Author's Notes:

Once again, this story is NOT alternate universe. As always, both praise and constructive criticism are appreciated, so post those reviews.

Technical Notes: The milieu and most of the characters of this fanfic are property of Sega. This story is set shortly before Shining Force CD.

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Loyalties

basic plot(as recounted in Shining Force Gaiden I and Shining Force CD) - Hiroyuki Takahashi, Shugo Takahashi, and Hiroshi Kajiyama

expanded plot and script - Martin III

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"This religion you discovered in Iom interests me, ambassador," Dantom said as the two of them walked one of the quieter halls of Castle Cypress. "If there is anything Cypress lacks, it is faith. Faith so often leads to strength, even when the god behind it provides none."

"Oh, believe me, my dear Dantom, Iom indeed rewards his followers," Woldol nodded, shuffling the shoulders of his robes. "I humbly submit that though I wield some decent magic even on my own, when calling upon his power I have been able to accomplish things which absolutely stagger me with their magnificence." He gave a content sigh. "Sometimes it bewilders me that such an omnipotent being as Iom should use such a modest creature as myself as his conduit."

Woldol's modesty was fairly staggering itself, Dantom reflected. "I wield some decent magic," indeed; the man was the most powerful mage he had ever met. Yet never had he seen any hint that his modesty was faked. "What surprises me," he said aloud, "...is that no king of Cypress has ever turned to the worship of your god. We've had contact with the nation of Iom for over a century now."

"Ah. Well you see, the people of Iom are, sadly, a selfish and arrogant race. They still cling to the notion that they are the chosen people of Iom, and that only by the expanding of their borders can his domain be extended. So they have not sought to convert the people of Cypress, and they in turn have no interest in a god associated with a people who are, even at the best of times, not their allies." He turned a hopeful eye towards Dantom. "But perhaps, if you might persuade His Royal Highness..."

Dantom shook his head. "King Gadrios worships no one but himself," he said with a dour smile.

"Bless me," Woldol said, a mortified look on his face. "I had no notion that the Royal Protector was less than fond of his charge."

"Don't misunderstand, ambassador," he growled. "I acknowledge that Gadrios's overbearing self-importance is a weakness, but in all my life I have known no man or woman half as great as he. Nothing fulfills me more than to serve him."

"I sincerely beg pardon for my rash conclusion," Woldol said, bowing his head. "But... if you will forgive one impertinent question?"

Dantom grunted approval.

"I've always been curious about the Royal Protectors, even as a child, when you were not yet born. You say... nothing fulfills you more? Not even the good you accomplish for Cypress herself?"

He considered the question a few moments in silence, then confessed, "I don't know."

"For you see, I understand that the life of the Royal Protector is wholly dedicated to his king," Woldol explained. "An important duty indeed, of course. But one day King Gadrios will be gone, whereas beloved Cypress will always be here."

"You raise an interesting question, ambassador. Rather irrelevant, though. Gadrios is a good king; my duty to him could never come in conflict with my duty to Cypress."

"Yes. I suppose you're right," Woldol admitted. "I tend to speculate a bit too much. But to return to our original discussion: what of the next generation? Do you think young Nicholas might one day bring the power of Iom to Cypress's people?"

They had returned to the banquet hall at this point, and as they passed through the entrance, Dantom temporarily ignored the question to look for Gadrios. He was not seated at the table with the queen, but Dantom almost immediately spotted him speaking with two nobles. The prince was nowhere to be seen, but the princess was chatting with the nobles and officials around her, as well as the visiting prince of Sharland.

Without taking his eyes off Gadrios, Dantom answered Woldol, "Nick takes after his father in almost every way. It is true that he dearly loves his sister, and that he has a strong friendship with Gyan. He is even friendly with his personal servants. But it won't last. Every day he becomes a little more like Gadrios. As far as I can tell, the only truly enduring love he has is for his father. When he's gone, there will be nothing to distract Nick from himself. He won't accept the idea of bowing down to a god any more than Gadrios will."

"That is a pity," Woldol said. "Well, then, long live the king. Cypress shall prosper as long as Gadrios reigns, with or without Iom."

"Agreed. If you will excuse me now, ambassador, I must see to him."

