A Tale of Two Knights
Prologue:
Royal Palace, Lesalia Imperial Capital,
Feb. 7, 1199 C.E.
The winter chill had spread all throughout Ivalice from the night before. Even in the palace of the king, the chill could be felt only to be melted by the heat of verbal conflict by the Circle of Eight.
"We can not ignore the dangers that lurk just outside our kingdom, your highness!" said the large man with the long beard.
"No, the Germonik Scriptures should be the priority King Delita! If our citizens get a hold of that book, you might not have a kingdom loyal to anything." said the man with tall man with the blond, puffy head.
King Delita was rubbing his head from the stressful conflict that waged against his court. He faced the grim decision of whether to focus on defending his territory from the ambitious Queen Louveria of the Ordalia Kingdom or to pursue the civil strife that the Germonik Scriptures were causing in his kingdom.
After much heated debate, he gets up and says, "Enough, this debate is not getting anywhere; Larg, Dycedarg, Funeral, Draclau, we've searched for this heretical book for years and yet we have never come in contact with this book. Goltana and Elmdor, I understand your situation, but we can not take the initiative just yet, as for you High Priest Simon, I don't understand why you side with war when you are a holy man."
Simon replied, "The scriptures are a lost cause and my concerns are for the security and prosperity of the kingdom."
After the meeting is adjourned, Simon goes outside of the palace and into a small inn; he meets with a man dressed in heavy blue robes. He tells him, "Elidibis, I think this war needs a little spark, give the King and the people a reason for war."
Chapter One: "A Parallel World"
Grand Cathedral, Lesalia Imperial Capital
Feb. 7 1199 C.E.
The doors open at the Grand Cathedral, revealing the setting sun and a group of knights in white mantles with a gold cross emblazoned on them. The leader of the knights is a woman; she leads the group into the chapel where High Priest Funeral awaits them.
"Agrias," Funeral says, "I am assigning you the task to hunt down the Illuminati and bring back the leader Ramza Beoulve to the capital alive to await trial. We have reports that they're currently residing in the Lionel Province and I trust that you will get the job done."
Agrias replies, "It shall be done your holiness."
She leaves the church to get into her chocobo. As she walks towards the stables, she notices a mother and a 3-year old girl walking with each other, she then begins reminiscing.
'Mother, I wonder how you're doing at Bervennia, I wish you could see how much I've grown since we last saw each other.' Agrias grew up at the Free City of Bervennia after her father left her to become a knight. Her parents were very young when she was born and weren't even married, then when she turned 3 her father was killed in a riot at the capital. She was determined to become a knight herself, and did whatever it took to become one, she left her mother at the age of sixteen and went to the capital to start her training. It has been ten years since then and she hadn't seen her mother at all, only receiving letters from her.
The "Mihsihsah" Inn, Zaland Fort City
Feb. 14 1199
"Ramza, wake up! We're heading out soon."
"Alright, alright…" Ramza replied.
The winter was cooler down in Lionel Province of southern Ivalice, Lionel had fair climates in the winter but dreadful summers. At this time, however, it was a pleasant place to be and the Illuminati always plan out they're yearly calendar.
"So Mustadio, what are we going to do at Warjilis Trade City anyways?" Ramza asked after getting up out of his bed.
"We're going to look for jobs, new shipments from Midgard are arriving at an overwhelming rate, and we could use the money to buy new weapons and clothing." Mustadio said enthusiastically.
The Illuminati, in their eyes, they were seeking freedom from the corruption that surrounded Ivalice from the grasp of the Circle of Eight. In the eyes of others however, they were heretical outlaws, like an elusive virus of the kingdom.
Ramza went to greet the rest of his crew; Larissa, the priestess who abandoned the church's teachings after being harassed by the priests; Timur, the wizard who escaped his mysterious past; Remus and Rona, the thieves who drifted into the group after the collapse of the Death Corps; Lena and Leon, the two archers who had worked for a poaching company which secretly had connections to the assassin group called Kamyuja; Sebastian, the ex-Hokuten knight and Francis, the ex-Nanten Knight. Although Ramza and Mustadio were merely trying to escape the trials of the church, they had formed their party after realizing that they weren't alone.
Ramza, although once a proud cadet of the Hokuten, seeks freedom from the greed that lies beneath the proud orders of knights and the circle of eight. His brothers Dycedarg has become part of the circle, Zalbag serves the church as one of the commanders of the holy knights, as for his sister, she had disappeared from contact and went off to get married with Olan Durai.
"Ramza" said Timur "we should hurry, I've reports that the Holy Knights have a lead on us and are already on the move."
"Yes let's go." Ramza told him.
Mustadio was helping out Larissa when he heard Timur, "Come on Larissa let's go."
"Sorry, I don't mean to be a bother." She replied to him timidly
Mustadio smiled and held her hand, "You're never a bother to me."
Ramza saw the Mustadio and Larissa gaze into each others eyes. It reminded him how long it had been since he had someone special to make his days happy. He remembered. He had never been in love before.