Review Time:

Jay - :)

Just Another Kid - Thanks!

Guest - Yeah, Rhajat's was one of my personal favorites too. I'll admit I am a fan of the "misunderstood but not evil" trope associated with those who practice dark magic.

Chapter 10 – Ignatius

"Man…..today is so boring!"

Benny, a large man that served in Nohr's border guard, looked over at his companion. He had onyx black armor with intense eyes and scars that made him look as frightening as Hans the berserker, but that wasn't quite the case.

"Charlotte, aren't you glad we don't have people attacking? That means….the country is safe."

"Feh!"

He wasn't the only one with deceiving looks. Charlotte was a blonde-haired fighter that looked dainty and soft on the outside, but she could brawl with the best of them.

"But sitting outside like this? No no, that simply won't do!"

"You forget what Captain Magnus told us yesterday. We're expecting a new recruit to the border guard. He told us to train him."

"Mmm…..him?"

Sigh…..she's got that look on her face again….

"Come out, come out, you potential hunk, you!" Charlotte giggled and focused onto the distance, where the flat plains lead to the territory of Cheve. "You can't hide~!"

"You know….border guards don't pay THAT much…..right?"

"Two words. Inheritance check!"

Working with Charlotte was never dull, at least.

XXXXX

Eventually, the new guard came into view. Benny noticed immediately he was almost his own height, with curled ash-colored hair. His armor was a steel blue, and he wasn't walking with the highest amount of self-confidence.

"Ah ha! What do you say we introduce ourselves, Benny, my boy?" Charlotte licked her lips. Her large friend knew she only put up her flirty act to entice the wealthy to support her family, but he wished she was more honest with people.

"H-Hello….." The young man cleared his throat and tapped his lance. "T-This is the station where the border guard stays on p-patrol?"

Ignatius was his name, and right now, he was praying Benny would stop looking at him with his intense stare.

"You're right~! My name is Charlotte, and that big lug over there is Benny!" She giggled again and stepped closer. "What's your name, handsome?"

"I-Ignatius, ma'am." He was also getting nervous at her hungry gaze, especially since the only woman he really knew was his deceased mother.

"Ignatius! That just rolls…..okay, it's a mouthful, but I'll remember it! Will you remember MY name, cutie?"

"I…..u-um….." The shade of the red on his face contrasted nicely with his armor color.

"Don't worry about my companion, she's just….eccentric," Benny flashed a gentle smile. "I think we should go over protocol, if that's okay. How much combat experience do you have?"

He chose to ignore Charlotte's angry pout at what she called "moneyblocking". Well, he called it that, she had a much more crass name for it.

"A little. In my village, my father trained me with a spear. I only did patrol, but I've….well, seen bandits here and there. Does the border get a lot?"

"A few. But for the most part….."

"Benny, Benny, you're losing him, silly! Say! How about I prepare you a delicious lunch…..my treat!" Charlotte blushed.

"Umm….t-thank you, ma'am, but I ate before coming here."

"Hahahaha! You don't have to call me ma'am, sweetie, I'm not an old bat," she replied with a hint of annoyance. Why wasn't this guy drooling over her?

"Ummm…..let me show you around the barracks."

XXXXXX

"Wow….what's this?"

Benny turned as Ignatius picked up the carved squirrel by his nightstand. He looked fascinated by it.

"Oh…..that. I woodwork from time to time….it's….not quite what you'd expect a Nohrian guard to have…."

"It's kinda….cute." Ignatius smiled.

"Yeah…..it is." Benny smiled back.

"Does um…..Miss Charlotte do that to everyone? It feels a little uncomfortable…."

"I'm afraid so. I'm the only person where she behaves normally, and if you ignore her, you'll see it soon enough. Don't be so afraid of her, though. She's not a bad person."

Ignatius set the squirrel down.

"I got to say….I'm a little nervous, Mr. Benny. Defending a country…..seems so scary. Nohr has a lot of enemies, doesn't it?"

Benny nodded.

"Let's do some drills to prepare for the night shift. Practice never hurt anymore."

H-Hurt anyone? Ignatius paled.

When the moon found its way into the dark sky, the new recruit found himself standing next to Benny, with both of them staring blankly ahead. A few other guards were moving around the wall, patrolling the area, but Ignatius noticed all of them were avoiding the two of them.

