For Want of a War
Chapter 4: Ramza
oOo
I was nearly asleep when Delita's wet washcloth slapped my chin, hurled from across the room where the other bath was. With an angry, wordless yell I sat up, pulling it from my face to glare at him.
"Ramza, if you fall asleep and drown in the tub, people will hold me responsible," Delita informed me. I threw the rag at his face and he caught it with one hand, dragging it back into the steaming tub with him.
"...And what prevented you from, I don't know, getting out of the tub and waking me?" I demanded, glaring.
"Ramza, stand," my best friend replied. After a moment's hesitation, I did. After only a second or two, the chill of the autumn air on my damp skin, even in the heated baths, was enough to prompt me to sit back in the tub.
"Point proven," I admitted. I scowled as I leaned back in the tub. "You know, I don't think it's fair that you're going to be excluded from the dinner tonight. You were here guarding my father's back with the rest of us cadets. Some of the other people at the dinner are going to BE commoners anyway. Why can't you come?"
Delita sighed, shaking his head.
"Ramza, it's a matter of principal to the event organizers. Nobles on one side, commoners on the other. Your father barely got the invite for you as it is," my dark-haired friend noted, washing his arms. He glanced over to me. "Even Balbanes couldn't override Larg for me as well. Not on a matter of state such as this."
"It's still unfair," I grunted, splashing water onto my face and rubbing the grit from it. When Delita said nothing in response, I waited for the water to drain from my face before finding the grin on his. "What have you done now?"
"Oh, this wasn't my doing, I assure you," Delita admitted, lifting his hands in a helpless gesture. He grinned, admitting, "You can lay this scheme squarely at your sister's feet."
I slouched further into my tub.
This would not be pleasant.
oOo
Despite my prods, Delita refused to expand on his hints, merely deflecting my questions and promising me that I would learn more later. So, with a little bit of dread bouncing around in the back of my mind, we made our way to the garden where we were due to meet up with our sisters.
Alma and Teta both sat on a stone bench as we approached, and they were truly a study in contrasts, much the same way Delita and I were. Alma was blond and fair, while Teta's hair looked nearly black even in bright sunlight and her skin was the color of chocolate. Even their dresses were a stark contrast, with Alma wearing bright, sunny yellow with red highlights while Teta wore a dark purple picked out in white.
Of course, the fact that my sister was naturally outgoing to Teta's own shyness only added to the impression. Where Teta didn't even raise her head to look us in the eyes as we approached, Alma stood and waved.
We approached, with Alma giving me a rib-creakingly tight hug before she allowed me to have a seat on a second bench. Teta favoured her brother with a far more sedate hug before he joined me, the two girls reclaiming their seats.
"Okay... What have you done?" I finally asked with a sigh, not even bothering to voice a greeting.
"Ramza, is that really what you think of your youngest sister? Are you so uncouth that you would skip pleasantries to demand what scheme I've concocted?" Alma said, her voice slightly shrill as she glared at me.
Yeah, I'd been her brother for fifteen years. I just raised one eyebrow and tilted my head. She grinned and handed me an envelope of a heavy, cream-coloured parchment with my name written across the face in fancy writing. I opened it, pulling out the card and reading the contents.
Ramza Beoulve and Guest are cordially invited
to the celebratory feast and dance at Igros
on
September 17th, Ajora's Year 1257
After a moment, I glanced up at my sister.
"Why is this special?" I demanded, scowling slightly at Alma. Her grin was almost infectious, but I was well-used to her schemes by now and knew that whatever I was missing would prove to be a headache for me. "We both knew we were going to be at the event tonight."
"Well, well..." Delita noted, peering over my shoulder. At my questioning look, he continued, "It's an invitation for one Ramza Beoulve, that's you, and a guest of your choice. It doesn't matter who it is, but generally you're expected to bring a female companion of some sort."
He glanced up at my sister.
"Would I be wrong if I thought your invitation was similar, but read 'Alma Beoulve and Escort'?" Delita asked, his own grin matching my sister's. He crossed his arms and smiled at me. "I guess this means I get to go to the ball after all, Ramza."
"I've told you that you need to be more like Delita, Ramza," Alma murmured, rising and plucking my invitation from my hands. She flashed me a smile. "It's very simple, brother. Delita will be my escort, since I dare not show up without one, not with all of my classmates who will be showing up with escorts of their own. Likewise you will bring Teta to the dinner tonight."
I blinked.
I blinked again.
Yet despite the smile on my sister's face, matched by the one on my best friend's face, I felt nothing but trepidation. It's not that I have anything against Delita. In fact, I had been wishing earlier that he could, in fact, join me.
Nor was it that I thought Teta didn't deserve to go or that I had anything against her. Despite how shy she was, she'd been a playmate of mine when we were children and I had fond memories of the four of us darting around Igros as children.
However my sister's plans had always lead directly into trouble.
For me.
Alma was younger, and a girl. Likewise many people considered Delita and Teta nothing more than simple commoners, despite their education. Thus, it always fell to me to take the blame for whatever happened.
And damn me, whenever my sister pouted like that, I caved in. I didn't even bother to try to deflect her idea. I knew that no matter what happened, my sister would be on Delita's arm and Teta would be on mine tonight when I approached the banquet hall, and thus it would be a better use of my time to prepare for the inevitable instead of trying to stop the unstoppable.
Grinning at her victory, Alma asked us about our morning spars, complimenting Delita on his decision to have us bathe before meeting them. Yet I have to admit, the surprised smile on Teta's face did, perhaps, make the upcoming pain well-worth whatever headaches would ensue tonight.
