get even more blessings.
"Oh okay then" Estellise replied before bouncing off towards a market stall, observing the various books on display with wonder causing Rita to smile slightly at her friends excitement.
"Hello there miss, what can I get you today?" a cheerful middle aged man asked the pink haired princess enthusiastically.
"Have you got any books containing information on healing artes?" Estelle asked excitedly, having never seen a market stall before without being surrounded by guards which kind of killed the atmosphere.
"Actually miss I think you're in luck" the man replied as he turned around and pawed at the variety of books carefully until he found what it was he was looking for.
"Ah here it is, it's a real beauty, it contains rare information on art of methodology, it was said to be written by the high priestess and great healer Mint Adenade hundreds of years ago, it's probably the last one in existence" the man claimed as he held up an old looking book with a blue velvet cover and the magical formula for cure inscribed onto it in gold writing.
The explanation awed the young princess and that it should, after all it was the perfect book for her.
As the princess fussed over the book Rita walked up from behind her and took a peek at the book.
"That's one fancy book you got there, what's it called?" Rita asked feeling interested, that was until Estellise mentioned healing arts and methodology which suddenly killed all interest Rita had. After all healing artes were seen as boring to the young genius.
As the princess continued to fuss over it Rita walked to the front of the queue.
"So how much is the book and whilst you're at it do you have a book strap like this one?" Rita asked before turning around to show the merchant the strap she had which secured a red book to her back.
"Yeah we have plenty of those miss, they are essential for book lovers" the man said in a cheerful tone irritating Rita who found it too unrealistic for people to be so happy, but she also understood that merchants had to always display a smile to their customers.
"Ok then so how much is it?" Rita asked impatiently tapping her foot rhythmically as she watched her friend hold the book as if it was some ancient treasure, which it probably was.
"Hmm for such cute girls I'll sell it for 5000 Gald" the man said with a smile on his face causing Rita's mouth to drop and her eyes to sharpen.
"No problem!" Estellise chirped happily in response causing Rita to jump in surprise, she had never seen that much money in her life, so hearing Estellise saying it wasn't a problem was surprising to say the least.
"Estellise are you sure, isn't it a little too much?" Rita asked her friend who tilted her head in confusion.
"No I think it'd acceptable, there are some books out there that can reach 100,000 Gald so I think this is ok" Estellise responded as she pulled out a purse full of 1000 Gald notes.
"I think you're missing my point Estellise" Rita said in exasperation as Estellise handed over the money and claimed the book for herself.
"Thank you for doing business with Fortunes Market, please have a nice day" the merchant told the two before they walked off towards the other stalls, not noticing the predator like looks they were receiving from a few members of the vast crowd in the market area.
As the two walked to another stall Estellise decided to try and put the book strap on, luckily for her she wasn't wearing one of her elaborate dresses today so it went on easily.
"Wow Rita look I did it!" she chimed excitedly and did a little twirl.
Rita watching this scene tried her best to not say any sarcastic comments in response.
"It looks good on you" Rita complimented, still ignoring her urges to say something sarcastic.
"Thank you!" Estellise replied grabbing Rita's hand as she did this and dragged Rita to another stall causing the younger teen to blush in embarrassment.
However before they reached the stall they were approached by two men wearing grubby clothes.
"Hey there ladies want to hang out?" one of them asked the two, his expression was not one of a flirt instead his eyes were cold as if he was some kind of criminal.
Rita being more experienced in these kind of situations decided to take the initiative.
"Sorry guys how about another time?" she offered peacefully, hoping it would solve the situation before she decided to get violent with them.
"Aw sorry no can do missy" the man replied grabbing her wrist tightly causing Rita to yelp slightly.
"Now would you like to hang out or not?" the man asked this time sounding rather violent.
"We said no!" Rita answered them again before Estelle had a chance to even speak.
