For the Glory of the Empire

(Chapter One)

Gabranth was a very manipulative man, and knew exactly how to get what he wanted. It was one of the reasons why he would eventually become the Judge Magister.

But first, he would have to get revenge on his twin, Basch.

Basch…

Merely thinking the name made Gabranth see red. Forcibly calming himself down, he rode to the gates of Rabanastre as he replaced his visor—it would not do to show the commoners that he was, in fact, a hume as so many of the others were, and not a God or demon as they thought he was.

Even so, it was still night, and that meant that – once he dismounted his chocobo – he could move about unimpeded.

Gabranth knew of a nearby orphanage—one with a reputation for following orders left by their clients to the letter, and also for the fact that they rarely asked questions.

Both were reasons that his twin had been trying to shut it (among others) down—the fool cared far too much for those beneath him.

As he entered the building, Gabranth began writing a note for Eurias that would explain everything. If all went according to plan, then things would work out rather well indeed…

The young woman behind the counter suddenly saw him and, in obvious fear, exclaimed, "C-captain Gabranth, w-what a p-p-pleasant surprise! What can we do for you?"

Setting the bundle containing the baby on the desk and placing the letter on top, he said, "This boy's name is Eurias. He will be my heir in every matter—therefore, he is not to be adopted. When he is old enough to read, you will give him this letter. When he has read it, you will then release him into my care. You are not to let my brother know of this, under any circumstances. If you fail me, I will promptly kill your family while you are forced to watch. Am I clear, or must I explain again?"

Gulping in ever-increasing terror, the woman nodded and wrote everything down. When she looked up, she saw that Gabranth was nearly out the door.

Summoning what little courage she had, the woman said, "Sir, you may be a captain of the Emperial army, but even you will have to pay for our services."

Turning to look over his shoulder at the woman, Gabranth easily quelled her with a glare. After a moment, he said, "Very well then. Every week, you will receive an amount of gil to be used exclusively on Eurias. Any remaining will go into a trust fund for him. And for paperwork expenses now…"

He tossed a sack of gil at her that was ten times more than she was going to charge him.

"That should cover everything, I believe."

With that, Gabranth walked out the door.

It would be another four years before he personally saw Eurias again.

________

(Five years later…)

For as long as Eurias could remember, he had lived in the orphanage where he'd been left. He was starting to learn to read, but it was hard.

Today, though, he was about to find a rather sudden change in his schedule.

The tutor said, "Eurias, you may go now."

Confused, he asked, "Sir, d-did I do something wrong? Because if I did, just give me a chance to fix it and–"

Looking at the boy with an amused glint in his eyes, the man—Kioran, as he was named—said, "No Eurias, you haven't done anything wrong. In fact, you're almost exceeding my expectations. It's becoming difficult to think of new lessons that keep you challenged. For this reason, I am giving you the rest of the day to go out and spend as you see fit. Besides, today's the festival that everyone else wants so badly to attend, isn't it?"

Not seeing what was so great about a festival, the boy asked, "Yes, but what does that have to do with anything? I want to be a soldier, and soldiers don't have time for festivals."

With an almost sad smile, Kioran explained, "Ah, but today is a very unique festival—Judge Gabranth is to make an appearance. I know that if I denied you this chance to see your hero in person, you would obey me for now, but plot to kill me in the most horrid way possible sooner or later. So go, meet your idol—the man who, someday, will be your commanding officer."

Eyes widening at the news that Gabranth was to appear, Eurias bolted from his desk and left the building, but not before shouting an enthusiastic "Thank you!" to Kioran.

As Eurias ran out amongst the common, regular people, he realized that he wasn't sure where he needed to be. As he saw a rather knowledgeable-looking Moogle, he ran up to them and asked, "Excuse me, but if I wanted to see Judge Gabranth, where would I need to go?"

The Moogle said, "You'd have to go to the other side of Rabanastre, kupo. Our transportation crystals can take you their, kupo. But don't worry, because of the festival, it's for free today, kupo."

Realizing that this was his chance, Eurias asked, "Then may I please use the crystal?"

"Sure thing, kupo."

Reaching out and touching the crystal, Eurias felt a strange sensation throughout his entire body as the powerful Magick pulsed around him, before it deposited him near the West Gate.

From there, he saw posters and flyers about the goings-on, and wondered why he hadn't learned of this before today.

Running into the throng, he noted that the street was empty—there must've been a parade about to begin.

Wedging and forcing himself through until he was able to see what was happening, Eurias heard a trumpet sounding just as he achieved his immediate goal.

At that signal, the doors of the palace opened, and all the off-duty troops came out.

Marching perfectly in-step, faces forward, the soldiers came in rows of twelve—just enough to fit in the street without the risk of trampling any of the onlookers.

First, it was the infantry—clad in their dress armor, they held their weapons forward and upright.

Then came the mages—those skilled in the different Magicks, whether it be White, Black, Time, Arcane, or anything imagineable. Clad in their scarlet robes, they were truly majestic to behold.

After the mages, there rode the chocobo-mounted cavalry. Not quite as heavily armored as the infantry, but faster and with an altitude advantage, they were ever more deadly.

And then, finally, there was a steel platform pulled by six chocobos. It covered most of the street, and was roughly twelve feet wide by twenty feet long. Upon it sat the Judge Magisters, resplendent in all their glory.

But Eurias's eyes ignored all but one: the strongest of them, Judge Gabranth.

He didn't wear his helmet today, as he usually did—this time, he was the only Judge Magister that didn't.

Standing erect with his arms crossed, swords in their scabbards, Gabranth looked like the paragon of physical and mental power.

To Eurias's young eyes, he looked as though a God.

The Judge Magister's eyes were subtly shifting, ever looking for potential threats—it was the way he was. And as Gabranth observed the young boy, Eurias could've sworn that he saw the legendary war hero nod at him, as if he were already someone important.

All the rest of that day, and all of that night, Eurias held on to that image of Gabranth nodding at him. The approval of his hero was what he wanted more than anything, and he felt as though he already had it.

______

This work is steadily getting longer, folks. Right now, I'm estimating about three to five more chapters or so of FFXII-verse before Naruto (i.e. Eurias) returns to his homeworld. Ultimately, this fic will NOT have a pairing at all, unless I change my mind – and if I do, then it will be Ashe – or maybe Penelo. Please, tell me what you think.