"Of course. It was a great pleasure speaking with you, my dear Dantom."

Dantom made his way easily through the banquet crowd; aside from a couple foreign dignitaries, everyone gave him a wide berth as soon as they noticed his coming. His hearing was acute, and as one of the nobles King Gadrios was speaking to became more agitated, he could pick up their conversation.

"Your Highness, you don't understand! I can't handle tracts of land of the size you're offering! I don't have the manpower, and the men I do have have no experience in cultivating this sort of land. You can't expect me to meet the harvest quotas."

The king raised an eyebrow. "Are you complaining of the gift I am giving you, Lord Gregory?"

"N- no. It's just that the quotas -"

"Can be easily met if you simply bring in additional tenants from a neighboring lord."

"Of course," Gregory sighed, and turned to the third participant in the conversation, who looked equally gloomy. "Lord Peter, if you would allow the current tenants of these lands to remain -"

"The current tenants are needed elsewhere," Gadrios interrupted. "Those which are not being relocated to other parts of Lord Peter's domain are being sent to work in the newly discovered mine to the south."

"But... if I can't use Lord Peter's men, the only person to turn to is Lord Jarl!"

"Then I suggest you speak with Lord Jarl. Lord Peter, you have no objections, do you? You'll sign over your lands?"

Peter only nodded.

"Then I'm glad I took the liberty of having my scribe write up the document for you. I'll have it sent to your estate. You've served Cypress well, Lord Peter." He turned his gaze to Lord Gregory. "I trust that you will use my gift to serve Cypress equally well. Ah! There you are, Dantom."

The king used his arrival to part company with the two nobles. He did it so naturally that Dantom couldn't help but wonder if he'd somehow timed his conversation with the lords to end at that precise moment. The beastman made a slight bow. "Is all well, Your Majesty?"

"It couldn't be better. This is the most enjoyable event I've seen grace these halls in quite some time."

"One or two months, even?"

Gadrios smiled. "I do love your wit, Dantom. Short on subtlety, but quick and harmless enough to be practically invisible. However, I believe you know that my idea of enjoyable is different from most everyone else's." He raised the glass in his hand briefly to his lips. The king never drank but in the briefest sips; rumor had it that he had developed an immunity to every known poison in this way. "I enjoy myself when the good of Cypress is accomplished."

"And has it been?"

"On a large scale. But that discussion shall wait. Would you find Nick for me?"

Dantom frowned. "I don't like unnecessarily leaving you alone, Your Highness."

"Honestly, Dantom. I'm the most well loved - and feared - king in the history of Cypress. I can be left alone for a few minutes." He moved towards the banquet table and waved Dantom off. "Go. Find my beloved son."

Ever aware of the fact that their conversation was not private, Gadrios made the sarcastic note in the word "beloved" as subtle as could be. It was not that he didn't love Nick, but Gadrios had very little patience. Besides, the king had always believed that love was a dish best served cold.

After several minutes of awkward searching through corridors and usually vacant rooms, he uncovered Nick in his study, reading a book on warcraft. As usual, Gyan sat close by.

Dantom cleared his throat. "Prince Nicholas, His Majesty is looking for you."

Nick did not answer at first, and continued reading for a few more moments. When he had apparently found a good place to stop, he slapped the book closed and hopped to his feet. "Thank you, Dantom. I'll be with him momentarily. Shall we go, Gyan?"

The prince had clearly implied a dismissal, but Dantom walked beside him as they headed back to the banquet hall. After a moment, he commented, "That book deals with strategies for leading a small fighting force, a skill utterly useless to a king. Your time would be better spent reading people than books. Save your focus on warfare for your classes."

"Ordinarily, I do," Prince Nick returned, but not without a brief glance of surprise; Dantom almost never spoke to him or his sister except when necessary. "However, I think I've earned the privilege of excusing myself when my father fills the room with absolute boors."

"Boors," Dantom repeated.

"Aside from my family, not a one of them in the room is capable of carrying on an even remotely interesting conversation for more than two minutes. I might as well be mingling with peasantry."

"Those peasants and boorish lords are your people, my Prince."

"And I'll serve them very well when the day comes. I don't see how I am required to enjoy their company."