"….."

"Sorry," Benny mumbled out. "I've been a border guard for almost a year now, and yet….people are still scared of me."

"You….too?"

"Hmm?"

Ignatius pointed to his face. "Back home….I could tell people were scared of me because I don't look like the nicest guy. But it's just my face! I can't control it!"

"I share your pain, Ignatius. I….grew up in a farming village, and even though I did my part to help out, people were always frightened to look me in the eye."

"Why join the guard, then?"

Benny thought for a few seconds. "People kept suggesting it to me…..plus I don't like to see people hurt. If I can stop enemies from entering Nohr and attacking civilians, then I'll be happy."

"But…the border guard can get hurt. Doesn't that frighten you?"

"…."

"Geez, Franklin, you already checked that direction! Go patrol the other side! How many times do I have to tell you, we have a rotation of patrol!"

The two were watching Charlotte chew out a fellow guard, who saluted her and quickly ran off in the reverse direction.

"Wait…..huh? But I thought-"

"He's gay," Benny said bluntly, a squirrel climbing up to his shoulder. He reached in his bag and fed it a couple of seeds.

XXXXXX

Ignatius wasn't sure what time was it, but from the droop in his eyes, he could tell it had to be around midnight or so. The number of guards around were dwindling, and Charlotte herself went off for "some beauty sleep". But Benny was wide awake.

Man….I'm so tired….

He stifled a yawn and turned to his larger companion.

"How do you do it, Mr. Benny? I'm about to fall asleep….."

"Hmm…..I sleep just enough during the day. I actually like doing the night shift. It's quiet, so I can hear the animals running around."

He smiled when he saw a few birds fly into the trees, with some chipmunks darting through some bushes.

"Gosh…..you really are a nice guy, Mr. Benny."

"Thanks, Ignatius. I'm glad Charlotte isn't the only one that can look past my looks."

"H-Huh?" The younger knight sat up and adjusted his lance. "How long have you known Miss Charlotte?"

"We joined the border guard together. At first she tried the same act on me, but she dropped it when she found out I was dirt poor. So was she, and I guess, after a few shifts together….we decided to hang out more. She always comes to me when she has a problem."

"…."

"Something wrong?"

Ignatius gulped and pointed a shaking finger to a rustling in a nearby bush.

"W-What's t-that? A g-ghost….?"

Benny had the same worried look, but he quickly brushed it aside and stood up. "As border guards, we need to investigate."

"We? B-But…."

The taller knight cautiously moved towards the bush, readying his shield and spear. His blue eyes narrowed in concentration as he increased his pace. Carefully, Benny poked the bush, and much to his (not existing) surprise, a brown bear stood up.

What the hell?! That's an actual bear! G-Get away, Mr. Benny!

The bear glared at the giant, who glared right back. The former made a couple of small roars.

"Yes, we agreed I'd stay on my side of the land, and you on yours. But I told you, I'm on duty! I'm actually patrolling with that young man over there."

Don't point at me! Are you crazy?! Ignatius shivered.

The bear roared again.

"Yes he respects nature too. He won't steal your honey."

Another roar.

"About…..12:37 or so?"

The bear nodded, made an "I'm watching you" motion with its fingers, before slipping away into the darkness. Benny sighed and walked back to the gate.

"Did…..you just talk to that bear?"

"People…have confused me for one. That's Lester."

You named it?!

"We should be more alert. The night is still young, and we could be seeing more than woodland critters. Maybe…..bandits will attack."

"Oh no….."

Benny glanced over, and he noticed the young man was looking even more frightened. From the looks of things….he had witnessed more of them than simple sightseeing. Had he fought one before?

"…"

When the sunlight was on the rise, Ignatius found himself to be the only guard by the gate. Benny had crossed to the other side to make a report to Magnus.

Okay, okay…..relax, Ignatius! It's almost dawn! Bandits don't attack in the morning! It's just a simple watch…

Rubbing his tired eyes, the young man put both hands on the spear.

Just remember what you're fighting for….everyone in Nohr. If you let someone pass, they can hurt someone. Like an elderly woman or a child!

But much to his horror, he spotted a bandit approaching. The suspect in question had a large axe and a malicious sneer on his face as he got closer to the gate.

"Hehehe…..no one's on watch this time of day….time to make my moves!"

