Part 2. The New Brigade Captain, Flynn's First Meeting
(The castle, Alexei's office)
(standard point of view)
Note: this scene happens before the final scene in part 1
"I must admit, this is a rather curious request, Gradana." Alexei Dinoia, supreme commandant of the Imperial knights said as he examined the transfer request papers for the Aiheap twins. "First you ask me to arrange for the refugees to go to Heliord instead of Capua nor, which I was able to do, never did like Capua Nor ever since Ragou ran it into the ground with his stupid taxes." He lets out an exasperated sigh. "And now you want me to approve the transfer of two non-nobles into the Royal Guard?"
"Yes, my lord." Gradana replied. "I wanted to see if non-noble female knights are as good as our usual female noble knights. Of course this if just as an experiment intended to last for three months before I transfer them somewhere else." "...Like maybe a nice sleazy whorehouse in the Lower Quarter, guhihihi..." Gradana thought.
Alexei looks over the papers for a couple more minutes, before giving his answer. "Well as you know, Gradana, only nobles may apply for a permanent position in the Royal Guard. And, seeing as the twins are only going to be temporarily assigned there, their transfer request...is approved." He rubber-stamped the request document.
"Thank you sir." Gradana bowed. "At last the twins are mine mine mine mine MINE! Guhihihihi!"
"Well you seem rather pleased, Gradana." Alexei commented. "Anyway, next order of business..." He looks at his aide Khroma. "Tell lieutenant Jurgis that I'll see him now."
"As you wish, my lord." The Krytian lady bowed and went outside... A moment later she comes back in, followed by a knight with light brown hair and wearing green colored standard armor.
"Did you call for me, commandant Alexei?" Lieutenant Jurgis Vytautas, former second in command of the Niren Corps addresses the commandant on bended knee.
"Yes I did, lieutenant." Alexei answered, shuffling some of the papers on his desk. "Good work in getting here." he looks at the kneeling knight in his green on green standard armor. Armor that he has been wearing since he was assigned to the refugee camp a few months ago. "Tell me, what have you heard about the refugees from Shizontonia?"
Jurgis continues to kneel. "Well, I've heard rumors that they're to be moved to Capua Nor."
"Quite correct, lieutenant." Alexei replied. "But now, thanks to Gradana here, they'll be going to Heliord instead."
"Heliord, commandant?" Jurgis asked.
"That's right, Heliord lieutenant." Gradana answered instead. "The Aiheap twins asked me to ask commandant Alexei here to have them moved to Heliord a few days ago."
"And I convinced the Council to relocate them to that city." Alexei finished. "Even though it might cause some tension with Don Whitehorse and the Guilds, but it's nothing that can't be smoothed over. And now let's talk about the real reason I summoned you here." Alexei opens up his desk and takes out what looks like a captain's pin. "As you know, we haven't had a blue brigade since the last one was wiped out in the great war seven years ago."
"I see." Jurgis replied. "You want to form a new blue brigade."
"True, I wanted your commander Niren to lead that brigade, but since he's no longer with us, you'll take that honor instead, rise... Captain Jurgis Vytautas." Jurgis stands up and Alexei walks over, take off Jurgis's lieutenant pipits and replaces them with captain's pipits. "Congratulations, You are now the commanding officer of the newly formed..." He pauses to cough. "Jurgis Brigade."
"Thank you, commandant, this is a great honor." Jurgis salutes his commandant, barely keeping himself from smiling.
"Well I do suppose you'll have to get yourself a new set of armor." Gradana commented. "Green just isn't your color."
"I suppose you're right, Gradana." Jurgis replied.
"Also, you'll have to gather a certain number of knights for your new brigade and get them outfitted." Alexei suggested. "I've already compiled a list of available knights for you to recruit." He gives Jurgis the paper.