"I don't think you understand who you are dealing with missy" the second man said mockingly as he reached out to touch Rita, but before he got the chance to touch her she bit his hand causing him to pull back in pain.
"Estellise run, I'll deal with these guys, you should be able to lose them in this crowd" Rita ordered as she kicked the other man in the testicles causing him to topple over slightly.
"B-but what about you?" Estellise stuttered fearfully.
"Don't worry about me, now go, they can't cause too much of a scene in a crowd this large" Rita told her before a large hand grasped her shoulder and clenched tightly making the young teen gasp in pain.
Estellise not being one to argue decided to run and get help as her friend ordered.
"Missy you were wrong about one thing" the man grasping her shoulder said in a sinister tone.
"And what's that you dog?" Rita spat angrily.
"This" he said before throwing a punch at the young teen who swiftly dodged it by sidestepping the attack.
"W-what" the man stuttered, slightly surprised at Rita's ability to dodge.
"Mr filthy mutt, you have no idea who you are dealing with" Rita said angrily and grabbed the whip attached to her hip ready to strike the assailants, before she realised it was in face 'assailant' as there was only one person in front of her.
"Oh no, Estellise!" Rita said feeling concerned for her friend.
"Haha, my mate should be catching up to that little rich girl any second now" the man said whilst donning a snide expression.
"You're more of an idiot than I thought that's the stupidest move you could have done" Rita claimed before swinging her whip and full speed, making it connect with the side of the man's neck, the attack was so precise that the man collapsed on the spot causing mass panic to occur on the marketing area from those who witnessed the scene.
"Oh great" Rita muttered as she saw people staring at her as if she was some kind of criminal.
As Rita watched the panicked people swarm around her she began to fear the worst. "In this crowd Estellise's guards won't be able to get to her, oh no I have to save her!" Rita thought in a panic before darting into the crowd which seemed to split apart when she approached in hopes of catching up with Estellise.
(Change Scene)
As Yuri and Repede reached the Citizen's Quarter Yuri noticed the stares he was receiving and concluded that people had heard of his actions across the world, it was one of the annoying things about being a well known person.
"Hey Repede want to get a bite to eat before we go to the castle?" Yuri asked his faithful companion who barked back in agreement.
"Great!" Yuri said happily and walked towards the market place where he knew a great sandwich shop was.
As the two approached the market place they noticed a sort of tension in the air, something that is gained when you've been on the battlefield for a long time, and it put Yuri on alert instantly.
"Repede" was all he needed to say for his dog to completely understand each other, they had that sort of bond.
So without wasting a moment the two ran into the market place where they saw a teenage girl wearing a simple blue skirt and a white frilly top running towards them, behind her was a man wearing grubby clothes giving chase, and it was all Yuri needed to see for him to understand.
However before he could act he spotted a small brunette in her early teens chasing after the man which made him feel confused, that is until the girl stopped and began to chant which made Yuri spring to action.
"Repede you deal with the man, I'll stop the girl" he ordered as he and his dog darted into the crowd, Repede being the faster one was way ahead of him and nearly at his target.
Yuri on the other hand stopped and told everyone to get out of the way in a commanding voice before he started to chant as well.
(Scene Change)
Estellise ran for her life towards the plaza of the Citizen's Quarter trying to get the help that Rita told her to get, but it seemed that with every passing second the man that seemed to track her like a wolf was getting closer and closer.
"Run, need to help Rita" Estelle thought as she squirmed past a few others until she spotted something peculiar, a blue dog in the distance quickly approaching her.
Behind the dog was a man wearing a black and gold knights uniform, his grieves were light gold-silver coloured as were his gauntlets and single pauldron, he had a red half-skirt covering his right leg and an elaborate crimson cape that he wore like a scarf.
"Who is that?" Estellise wondered as the man stopped moving and began to chant something inaudible. Whilst at the same time the dog seemed to be less than a second from her, at this moment everything seemed to go in slow motion.