"With regard to the peasants, I agree. But if you are to master the art of politics..."

Nick sighed. "I hope that by the time I become king, the Cypress court will be free of such simple-minded fools."

They returned to silence as they entered the banquet hall. As they passed between the shuffling groups of lords, generals, and dignitaries, a pretty young woman of roughly Nick's age was bold enough to approach them.

"Prince Nick -" she began, but stopped when he walked by without glancing at her. Since reaching maturity, Nick had become the target of more and more attempts at courtship. It was a relief that he had the self-control to ignore the temptations of the women, waiting until he found one who would make a suitable queen. Though he complained at some of the things required of him, Dantom had to admit that Nicholas took his responsibilities as future king seriously. His father had raised him well.

"Ah, Nick. You've come out of hiding," Gadrios said, getting up from the table and laying a hand on the prince's shoulder. "You have not been idle, I hope."

Nick gave a shy smile that had to be at least half feigned. "I suppose that depends on your definition of idle, father."

"I see." Gadrios sighed. "Nicholas, tell me. Have you ever seen me idle?"

Nick's eyes lowered. "...No, father."

"Many are the keys to power, my son, but they will not work unless you constantly apply them. Remember that." He gave a nod. "This little gathering has run most of its course. I've arranged for us to have dessert in private."

The king didn't need to say who he meant by "us"; under the context, that always meant the royal family and the royal protectors. The king's wife and brother excused themselves from the banquet table at Gadrios's beckoning. Princess Jenny was still eagerly chatting with the Prince of Sharland, but it took only a single piercing glance for the king to summon her. The entire family gathered, they proceeded to their private dining room, where the final course was awaiting them.

As they seated themselves at the table, Dantom remarked, "A very interesting punishment you chose for Lord Peter's cruelty towards the peasants, giving some of his lands over to Lord Gregory."

The king nodded. "Forcing him to cooperate with Lord Jarl should finally bring a stop to that petty feud of theirs."

"Ingenious. Suppose that Lord Jarl takes the opportunity to leave Gregory high and dry, though? Or that Gregory refuses to turn to Jarl for aid?"

"Jarl isn't stupid enough to defy me. And Gregory may be stubborn, but he's not that stubborn. The fact that this relocation gives me the necessary workers for unearthing that new mine makes a nice bonus." He took a bite of his dessert. "Sometimes I think Cypress would be better off if we removed the wayward nobility from the field. Most of Cypress's territory is under national control as it is."

"But don't the nobles give an air of legitimacy to the ruling class, at least in the minds of the common people?" Edmond put in anxiously.

"Exactly. I was thinking of the elimination of the noble class as a task my great grandson perhaps might accomplish. For now they are necessary, and in a few cases are even useful. There's the Lady Sarah, for instance. Still, my appointed officials are in general of more value. Speaking of which," - he turned his gaze on the princess - "...I believe I've found the perfect man for you to marry, my dear child. General Amos. A leader of near limitless potential, but with need of a strong moderating influence."

"What?" She dropped her spoon. "Father, you... you said you wanted me to marry the Prince of Sharland."

"A wise man always takes advantage of a favorable change in the situation." He paused for another spoonful, giving a thick murmur of appreciation as it disappeared into his mouth. "I wasn't sure of it until today, but Sharland's prince is hopelessly infatuated with you. He'll obey your every wish whether you marry him or not, making a marriage to him superfluous. General Amos needs your influence, and he is more worthy of you besides."

"I don't want to marry General Amos."

The king looked up. "Really. Why not?"

She struggled for an answer, then said simply, "I don't like him."

Gadrios chuckled. "Well, now. There's a reason."

Flushing red, Jenny demanded, "Don't I have any say in this!?"

"Of course you do, my dear. You're the one getting married, after all. But whether Cypressian or foreign, I doubt any man would have the courage to marry you if he knew I disapproved. And until you provide a convincing reason otherwise, the only husband I approve of for you is General Amos."

"Nick..." She turned a pleading look towards her brother.

It took Nick a few moments of silent consideration before he at last said, "Father's right. The general would be a better match for you."

After a moment of awkward silence, the princess said, "May I be excused to my room?"