Jurgis examines the sheet of available knights... good, most of the former Niren corps members are listed, including Flynn, Elvin, David, and so on... Not surprisingly, Yuri isn't on the list, something about his knocking out one of Gradana's teeth(he was able to get it re-attached) after Gradana said some bad things about Niren. But rather curiously enough, the twins are crossed out. "I'm curious, why are the twins crossed out? did they quit?" Jurgis asked.
"Oh, them." Gradana smiled. "I requested that they be temporarily assigned to my unit just before you showed up and their transfer has just been approved."
"Oh, so they're not available then, They're both good officers." Jurgis replied.
"However, everyone else in that list is available, including Flynn, who is no doubt, talking to the princess over at the dining hall, What does she see in him, I don't really know." Gradana commented
"Well I suppose I should go and talk to him then, no better time to start building up my brigade then." Jurgis commented. "Permission to leave, commandant?"
"Granted, captain." Alexei replied. "Good hunting." Jurgis salutes and leaves the office.
"I should tell the twins the good news then, permission to leave, Commandant?" Gradana asked.
"Granted as well, Gradana." Alexei replied. And Gradana leaves the office and heads back over to the barracks, thinking about what he'll have the twins do while he tells them the good news... not that they care anymore...
"Guhihihihi."
(The dining hall)
(Flynn's point of view)
"Oh my! Flynn are you telling me you're really from the Lower Quarter?" Lady Estellise gasped, holding her hands up to her face in surprise after I told her where I came from. "This is a bit hard to believe. You don't look like you're from there. The public Quarter maybe, but the lower Quarter? I'm...surprised."
Lady Estellise may be surprised, but the governess, dame Margaret look like she was gonna flip out. "You're a lowly commoner, Flynn Scifo!?" She makes commoner sound like a dirty word. "If I had known about this in our last two meetings..." First before I graduated from the academy, second, when I was up here trying to get reinforcements for Shizontonia... "...I would kept you away from her highness, you disgusting commoner... Oh my god! I just remembered... You hugged him when you first saw him didn't you, your highness, AAAH! Somebody get a doctor! Lady Estellise touched a commoner! She's probably contracted some hideous commoner disease that's incubating inside of her for months now, waiting to spring out and kill us all in some gruesome fashion!" She pulls lady Estellise away from me. "Stay away from him, lady Estellise! He's diseased!" Jeez, somebody tell dame Margaret to...
"Dame Margaret, GET A GRIP! WILL YOU!?" Lady Estellise shouted. "I seriously doubt I could get sick from just touching a person. Besides, I had a routine checkup last week, remember? There's nothing wrong with me, and yes, I'm still a virgin. Sorry you had to hear all that, Flynn."
"I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, lady Estellise." I said. "I wonder, What were you told about the Lower Quarter?"
"Well I was told that their skin is dark because they spend much their time outdoors, they don't believe in hygiene and they smell like unwashed beasts that like to roll in their own...excrement, eww, and all they think about is having rough naked animalistic sex. Brrrrr..." Lady Estellise answered. "But you don't look and smell like what I've been told, and you're quite polite."
I figured I should explain. "Well, lady Estellise, Most of the folks in the Lower Quarter are fair skinned, we do get the occasional dark-skin, but they're usually immigrants from Desier, where it's hot most of the time. And a lot of us do try to keep clean to keep diseases down, even those who make a living in the stockyards. And we're not all oversexed although there are a few that are, sad to say. All in all, we're just honest folk trying to make an honest living. You might say we're just like you, only not as rich, though we'd like to be. Heh heh heh."
"I... see" Lady Estellise replied. "So basically, you and your...friend, um, what's his name?"
"Yuri Lowell." I answered.
"Right, So basically you and your friend, Yuri are from the Lower Quarter, am I correct?" Lady Estellise asked.
"Yep." I answered.
"I would like to know more about the lower Quarter and your friend but..." We notice some knights and sir Jurgis enter the dining hall and approach us. "Something tells me that's for another day, Flynn."
"I'm afraid so, lady Estellise." I sighed.