From behind her she could hear Rita chanting something as well, though unlike the man in front of her, Rita's chanting sounded much more elaborate which meant she was planning to use a spell much more devastating than she usually did, otherwise she would just say 'blah', Estellise knew this from experience.
As time slowly ticked by the dog leaped, clearing her shoulder and charged into the man pursuing her, this caused Estellise to stop and turn to witness the scene unfold.
(Scene Change)
Repede crashed into the man quickly, causing the man to fall to the floor and bang his head against the ground, the scene seemed to make the crowd scream a little.
"Infernal Streak!" Yuri called out having completed his chanting, summoning a black star to form in front of him before a beam of black energy flew towards the brunette who hadn't finished casting yet.
As the cluster of dark energy flew towards the girl she stopped chanting and channelled the aer she had accumulated into a magic shield which surrounded her body with a blue hue, repelling the captain's attack.
"W-what the?" Rita stuttered before Yuri darted over to her, drew his sword and then pointed it to her chin.
"I recommend you give up on all thoughts of struggling" Yuri told then girl who seemed to huff at his words but not retaliate, mainly because she had a clear view of Yuri's dog smothering the man who'd been chasing Estellise.
When Rita stopped acting all haughty Yuri sheathed his sword and grabbed her by the arm and dragged her towards where Repede was pinning down the attacker.
"Good work Repede" Yuri congratulated his companion before looking at the pink haired girl who seemed to be rooted to the spot.
"Ok miss what seems to be going on here; did these two cause you any trouble?" Yuri asked Estellise who seemed to be too scared to talk.
"Estellise tell him what happened so he'll let go of me!" Rita moaned from behind Yuri, snapping Estellise out of her 'trance'.
"Umm would you please let her go, she's my friend" Estellise pleaded to the man who gave her a once over before letting go of Rita, who quickly returned to Estellise's side.
"Are you alright Estellise?" Rita asked the girl who nodded shakily, having never experienced such an event in her life.
"Ah good" Rita sighed in relief before looking at the black haired man who'd saved Estellise and assaulted her who was leaning down next to the man who was attacked by the blue dog.
"Handcuffs would really come in handy right now" the man said before turning to Rita who was staring at him.
"So what's the story, why would you start chanting such a dangerous spell in the centre of a market place?" Yuri asked the girl who froze on the spot before turning a bright crimson.
"T-to save a friend" she said in embarrassment.
"And risk injuring everyone here?" Yuri asked causing Rita to look away.
"You're lucky if it was any other knight they would so arrest you for this, but I'll let it slide" Yuri said as he petted Repede as a reward for his good work.
"So in return you tell me what happened, I'm guessing this man here assaulted you?" Yuri asked the two.
"Yeah, there was another one, he should be unconscious down the road somewhere" Rita said frankly causing Yuri to smirk slightly.
"Poor guy, getting his ass handed to him by a little girl" Yuri mumbled as he got to his feet.
"Ok then I'll take these guys in, you two just go and pretend this never happened, however if I need any of you as a witness is there any way I can contact you?" Yuri asked the two.
"Yeah" Rita cut in, because she knew Estellise was still shocked to speak properly.
"I'm Rita Mordio, I live in the Lower Quarter just ask anyone and you should be able to locate me" Rita told the man who mentally recorded the information.
"Ok then that's fine, how about you two get going then" Yuri told the two before leaning down and lifting the man off the floor without any trouble in doing so, when he turned around the girls were already gone.
"Hah some courtesy I get" Yuri mocked before carrying the man down the road to search for second 'assailant', ignoring the eyes of the shoppers around him.
(Scene Change)
As the two girls got out of the market place they were approached by three very concerned knights who seemed to be fussing a little too much.
"I say your highness please return to the castle!" said a knight with extremely thick lips.
"Hey I was about to say that" a small chubby knight complained to the other knight.