Gadrios nodded. "Of course. Would you like one of us to keep you company, or do you prefer to be alone for a while?"

"I prefer to be alone," she said simply, and left the table.

After she was gone, Edmond began scratching at his chin. "Perhaps you were too blunt with her, my brother."

"Oh, she'll be fine," he said in a pleasant tone. "It's not as though she's in love with that prince. She's simply intrigued by foreigners, and flattered to have a man so attentive to her. It would have only hurt her more if I'd waltzed around the matter. She's a good young lady; she'll get over it. Now, Dantom, what exactly did you and Woldol talk about?"

"So you did have a purpose in having me speak with him," Dantom observed. "We were only discussing this god the people of Iom worship. Woldol was thinking we should adopt this religion into Cypress."

"So our little ambassador does have a seditious agenda or two. I assume you told him that I would never give Cypress over to an evil god?"

"I told him you would never worship Iom, yes. But I don't think Iom is exactly an evil god."

"You see nothing wrong with human sacrifice, then?"

"Your Highness, that isn't really the norm. Human sacrifices are only held at the main shrine to Iom, except on very special occasions."

"That is more than enough for me," Gadrios scowled. "Anyone who wants to bring these unconscionable practices to beloved Cypress will find every man, woman, and child ready to fight them to the death."

"To the death... it could even come to that, if the Iomites ever succeed in reviving their god. Isn't a vow like that a little extreme for you, Your Majesty?"

"There are some things worth dying for." He took a deep breath, and returned his attention to his dessert. "Well, at least that alleviates my suspicions about Woldol. If he's willing to be open about an agenda like that, he can't be as devious as I feared."

"And let me reassure you, Your Highness, he very readily accepted the fact that Cypress would never turn to the worship of Iom. To be honest, I'm a bit shocked to hear that you could have distrusted him in the first place. He's served you loyally for nearly four years."

"Which I should be grateful for. But is it loyalty, or the pretense of it? Woldol strikes me as just a little too agreeable. When someone wholeheartedly approves of every decision I make, I take that as a warning signal that he cares more about my good will than about his own opinions. And traitors always seek the good will of the one they mean to betray over all else." He cleared his throat. "Well, now we know that Woldol has a dissenting opinion. That leaves the best news for last. I met with the Guardianans personally yesterday."

His audience looked to him with interest. "Well?" the queen prodded.

"It's almost too good to be true," the king said carefully. "They appear to be a pack of idealistic fools. The head of the representatives is a spineless oaf going by the curious name of Lowe, and the others aren't a significant departure from his example. One need only hint at the remote possibility of war, and they'll readily agree to anything you say. I understand they were practically overrun in an invasion a few years back; perhaps that would explain it. At any rate, I suspect we'll have no trouble securing trading terms that lie strongly in our favor."

The queen frowned. "Is it wise to bully them that way? Wouldn't it be better for Cypress in the long run to be friends with Guardiana?"

"Yes, of course." He scraped up the last of his dessert. "But my spies tell me that their ruler, Queen Anri, is a singularly forgiving individual. She'll overlook any minor trespasses we may make, especially if we continue to foster the notion that we are an isolated nation, unused to foreign relations. When the time comes for us to replace our initial trade agreements with more equitable ones, I expect they'll be so thankful for the improved dealings that they'll forget that we had the upper hand to begin with. So long as we ensure that Guardiana has no contact with our neighbors, we should have no problem maintaining good relations with them."

"Ah." The queen smiled. "I shouldn't have doubted you."

"Of course you should have," Gadrios returned. "Only a fool should trust any man's judgment implicitly, and you, my wife, are anything but a fool." He clasped his hands together. The calm he always wore was unbroken, but Dantom knew his lord well enough to recognize excitement bubbling under his skin. "It gets better. My spies tell me that Queen Anri, though roughly my age, is unmarried and childless."

The queen's eyes widened. "There is no heir?"

"None. The Guardiana royal family is on an inevitable march towards extinction. If I play our pieces right - and I haven't lost a match in a very long time - Nicholas will one day stand ready for a friendly annexation of Guardiana. All we need do is maintain our status as Guardiana's closest allies. Once Queen Anri passes away, her people will be grateful to have Cypress take them under their wing in the wake of the resulting chaos."