"Oh thank the gods you showed up." Dame Margret said to the knights. "I just learned that this...person is a… ' She looked at me and shuddered. "...commoner! From the Lower Quarter no less! He's not to speak to lady Estellise ever again."
"Dame Margaret, I'll decide who I can or cannot speak with!" Lady Estellise said. "I'm not a little girl anymore, so please stop treating me like one! Honestly!"
"Ever since she turned fourteen, she's been like a wild horse." Dame Margaret said, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Where did our good Estellise go?"
"From the look of things, afternoon studies followed by horse-riding lessons." Lady Estellise answered.
"...Where you'll be wearing..." Margaret shuddered. "...trousers, and doing your own saddling and bridling." Dame Margaret said. "And walking around those revolting poo covered stalls and fields, eww. The one place I dare not go lest I soil my fine clothes. If this keeps up your fine white skin will darken and you'll turn into a muscle-bound gorilla."
I doubt that'll happen, besides, lady Estellise could use the exercise.
"If that's what's bothering you, dame Margaret, why not wear clothing more suited to horseback riding, like a shorter skirt and easy to clean boots." lady Estellise replied. "And besides, I actually find handling horse-gear quite invigorating."
"A proper lady never wears short skirts and boots, and do not get me started on the trousers. Nor handle such heavy objects, such as saddles." Dame Margaret retorted.
Talk about old fashioned. I've seen a lot of noble-women wear shorter skirts for every day activities, course they're mostly mid-calf length. "Now please excuse us, we must go, and lady Estellise, we need to talk about this later." The two ladies get up and leave, escorted by the knights. Sir Jurgis sits down across from me.
"Well, Flynn, how'd your date go?" Sir Jurgis asked.
I felt my cheeks redden. "It's not a date, sir Jurgis, we're just talking!" I replied.
"Well, it does look like the rumors about lady Estellise taking an interest in you are true, Flynn. How did you manage it?"
I gave it some thought before I answered. "It all started a week before I graduated..."
(Start flashback, Alexei's office, nearly a year ago, standard point of view)
"Commandant Alexei, I present to you our top three students of their class." Instructor and sword-master Drake Dropwart introduces his top three students to the commandant. He first points to a blond student. "Cadet Flynn Scifo of Zaphias." Next a student with brown hair. "Cadet Hatchette Gachot of Capua Nor." and finally a female student with dark-brown hair and glasses. "Cadet Julia DuBois of Zaphias."
"Only three, Drake? Isn't there supposed to be a fourth?" Alexei asked.
"Yes, sir." Drake answered. "Cadet Yuri Lowell of Zaphias, but he can't be here right now. He's doing KP for being out after curfew and getting into a brawl with some local yobs outside some tavern called the Comet."
Flynn just rolled his eyes. "...How could Yuri just screw up like that? I almost think he didn't want to see commandant Alexei..." he thought.
Alexei chuckled. "My, I didn't know one of your best students was such a trouble making hooligan."
"True and Hatchette's almost as bad." Drake commented. True, even though he's a noble(Although his family are nobles, they run a couple of inns in Nor Harbor and Torim Harbor. Not all nobles are upper-class twits), Hatchette's a bit of a party animal, and a goof-ball, and is almost involved in the same sort of mischief as Yuri, like sneaking into the academy's dining hall for extra snacks, or sneak into the warehouse to swap training bodhi-blastias. He'd probably score higher if he didn't skip some of his training(currently Hatchette's in third place ahead of Yuri, but behind Flynn and Julia).
"Hardly the proper behavior of a noble, cadet Hatchette." Alexei said.
"Permission to speak freely, commandant." Hatchette requested.
"Granted." Alexei replied. "And that goes for the rest of you."
"Well it only because my family earned the title of noble some twelve years ago back when the emperor was alive, so we're basically first generation nobles, not quite as rich and...um...snooty as some of the older families in the twin harbors like the Staffords, Stufatos, or the DeGaulles."