"Oh shut up you two!" ordered the third knight causing Rita to face palm, these knights were known as some of the most incompetent knights in Zaphias, the only good thing about them was the fact that they didn't discriminate.
Whilst the three knights argued with each other Rita turned to her best and only friend.
"You alright Estellise, you must be pretty shaken up" Rita asked her friend trying her best to sound consoling, but it came out as awkward at best.
"Y-yeah I'm alright" Estellise replied before turning to the knights.
"I think I'll return to the castle for today" she told them, and Rita at the same time and Rita couldn't blame her.
"Yes your Highness" the three said in unison before escorting her away from her friend who decided to head for the Lower Quarter where her rented apartment was situated.
(Scene Change)
After Yuri and Repede had gathered the two assailants and got themselves a sandwich whilst they were at it, they exited the market place and set off for their original destination, the Castle, located in the Royal Quarter of Zaphias.
As the two ascended the steep steps to the Royal Quarter the man looked up with sandwich in hand to admire, yet at the same time loathe the beautiful architecture, the reason for his loathing was the fact that whilst the Royal Quarter had everything, the Lower Quarter had nothing and it was sickening to see.
As the two reached the castle Yuri greeted the guards who saluted him before opening the door, showing respect for one of their most esteemed superiors.
As the duo walked through the elegant hallways towards the throne-room Yuri was left wondering what kind of task he was going to be assigned.
"So Repede do you think it's another mission in Desier against those desert bandits that keep attacking?" Yuri asked his partner, hoping that it wasn't going to be such a thing; after all he hated desert terrain the most.
In response Repede gave him a low growl, causing Yuri to sigh, he wanted a better response from the dog.
When they reached the throne room Yuri spotted two members of the Royal Guard standing on opposite sides of the door.
"I heard that his highness has been expecting me" Yuri told the two who turned to each other and nodded in unison before opening the door allowing Yuri to enter the room.
As he walked into the room he had become familiar with ever since he reached the ranked of captain he spotted the old emperor sitting on the throne looking rather weary, but a small smile reached his lips when he spied Yuri from his position.
"Oh Captain Lowell I've been expecting you, is everything well with your family in the Lower Quarter?" the old emperor asked kindly, referring to Old Man Hanks.
"Yes your highness, I'm sure he'd be honoured to know that you're thinking of him" Yuri responded as he walked directly in front of the man and stood at attention.
"So I'm sure Captain Scifo told you that I was hoping that you'd fulfil a small task for me whilst you're still on vacation then?" the old man asked kindly to the black haired knight.
"That would be correct sir" Yuri replied respectfully bringing a small smile to the man's cracked lips.
"Good, good" he said as he waved his hand to one of his aides who Yuri knew as Drake the legendary former knight, this wave of the hand was a signal for the man to walk to the door on the left hand side of the throne room.
"Now about your task, Captain Lowell" the emperor said before taking in a deep breath. "Whilst you are stationed in Zaphias I have a special task for you, my grand-daughter has reached that age where all Royals must learn the responsibilities that may be thrust upon them at any time, one of these is the art of swordsmanship, I presume you understand what I am getting at?" the old man concluded, to which Yuri nodded.
"Good, good, then I assume you wouldn't mind teaching her then?" the emperor asked the knight captain who saluted back.
"No sir, it would be an honour" Yuri responded causing the old man to smile once more before signalling to Drake again who opened the door, revealing the form of a familiar pink haired teen.
"Captain Lowell, this is my grand-daughter Estellise, I hope you'll teach her well" he introduced them, not knowing that they were already acquainted.
"I-it's you" the pink haired woman said in surprise making the black haired knight smile.
(End of Chapter)
Ok this was just an introductory chapter, before anyone wonders Infernal Streak is a move based on Flynn's divine streak from the PS3 version, yes Yuri does know Magic, what captain doesn't.
The main theme of this story is the social divide between the classes, so expect a lot of drama later on, also isn't Yuri such a player?
-Aquilon