Chapter 9: Thomas Kaufman

Rita, Judy and Estelle all sat quietly in the Commandant's quarters as they measured the tension that hung in the air between Yuri and Flynn in the span of minutes. Though the rivalry between them had always been there since childhood, the level of competition had taken new heights where Estelle was concerned. Raven and Karol sat apart from the group closer to the fireside, one with coffee and the other with cocoa and Repede curled up between them. No one was going to interfere for the time being.

"So you want me to limit Estelle's guard detail to just three?" asked Flynn calmly.

"We'll provide better protection for her than any of your guards," responded Yuri coolly, his gaze purposefully turning to the coffee cup on the side table next to him. "And we want your guards to stay as far away from her as possible so our plan can work."

"So you're just going to use her as bait?" asked Flynn.

"You were going to let them use her as a pawn. What's your point?" retorted Yuri.

"Estellise's safety—" began the Commandant.

"Estelle will be secure in our capable hands. This was her decision. Brave Vesperia is merely acting upon our client's wishes."

"So you're risking the fate of the Empire for the sake of your plan?"

"No more than you'd risk her happiness for the sake of the Empire," responded Yuri.

"I'm not the one risking her life in the process!" said Flynn hotly.

"No, but you'd rather keep her caged and miserable for the remainder of her life?" challenged Yuri.

"She could still find contentment in the fact that she's saving her Empire, and with…" he hesitated. "With me."

"But she wants to be happy; and the person she wants to be with isn't you," finished Yuri.

More silent tension.

"We're not talking about the plan anymore, are we?" laughed Karol nervously, breaking the ice. Raven shook his head but didn't dare throw in his two cents.

"Gentlemen," sighed Rita, standing up and rubbing her agitated frontal lobe. "We don't have time for this. We need to save Ioder as soon as possible or else all of this is moot."

"I agree," said Judith, standing up as well. "Please, Commandant, put your faith in Brave Vesperia once more. You trusted us once to save the world. Trust us now to save the Empire," she said diplomatically.

After a moment's puase Flynn nodded once. "I will order my guards to keep a distance from Estellise, if that is what she wishes." The Commandant stole a glance towards the princess, who could not meet his gaze.

In the four years that she had known him, she had never seen him quite so openly passionate about anything. Flynn was always the model knight, never losing his cool—which is why when she was younger she admired him immensely. There was a time when she had thought that she fancied him above all other men, even to the point of falling in love with him. She had thought it to be a very one-sided affection. But with his absences from the Castle and then his knight's journey that took him to the far reaches of the world, he had left her behind and Estelle's feelings for him faded as she grew acquainted with Yuri. Only now did she realize that Flynn had similar feelings for her, but never acted upon them. Though she sat only a few feet away from him, between them was a chasm of possibilities long gone.

She stood up after a moment's hesitation and walked over to Flynn, taking his hand. The others watched silently. Now, as she stood in the same room with the man she had thought she loved when she was a child, and the man she loved now, Estelle saw that they were both admirable gentlemen whom she held in very high esteem.

"If it doesn't work out the way I'd like, Flynn, I will ascend the imperial throne and reconsider your proposal of marriage," she said quietly. "For the sake of the Empire." Yuri gritted his teeth and looked away, but said nothing.

Flynn looked at her for a moment and smiled. "So I'm the back-up plan?" He touched a lock of her hair and tucked it behind her ear gently. "You know where to find me if you need my assistance." Her emerald eyes met his sapphire gaze and they shared a quiet, honest moment. Yuri took that as their queue to exit and before anyone realized, he was at the princess' side, hand on her waist, escorting her out.

"Thanks, Flynn," said Yuri quietly.

"Don't mention it," sighed Flynn. "It's what she wants. I can't stand in her way." Yuri gave his friend and nod and their group left the Commandants quarters.

000

"If they were going to put another ribbon in my hair I was going to blast them with a meteor storm," pouted Rita as she picked up the hem of her mint green gown and gingerly stepped down the spiral staircase in her delicate heeled shoes.

"At least you don't have to wear smelly armor," sighed Judith from behind her metal helm's face guard. They had decided because she was an admirable fighter, she would join Yuri and Raven as Estelle's guard detail. Adorned with the simple blue markings of the Flynn Brigade and a fighting spear, the Krytian clanked her way in her fancy metal boots behind Rita.

"There's no sense in trying to sneak up on people in this get up, is there?" she lamented. "With all its rigidity I'm surprised that I still have complete range of motion in this thing. But why does it smell in here?"

"You'll be front and center with Raven and myself, which makes you one of the prime targets to take out first if they're really after Estelle," responded Yuri, who chose to wear the red markings of the Royal Guard as opposed to the blue colors of the Flynn Brigade—out of pride. There was no way he'd be working under Flynn, even if this was just a charade.

"There's no need to be sneaking up on people," he added.

"It smells because they eat, sleep, drink and practice in their gear, Judy Dear," answered Raven, dressed similarly but armed with a crossbow and short dagger at his side. "And they do gods know what else in these things. But they polish it day and night on the outside for appearances."