I'd be a poor friend if I'd left her to find a meal at the kitchens instead of attending the event if it was within my power to change the fact.
oOo
Several hours later, as the sun began to set over the beach a few miles west of Igros, I made my way to the banquet hall. When I reached a corridor nearby where we had all agreed to meet, I found Delita and Alma chatting as Teta shifted nervously.
Evidently my sister had decided that the two girls would make an impression on the people waiting in the large hall. Alma wore a pale blue dress that I couldn't help but notice complimented her features very well. White ribbons tied in bows at the hem of her skirt were weaved into the pleats, encircling her waist before crisscrossing her torso and leading up to her shoulders, where more tied bows finished the ensemble. Teta's dress was exactly the same, but done in a blood-red with black ribbons which complimented her skin and hair perfectly.
Standing together, they looked almost like twins, but for their wildly different coloration. I glanced down at the orange dublet I wore and compared it to Delita's dark blue. No doubt we would match our companions, but the colors my sister had chosen for our outfits would leave no doubts in the minds of any who viewed us that it was the two girls who were supposed to draw everyone's attention.
I offered my arm to Teta, who took it with a grateful smile as my sister latched on to Delita. I led the four of us to the doors of the banquet hall. Upon seeing me, the herald waved our quartet forward and allowed us to bypass the line. Only natural, given that the man had, until recently, done his best to ensure I knew proper protocol.
Not that he had ever succeeded, but even I remembered enough of protocol to know that, as a child of the host, I was to be given precedence in entering the hall. After the man announced us, Alma bade us to wait near the entrance, a vicious grin on her face as she looked towards the doorway.
After the herald announced a girl I recognized to be Alma's classmate, I realized my devious sister's motives. Alma had recently mentioned that Teta was being teased at the preparatory academy the pair attended. The other noble girls, it seemed, felt insulted that a commoner like Teta was included in their classes. It was then that I understood my sister's plan.
By having me show up when I had, she had ensured that Teta would be allowed to walk by the line, walk right by all of her classmates, and be among the first allowed entrance into the most prominent social event of the year.
As Alma's classmate paused and shot Alma a glare, she leaned in to talk to the young man escorting her. After a brief moment of confusion, I recognized his face. He had been among the men Marquis Elmdor brought with him two days previous. A squire in knight training, if my memory served me correctly. Our meeting had been brief, I recalled.
As he walked by, he began to speak.
"It would seem they'll let anyone in. Then again, I suppose with the right... favours, even a Beoulve will allow an animal to ride on their coattails," His voice was far too loud to have been conversation. As Teta stiffened in my arm, my sister met my eyes and jerked her head once at the blond who had spoken.
Not that I'd needed the prompt.
I dropped Teta's hand and took two quick steps, tapping the blond youth on the shoulder. He stopped, Alma's classmate dropping her hands from his arm as he turned towards me.
"You'll apologize," I informed him curtly. I noticed that many eyes were upon us, now. Including my father, Orlandu, and Marquis Elmdor at the head table. To my father's left, my brother Dycedarg was already clenching his knife with a white-knuckle grip, having correctly guessed where the events transpiring would lead. Alma's escort hesitated for a second, and I simply continued with, "Now."
"I think not," he replied, glancing at Teta dismissively. The fool really should have kept his eyes on me after offering that sort of insult. With a crunch, my fist impacted against the snotty idiot's nose, and the familiar feel of cartilage cracking was echoed by the familiar sight of blood spraying dramatically down a man's front.
Algus dropped to the floor, as my mind finally supplied his name from our first meeting.
"You know, Ramza," Delita remarked drily, Alma holding his arm. I could tell that my sister was doing her best to hide a giggle, though she didn't even attempt to hide her approval. "Typically you're supposed to remove your glove before using it to issue a challenge,"
"Really?" I asked, my tone bland as I gazed at my blood-spattered glove in mock-wonderment. I let my hand drop and glared at the blond youth on the floor. "I suppose a bastard like me is unaware of proper protocol. I'm sure you'll forgive me for my lack of proper nobility. However, even I know what comes next. You have the choice of weapon, I believe."
Wiping the blood from his mouth, Algus glared at me as he climbed to his feet.
My father glanced at me once, his face attempting to be grim before he offered a dry chuckle as he nudged T.G. Cid to his left. Dycedarg merely lifted his hand to pinch at the bridge of his nose in disgust.
Algus' eyes found the lapels of my doublet, grinning as he stood. The silver shield of a knight in training glinted prominently at his own throat.
"I choose knight swords, then," he informed me. My, but didn't he sound confident.
Alma didn't bother to hide the giggles in her throat, then. Nor did Delita attempt to stifle the belly laugh he allowed to fill the entire banquet hall. Even shy Teta was now smiling a bit as she glanced at me, and I returned the smile with a grin of my own.
After sparring with Zalbag this morning, this duel would prove to be especially cathartic.
oOo
Author's Notes:
Ramza PAWNCH!
Oh, you thought that because I was casting Weigraf, Miluda, and Zalbag as all-around good guys that everyone would get some form of redemption, large or small? No, no, no. That wouldn't leave me with any fun villains to use! Oh, that and Algus is kind of a raging douche with no redeeming qualities.
Without Ramza saving Algus, I don't picture him even trying to get along with him. Combined with the two illegitimate children showing up with two commoners, and yeah... He might make an inappropriate comment or two. Which prompted Ramza to respond appropriately.
I think I smell another battle a-coming.
As for Alma... Even in the bland text in-game, she comes off as slightly manipulative and bratty. That means that she shares a lot of characteristics with Delita here in the FWAWverse. This story's actually interesting in that instead of having to world-build through exposition, I've got to fill in the blanks with a lot of characters and sort of character-build, retroactively applying certain traits in order to expand on the in-game stuff.
It's been a bit of a learning experience, I'll admit.