"Heh heh heh... Just don't let Gradana hear you say that, cadet Hatchette. He happens to be a Stafford, and he may be your commanding officer despite your less-than stellar scores." Alexei replied and Hatchette nodded in acknowledgment. He the turns to Flynn Scifo. "So this the son of Finath Scifo, You're certainly a chip of the old block, Cadet Flynn."
"All due respect, Commandant, I'd rather not talk about my father after what he put me and my mother through." Flynn answered.
"I understand, what with him dying on you and all. The Imperial knights are quite lesser with his loss." Alexei replied. "I do hope you'll fill his sabatons one day." Alexei then turns to Julia. "It's not every day that we have a victor of the hunger games. I guess that the odds were ever in your favor."
"Um...Yes, commandant. Though I'll admit, I'm not too proud of it." How can she be? Just over two short years ago, she was sent down to Nordopolica to 'participate' in her fourth reaping. When Clara Dior was reaped, she immediately volunteered to take her place alongside the male tribute. She knew that her martial arts and knife-fighting skills would give her the best chance of surviving, she was practically groomed for this, a 'career tribute' if you will. To make a long story short, she won, she came home, at the time that was all that mattered (Read 'The Price Of A Victor' for details, Author). Still, children shouldn't be made to kill one another for some sick entertainment. Maybe someday this will all end...Someday...
"Something on your mind, cadet Julia?" Alexei asked, snapping Julia out of her reminiscing. "You were staring off into space there."
"Oh, my apologies, commandant." Julia apologized. "I was just remembering those unpleasant days."
"Anyway, as a reward for your high scores, I'll inform you early of your assignments upon graduation, next week." Alexei said to the three cadets. "Flynn Scifo, you will be assigned to the command of captain Niren Fedrock, commander of the garrison in Shizontonia. The same goes for Yuri Lowell, So you will let him know...once he's done peeling potatoes."
"Yes, commandant!" Flynn saluted.
"Hatchette Gachot, Julia DuBois, due to your status as nobles and your high scores, you two will be automatically assigned into the Royal Guard, under the command of captain Gradana Stafford of the Royal Guard. I trust you two will bring honor to the Guard."
"We will, Commandant!" Hatchette and Julia saluted.
"That will be all. Dismissed." Alexei dismissed the cadets and their instructor.
"Congratulations on your assignments, you three." Drake smiled as he and the cadets walk down the hallway.
"I suppose so." Hatchette said. "It's too bad we can't be all assigned to the same brigade."
"Yeah, Hatchette." Flynn replied. "But You and Julia are nobles, and me and Yuri are just a couple of Lower Quarter punks."
"Yeah, but boy can we four party!" Hatchette said.
"And I'm always getting dragged into your craziness, and having to bail you three out. Good grief." Julia sighed. "But I'll admit, it was a barrel of laughs driving most of our instructors crazy. Heh heh heh."
"True, Julia, I never thought you of all people would actually be friends with the likes of us." Flynn said.
"Me neither, Flynn, well not at first anyway." Julia replied, remembering how cold and snobbish she acted towards those three knuckleheads. "But eventually, you three managed to rub off of me. Maybe someday we'll meet up again and see what kind of silliness we can get ourselves in...and out of." In the end she, in her own hoidy-toidy way, can be a knucklehead too. Always one in every group, trying to keep the rest of their feet on the ground.
"Looking forward to it." Flynn said just as they went around the corner... And he bumps into someone. "Oh excuse me..." He apologies to this rather slender pink haired boy wearing a red tailcoat, white trousers and black riding boots. "I didn't mean to bump into you like that."
The pink haired boy looks at Flynn with his green eyes for several seconds before he... "KYAAAH! OH MY GOD! YOU'RE SO CUTE!" Squeed in a high, girly voice and hugged Flynn with all his might.
"ACK! Hey not so tight! Let go!" Flynn yelped in surprise "Just my luck!"