"That doesn't help me at all now, does it?" she sighed.

"Hey, give me a knight's suit of armor any day over this thing," said Karol sullenly as he trailed behind Judith. He was wearing the velvet gray tunic and black cap with a tall, creamy white plume, indicative of all pages in the castle. He tugged at the high collar that chaffed at the neckline.

"Sorry, Captain Karol," said Yuri. "You wouldn't really fit in a suit of armor."

"Vertically challenged, is what he means," smirked Rita. Karol gave her an indignant stare.

"You and Rita will be able to stay by Estelle at all times, so don't fall asleep and pay attention to everything and everyone around you," said Raven as they neared the bottom of the stairs.

Just as they came to the main floor, the princess stepped out to meet them. The servants had dressed her to the nines in a pale yellow silk gown with a high-necked collar to accentuate her slender frame, covered in a cream chiffon shell that trailed a bit behind her. Her hair was tied up and clasped with a gold clip and a short silk cloth covered the bun. A simple gold tiara with tiny emeralds to match her eyecolor adorned her head.

Raven let out a little whistle. Estelle blushed, embarrassed to be the only one so formally dressed She stole a glance at Yuri, who couldn't take his eyes off her. His expression was inscrutable.

"First in line of duties is the private luncheon with the brother of the President of Fortune's Market," said Karol reading from a long list he pulled from his pocket of the things the Council had lined up for Estelle that week. "It's a good thing I had received a poison testing needle from the Mushroom Guild a while back. Otherwise, I might be poisoned testing all of Estelle's food."

"Mushroom Gui--? Wait, no, I'm not even going to ask," Rita said as she put a hand to her temple. "At least you'll have a chance to eat. I can barely breathe in this corset."

"Judy Dear, you're with me," interrupted Raven. "We'll guard the entrance to the dining hall. Yuri will take his post behind Estelle's chair. Rita, when you and Karol get the chance, excuse yourselves and start mingling with the others in the hall to see what you can find out."

"Directing us like a true intelligence officer," mused Judy.

"Years of practice, darlin.' Years of practice," he smiled.

As the group walked a little ahead of them, Yuri and Estelle fell behind. He walked silently by her side at first but seeing an opportunity, gently pulled her into an alcove away from prying eyes and ears.

"If this guy makes you uncomfortable or tries anything, just give me a signal and I'll—" he started. She giggled.

"It's all right Yuri. I can take care of myself in these situations. But your offer is appreciated," she said before she stepped up on her toes and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"I'm going to protect you, Estelle. No matter what." There was a serious look in his eye that made Estellise wonder if he wasn't joking when he said he'd kidnap her to keep her from marrying anyone else. "I'm going to protect everything that's honest and good about you. I want you to always smile." Though he really couldn't express himself well in words, especially when it came to what he felt for Estelle, he knew that his world was a little brighter and more interesting for having known her. If Flynn or anyone else were to take that away from him, he had no idea what he would do, or what he was capable of doing. He couldn't let it come to that.

"I have faith in Brave Vesperia, but I have faith in you, Yuri, most of all," responded Estelle with that luminescent smile that reached even his dark thoughts. He bent down to gently touch his lips to hers so as to not smear her make-up.

"Now, now, you two," smiled Raven as he ushered them back in line with the others. "Am I going to have to separate you? There will be no lip locking while in public. We don't want to give ourselves away now, do we?"

Yuri grunted and put his visor back in place. He turned to her and offered his hand to her like a proper gentleman and she stepped gracefully ahead of him.

"That's better," smiled Raven as he placed his visor in place and followed after Yuri. "Keep your hands where I can see 'em, boy."

000

Princess Estellise sat patiently and alone at the table as the servants brought in plates of food for her luncheon. The guests' chair remained empty as the dishes came in. She tapped her gloved hand lightly on the mahogany tabletop as Karol dipped his poison testing needle into each of the dishes laid out for her. Rita had already excused herself and was hobnobbing among some of the nobles at another table as if she had belonged to the nobility all her life. Being haughty, apparently, came naturally to her.

Estelle could feel what Yuri was thinking though he remained quietly standing at attention behind her chair. It was incredibly rude to keep a lady waiting, and a royal at that. But then the doors opened again and a tall, handsome young man with glasses and gaudy robes entered hastily. His attendants pulled out his chair and he plopped down into it, as if extremely fatigued. Letting out a great sigh of relief he smiled winsomely at Estellise.

"A thousand pardons, my lovely Princess. I hate to keep a woman waiting but the Coucil was talking my ear off. Though my sister has the final say in all deals concerning Fortune's Market, I do flatter myself that she does listen to my suggestions once in a while." He picked up his goblet of wine and drank it without stopping until it was empty. Estelle just looked at him with wide-eyed astonishment. Dabbing the sides of his mouth with a napkin he motioned for the servant nearest him to fill his cup again.

"Is that so?" asked the princess in her polite manner of speaking.