Oh NO!

"HALT!"

The bandit looked up and frowned, but that frown turned back into a sneer when he saw how much the knight was afraid. Because said knight was shaking like a leaf in a wind storm.

"Well well, the border got some new meat on their bones? Step aside, junior, and I'll maybe won't take your money."

"N-No! Bandits do NOT pass the gate!"

"Oh yeah? Says who? I don't see anyone backing you up. Maybe all of the other guards turned tail and ran for the hills?"

The bandit stepped closer and readied his axe.

"I'm w-warning you! Stand down and drop your weapon!"

"I got news flash for you, kid, I'm not afraid of your armored types. See this? It's a Hammer. Crushes a suit of steel like a hot knife through butter!"

Ignatius growled, but it was half-hearted at best. He had very little knowledge of effective weaponry.

"That's far enough! Make one step further, and I'll be forced to….to….."

"What kind of guard are you? Shaking like that, voice all quivery? HA! I guess Nohr really is scraping the bottom of the barrel for help!"

"I said stop!"

"You don't have the guts."

The bandit quickly smashed his hammer into the young man's torso, the force knocking the wind out of him as he crumbled to the ground. Ignatius felt blood rise up through his throat. Weakily, he turned over, staring at the man's confident look.

"See? You're weak, but I won't hold it against you."

"You…..can't…."

The brigand let out a hearty laugh, before raising his hammer to crush Ignatius's head.

"I can't what? Go on, tell me. Are you just gonna cry instead?"

No…..Ignatius gripped his lance tightly. I can't…..I can't this bandit get through! I can't let everyone down! I can't let him hurt anyone!

His mind flashed to the brigand attack that had decimated most of his small village when he was younger. The main reason why he became a guard.

I can't….

"What, you run out of words? HAHAHAHA!"

I CAN'T LET HIM HURT MY FRIENDS!

Fighting the pain of his wound, Ignatius quickly moved his hand and spear, eyes flashing with the same intensity that made people afraid of his look. The bandit stopped laughing, but it was too late….the spear's point went through his throat.

"Gargh….!"

"I SAID STAY DOWN, BANDIT!"

He withdrew the spear and stood up, wincing with each movement. But now the brigand was the one to crumble to the ground, blood spewing from the throat wound. He made a choking sound and scrambled around in the dirt. But Ignatius's boot pinned him.

"I…warned you."

The bandit looked up, eyes pleading for mercy, but Ignatius would not have it, not this time. He closed his eyes and swung his spear a final time to land the killing blow.

"Ignatius….."

Benny stepped out from the gate, looking down at the brigand, his hammer lying next to him. Ignatius himself collapsed to one knee and threw his spear across the grass.

"Ignatius."

"…"

The onyx-colored guard walked over and put an hand on the young man's shoulder.

"Mr. Benny…..I don't think I can be a guard….."

"Why? You stopped that brigand from attacking our country. I'm sorry it took me a while to get back. Are you okay?"

Ignatius turned his head, and while his face was solemn, the tears were rushing down his pronounced cheeks.

"No….I'm not okay…..how can I be a guard….if….if…."

"Yes?"

"I have to murder people?" He asked, expression weakening.

"….No. What you did wasn't murder," Benny began, crouching down. "Listen to me, Ignatius." He wiped the tears away with a tissue he kept in his pocket.

"…"

"The world is a dangerous place….and just like that man, people don't give you a warning when they're going to attack you. I've seen…..many soldiers fall. Many soldiers die."

"…"

"When you fight…..you should always think about the people that can't fight back. But most importantly…."

"What…..Mr. Benny?"

"You should fight for your survival. Because when you lose it…..you can't get it back."

Ignatius nodded….before biting his lip and hugging the older man. Benny's face morphed back into one of his gentle smiles.

"You and I…..we'll fight together and for everyone around us. Do you still want to quit the guard?"

"No, Mr. Benny. Not at all," Ignatius replied. He looked up at the rising sun…and silently rejoiced in the fact that he lived to see another day.

FIN

Ending notes: You'll notice that I kinda have a pattern now...alternating Hoshidan born children with Nohrian born children. I'll probably stick with that until I get to the last ones (the Kanas and Shigure), although the shared route characters make it a bit uneven. Next chapter will either be Selkie or Asugi.