"Can I keep him, master Drake? Pleeeaaassseee can I keep him?" The pink haired boy asked.
"I'm afraid not, lady Estellise." Drake answered. Wait a minute... did drake just address this pink haired kid...lady? This girlish boy's really a...girl!?
"Awwwww!" Estellise protested as she let go of Flynn.
"Hah... Hah... Hah... Wait what!?... Hah... Hah... You... Hah... Hah... You're a GIRL!?" Flynn was shocked as he gasped for breath, Drake, Hatchette and Julia were trying to stifle their laughter.
"Oh, how rude of me! I forgot to introduce myself.'" Estellise brings her hand up to mouth and daintily coughs. "My name is Estellise Sidos Heurassein, pleased to hug...uh...I mean meet you." She does a short bow.
"Oh, right, my name is Flynn Scifo." Flynn introduced himself.
"Hatchette Gachot."
"Julia DuBois. It's been a couple of years since I last saw you. You've grown quite a bit."
"Oh, you're the victor of the games two years ago." Estellise said to the bespectacled cadet. "I met you before you left, remember?"
"Um...Yes. Both you and prince Ioder came to wish me luck" Julia answered.
"...I wonder if you're still interested in Ioder?" Estellise asked?
"...Well..." Julia presses her fingers together. "Ever since the ball on my victory tour, I've… Since fallen out of love for him and found...someone else..."
"I see..." Estellise replied. "… I remember the dance you two had… You two were so beautiful… Until..."
"… Yeah, We accidentally knocked over a cake on ourselves and got completely dirty." Julia's face reddens. "That was very embarrassing… It certainly didn't help that you were all laughing at that… Including Ioder..." That got Drake chuckling, which made Julia blush some more. "...Sir Drake...Please..."
"Hold on, didn't master Drake address you as lady?" Flynn asked.
"Um... Yes, you see, I'm a princess." Estellise stated.
"YOU'RE THE PRINCESS!?" Flynn and Hatchette were surprised to say the least.
"Well, duh, you two..." Julia snarked. "What's the matter? Never saw her without her makeup before…?"
"Last time I checked, yes I am." All three cadets then bow. "Hey, you three don't need to do that!"
"It's standard protocol, lady Estellise." Drake said.
"I know, but still..." Estellise replied.
"Um...Not to be rude or anything...um...lady Estellise, but why are you...dressed like that? I mean shouldn't a princess be wearing a... gown or something?" Flynn hesitantly asked.
"Cadet Scifo." Drake glowered.
"It's okay, master Drake, I think they need to know why I'm dressed like this." Estellise interjected. "This is because I'm taking horse-riding lessons, and I find that this outfit is quite practical for my lessons, seeing as floor length skirts and high-heels aren't quite suited for those fields. And besides (twirls around) Don't I look cute in this?"
"Um...Yes, lady Estellise, you look quite cute(in a tomboyish way)" Flynn answered.
Estellise Happily presses her hands to her now reddened cheeks. "Why thank you, Flynn, hee hee!"
Just then a voice calls out from around the corner. "Lady Estellise, where are you? I have to make sure you're properly dressed for your lessons."
"Oh no! Dame Margaret! I'm sorry I have to cut this conversation short, but if she catches me, she'll make wear a skirt and heels, and then complain about how dirty I got them. Bye!" And Estellise does a quick bow and runs down the hallway just as a young lady, her flaxen hair in two buns in the back of her head, came around the corner.
"Master Drake, Have you seen lady Estellise? I need to get her properly attired." Margaret asked
"Yes, I saw her." Drake answered. "She Hugged one of my cadets..." he points at Flynn, who blushes. "... And then ran off when she heard your voice."
"Which way did she go?" Margaret asked.
Flynn, Hatchette and Julia all pointed in different directions. "She went that a way." they all said, confusing Margaret.