"We were discussing what to do with the metal scrap parts of the converted blastia, as well as the marriage arrangements between us, of course," he said as if listing items on a 'to do' list. Estelle thought she heard Yuri clenching his metal gauntlets' into fists.

"I see," said Estelle. "You're so certain that I will consent, then?"

"What does consent have to do with it?" he asked, a little surprised. "People of our stature marry for mutual gain, don't we?"

"Unfortunately, yes," answered Estelle, taking a deep breath. She was tempted to conjure a burst of light to blind him so she could make a run for it. Instead, Estellise would change the subject.

"Tell me more about yourself, then. I am greatly intrigued by a man who has so much confidence in himself," she said, quite tongue-in-cheek.

"Well, as you know, my name is Thomas Kaufman and I help my sister, the esteemed President Elle Kaufman run Fortune's Market. I'm also her chief researcher of new product lines. I have a keen personal interest in bottled elixirs,"

"Oh?" asked Estelle, a little intrigued now. "Such as nectars and…poison antidotes and the like?"

"Yes. I have a team of chemists who go with me around the world to obtain extracts and create improved elixirs. Since the barriers are all gone, people will need to stock up on the things we have to sell in bottles, especially if they plan to travel."

"So would you consider yourself a poisons expert?"

"There are no poisons in this world that I haven't heard of. If I haven't, it must be a recently created hybrid extract," he replied confidently. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason. I was thinking it would be detrimental to the Empire if people could simply buy rare hybrid poisons from you to eliminate politcal rivals and the like. You're making killing way too simple. Is the assassin's guild your biggest poison purchasing customer?" she asked pointedly.

"If you're going to judge me, you'd best reconsider the Empire's soiled hands in doing whatever it took to have a foothold on all the continents," he answered. "But no, we only sell antidotes to everyone. We are not in the business of selling poisons. That sort of chemistry is forbidden by the President as being bad for business."

"So how can you make an antidote without knowing the poison?"

"We do have the poisons, and we study it or the derivatives from hybrid elixirs, but we destroy them after the antidote has been formulated. Only the Assassin's Guild has unrestricted rules about poison. But because Fortune's Market pays better, most of the talented chemists work for us."

"Are any of your chemists with you?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Of course not, I wouldn't run the risk of having others offer them a better contract. They've signed restriction clauses that keep them at our main headquarters when they are not out in the field with me until their term of employment is up. Luckily, the Assasin's Guild all but disbanded at the death of their former leader. What was his name?" Thomas tapped absently for a minute on the tablecloth. "He had a funny accent….Yodler, was it?"

"Yeager," said Estelle.

"Well, whatever. I don't really have that much competition right now for my chemists. Out of curiosity, why do you ask?"

"I have a friend who seems to have been taken by a very strong poison. Healing artes can't subdue it. The doctors are at their wit's end. I was just trying to figure out what kind of hybrid it was."

"That's a rather tough situation," said Thomas, resing his chin in his hands. "It's probably a newer hybrid if your doctor's don't even recognize it. If you don't have any of the original poison left the other option would be to analyze his blood and the effect of the poison on his cells. It would take a while, but each poison has a different effect in terms of timing and deterioration of the cells, and also the resistance put up in the form of anti-bodies in the bloodstream, so it can be done."

"I don't know if I follow," said Estelle honestly.

"Well, let's just say each poison leaves its own signature. A blood analysis would take a while, but would eventually find the type of poison. Usually, people don't outlive the process, which is why Fortune's Market hasn't invested in this form of antidote service."

"So if I give you a sample of this blood, can I pay you to analyze it?"

"Of course. But I'll do it for free if you promise I don't have to marry you."

"Excuse me?" asked the princess, a bit surprised at his sudden frankness.

"My sister is encouraging me to make this marriage alliance. But, truthfully, I'd rather...not," he said a little hesitantly.

"That makes the both of us," she grinned.

"Well that's a relief," he smiled. His light hearted demeanor took a more serious turn however when he asked, "You want me to save the Prince, don't you?"

"W-What?" stammered Estelle.

"I figured it must be him since no one's heard a peep from him in a while. And your suddenly becoming the candidate of choice was a little odd considering it was your cousin who made the deal with the guilds to make such a huge decision and mutually give up their blastia. He was representing the Empire then, and everyone thought it was a foregone conclusion."

Estelle was speechless.

"It's all right if you can't tell me. Just keep me guessing then. Give me a sample of his blood and I'll analyze it for free. If he gets back on the throne that means I won't have to enter a political marriage with you, and that means we're both free to go where our hearts tell us, right? So we have a deal then, Lady Estellise?" He stretched an open palm over the table towards her.

Estelle extended her arm across the table and placed her gloved hand in his. "I'm so glad to have met you today, Master Thomas."

"Likewise, I'm sure," he smiled genuinely in return.


Author's note: Who is this new character? An ally? An enemy? A love interest? I haven't decided, but I hope you enjoyed this tidbit. No promises on when I'll get the next installment down.

-Kero (12/14/2009)