"I disagree," the queen said firmly. "You can never be sure how the people will react. And you haven't even brought up the competition."

"True," he said, rubbing his forehead. "Thank you for reminding me. Uncertain as it is, however, it's worth hoping for. As for the competition, only a nation called Protectora seems worth worrying about. And relations with Protectora have apparently been quite cool recently."

Leaning back in his chair, Gadrios continued, "Actually, there is a good reason to believe the Guardianans will react well to being adopted by Cypress. With their foolish idealism, they'll likely suspect only the best of motives and the best of treatment on our part. But don't misunderstand," - here his gaze focused solely on his son - "...there is great power in idealism. It simply never pays for a leader to be idealistic; a leader blinded by idealism is doomed to failure. Single-minded righteousness leads to foolish decisions, and his good intentions lead to the deaths of those he is sworn to protect. But a cool, pragmatic leader, commanding men and women fueled by idealism..." He nodded. "There is power, indeed."

Nicholas returned the nod. He seemed almost hypnotized by the power of Gadrios's words. "I understand, father."

"Good." He got to his feet. "I must now return to work. It's been a great pleasure to spend some time with you all, Edmond, Nick..." A smile touched his lips. "...Jenny. Your company is a most wonderful relief from the relentless weight of the crown."

They all stood up to leave, but Gadrios said, "One moment, Nick. In light of your absence from the festivities earlier, I think I should remind you of one other lesson. It's important for a king to have many friends. If-"

"I know, father. I have made many friends. I just didn't feel up to it today, and I'm very sorry that I allowed myself to lose the opportunity."

"'Sorry' may be good enough for me, but it won't be good enough for the real world. You do want to be king, don't you?"

Nick blinked. "How will not having enough friends keep me from becoming king?"

"'To be king', I said, not 'to become king'. Do you want everything that goes with being king?"

He was silent for a minute. Dantom began to feel a bit awkward; the others had retired to their rooms, leaving only king and heir in conversation, with Gyan and himself as invisible onlookers. At last Nick said, "I work hard from sunrise to sunset, training and studying to become a man worthy to take your place. What mo-"

"And yet you always stop short of going the full mile, don't you, Nicholas?" Nick's only answer was to lower his eyes to the floor. Gadrios sighed. "Well, I've said everything I have to say to you on the matter before. I won't aggravate you by repeating myself. Good night, my son."

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There was one other thing about that evening that stuck in Dantom's memory. Maybe it was because of how much it troubled him to see both of Gadrios's children bid him goodnight in such dissatisfied states.

That would certainly explain why, restlessly stalking the corridors that night, he wandered towards the rooms of the royal offspring. Listening at Nick's door, he heard nothing; not even the sound of him breathing. A dread beginning to take root in his chest, he moved to Jenny's door and listened there.

"...realize you couldn't have said anything else." The princess's voice.

"I don't want you to forgive me; I want you to be happy," Nick said impatiently.

"Do you really think father would force me to marry someone I'd be unhappy with?"

"Not unhappy... maybe less happy."

"It's more than a year off, anyway," Jenny said carelessly. "Maybe things will change again. Besides, whoever I have for a husband, I'll always have you for a brother, right?"

"No. Someday I'll have to be your king, and until that day I've got to prepare for it. I don't really have time for late night meetings anymore. Eventually I'll barely even have time to see you."

Dantom nodded. Good. The boy's finally taking his father's words to action.

"I forgot... your responsibility to father is a lot bigger than mine."

Nick sighed. "All my life I've wanted to be like him; I'm only now realizing exactly how hard that is. I think I've let him down, Jenny."

"Don't be ridiculous! Father hides it when you're around, but he's very proud of you; we all are. He just thinks you could be even better, and he wants you to reach that. And frankly, I think he's looking for too much. You're already prepared to be a great king. You know it, and he knows it."

"So I'm going to be fine. What about you?" he demanded.

"I'm our mother's daughter, aren't I?"

The prince didn't let it go at that, but Dantom was satisfied that he'd heard enough, and headed back to his chamber. Gadrios has done a fine job of raising his children, after all, he thought with surprised pleasure. He was right; by pushing them harder, he's made them stronger.