"Really, you three. I swear that Yuri's a bad influence on you three, especially on you two, Hatchette and Julia." Drake scolded, the three cadets just smile sheepishly and rub the back of their heads. "She really ran that way." Drake points down the hallway that Estellise ran down.
"She was RUNNING!?" Margaret gasped. "A proper lady shouldn't run, she shouldn't be wearing trousers either! LADY ESTELLISE, GET BACK HERE!" Margaret starts running down the hall, only to trip on her skirt and do a face-plant "Owwww!". Drake and the cadets can't help but laugh.
"You should take your own advice, dame Margaret." Drake shakes her head. "Skirts like that weren't mean for running, you know." Margaret blushes, and continues to pursue Estellise...at a brisk walk. "Ah, she's new here. It'll be a while before she used to lady Estellise's... favorite activities. Like pre-dawn jogs around the courtyard and her horse-back riding."
(Ending flashback, returning to the dining hall, Flynn's point of view)
"Ha ha ha ha! So at first you thought lady Estellise was a guy, huh, Flynn?" Sir Jurgis laughed.
I felt my cheeks turn red. "Um...Yes, sir Jurgis, what with her short hair and her riding outfit." I replied. "Anyway, how did your meeting with commandant Alexei go?"
"Well, a lot better than yours, Flynn." Sir Jurgis replied. Commandant Alexei practically chewed me out over the fact that Captain Niren chose to put the safety of Shizontonia over attending an upcoming ceremony celebrating the end of the great war. "Well it seems that commandant Alexei wants to form a new blue front line brigade to replace the one lost in the great war, and I've been promoted to captain and I'll be forming this brigade."
"Congratulations, sir Jurgis." I saluted the newly promoted captain and then shook his hand.
"Thank you, Flynn." Sir Jurgis replied. "And I would like to invite you to join the newly formed Jurgis Brigade. Do you accept?"
"I do." I replied. Finally to be a fully certified knight instead of of being in a second-line garrison.
"Good, Now I'll have to go to the refugee camp, I plan to invite the rest of the former Niren corps to join, If I'm gonna start this brigade, best to go with the people we know right?"
"I guess, captain Jurgis, I guess that Elvin, Dave, the twins will be more than willing to join up." I said.
"Yeah, but I'm afraid that the twins are out." Sir Jurgis shook his head.
"Huh?"
"They got assigned to the Royal Guard." Sir Jurgis said.
"The Royal Guard? But don't they only take nobles?" I asked.
"I'll explain as we get fitted for our new armor, Flynn." Sir Jurgis replied. We left the dining hall and went down to the armory. I have a feeling that my new armor will be the same armor that I'm wearing...only blue instead of green. And sir Jurgis, now that he's captain will have his own distinctive style of blue armor.
(End part 2)
Author's Notes:
Julia DuBois is my OC character that'll be appearing in all my Valssu fan-fics. Think Sayoko Shinozaki from 'Code Geass' only with deep blue eyes and glasses and talks a bit like Rarity from 'My little Pony friendship is Magic', and you get the basic idea what she looks like. Her pre-academy background is inspired by The Hunger games Galaxies by fellow fan-fic writer, War292004 (Disclaimer: I do not Own Hunger Games Galaxies, that's the property of fellow fan-fic writer War292004, I'm just borrowing it.).
This chapter is my interpretation of Flynn's and Estellise's first meeting. As well as How Flynn got into that Blue armor we see him wear at the start of the game.
Margaret is based on that lady that was accompanying Estellise in "ToV, The first strike". I imagine her to be to Estellise like Dame Barbara was to princess Savina in the Smurfs, only younger.
Since Jurgis is a Lithuanian name, I thought it would give him an appropriate last name, Vytautas, which happens to be a name of a Lithuanian ruler from the fourteenth century.
Also Since Hatchette is a Flemish name(I think), I gave him a suitable Flemish surname. Also did a little tinkering with his family, made them nouveau-nobles, It's a word.