For Want of a War

Chapter 26: Agrias

oOo

Standing beside Ovelia in her private balcony, I couldn't help but admit that this was the first time the grand melee had offered anyone who could be considered actual sport for me. The dusk-skinned young man currently standing in the centre of the ruined floor was interesting, for one reason: He was a commoner who was arguably as good with Holy Swordsman skills as I was.

That hadn't just been the fumbling of a rank amateur. That was a man who'd been taught the skills we shared by someone who knew them, and knew them very, very well. Moreover, his close-in swordplay was easily on the level of a blademaster's, the young man easily cutting down any who drew near to him as he flung around ice and lightning.

"Agrias, that's Alma!" My Princess interrupted my thoughts to gesture to another balcony, where I recognized her friend from the time she'd stayed and studied at Orbonne. The young Beoulve woman was much as I remembered, full of life as she cheekily waved across the arena to another balcony. However, neither Alma nor the dark-skinned girl waving with her was who dominated my attention.

Next to her was a giant of a youth, who broke his stony glare across the arena to join the two women beside him in laughter at some sight I'd missed. I would have bet that just his legs outweighed me entirely outside of my armour, and his arms were very nearly as large. Yet as he shifted to turn to my charge's friend Alma, he did so with a confidence and grace which belied his large frame.

"Who's their large friend?" I wondered to myself, prompting Ovelia to purse her lips as she frowned at my question, obviously searching her memories.

"By his hair and demeanor, I'd say that's her brother, Ramza," Ovelia finally stated, one finger rising to tap at the point of her jaw. "However, she never mentioned his... size. I feel like she would have mentioned it if he was as big as that person is."

"It seems like something that would have come up," I agreed, looking at the young man on the balcony. I'd seen larger men, but almost to a one they'd been circus acts, not soldiers. I could count on one hand with fingers to spare the number of men I'd ever come across who were that size who'd actually been warriors, and to a one they'd all been terrors, even unskilled.

"Can we send Lavian or Alicia to invite her for tea? Her friends, too!" Ovelia added, and I turned to give the order only to see my two subordinates already deciding which of the two would go: Both of my fellow St. Konoe guardians were rapidly pumping their right fists as they faced one another, silent as they did so.

Alicia shot her hand forward at the same time as Lavian, showing a flat palm to Alicia's extended index and middle finger. They immediately withdrew their hands, pumping them thrice more before shooting forward once again, Alicia losing this time to Lavian's closed fist. Their third match was a tie of open palms, before Alicia won the fourth round with a closed fist.

"Really? Alicia, how do you know I'm not just going to order you to deliver the message anyway?" I asked, ignoring Ovelia's giggles behind me.

"Lady Agrias, would you really dispute the time-honoured St. Konoe method of divvying up unwanted tasks like that? The Mother Superior would surely chide you for ignoring such a proud tradition!" Alicia lectured me in a mock-stern manner.

"Fine, fine..." I admitted, gesturing to the equally-smiling Lavian as I thought for a moment. "Lavian, please convey the invitation of the princess to Lady Alma's party. We shall be awaiting them at their convenience at the Rose and Lily, in the upper east quarter. We shall be there within the hour. Please guide them to their destination after delivering the message."

Alicia's grin at Lavian as the latter woman departed was smug. Well, there's always time to teach people. The Mother Superior had taught me the lesson I was about to impart early, and it was one which had stuck with me.

"Alicia, I will be sufficient to guard the princess, for now. Please make haste to the Rose and Lily and ask them to prepare the Lily room for guests," prompting the woman to frown a bit, before I added, "and of course, please stop by the palace afterwards to grab the princess' afternoon gown. It wouldn't do for her to be seen wearing the same gown all day, now would it? Why... The rumour-mongers would have a field day at the thought. We shall meet you at the Rose and Lily."

Alicia's face paled, and I grinned a bit. We both knew I didn't care in the slightest what the rumour-mongers might think, unless I was instructed to care.

"The Mother Superior should have emphasized the need to wait for ALL commands to be issued before you divide them up with your partner," I chided the woman, clapping her on the shoulder as I tilted my head in a small measure of sympathy as I paused at her side. "On the bright side, it's a mistake you should only make once. I only ever made it once, myself. Next time, you may wish to wait to hear everything I want done before you start fighting about who doesn't have to do the first."

By the time I'd gathered our cloaks, Alicia had long since hurried out of the room. Were it my decision, I would have stayed to view the closing ceremonies of the fight, but Ovelia was excited enough about meeting her friend that we departed for The Rose and Lily immediately.

oOo

The Rose and Lily is one of Ivalice's finest dining establishments, offering a level of grace and comfort which is unparalleled outside of the royal palace itself. The two rooms which give the place the name are both appointed and decorated to entertain the finest royalty, and also enchanted to keep all but the loudest of noises from escaping. The Lily was on the ground floor and the room was the purest white marble from floor to ceiling, the only color being a trio of roses in a small table and the light blue curtains which lead out onto a private terrace.

The room was huge, fit to serve as a ballroom if one were to clear the three tables which divided the room in two. Other than those tables and four seats for each, the room was devoid of any features... Which was, in a way, the point: Even discounting the terrace outside, you could fit five or six modest houses in the space currently occupied by three small tables.

In the capitol city of Ivalice, it was a more powerful statement than piles of gil and gemstones.

Ovelia sat at the centre table, sipping on her tea in the dress Alicia had retrieved from the castle while we waited for her friends to arrive, having changed in a small chamber adjacent to the Lily itself. My subordinate was currently glaring at me from where she stood guard by the doors to the terrace, though I couldn't hold it against her: I'd most certainly played her for a fool, earlier. Lavian stood quietly at the one door which entered the room, her posture relaxed but her hand ever near her blade.

I, of course, stood directly at the side of my princess, positioned so that one step would put me directly between her and any threat which managed to get through either Lavian or Alicia. I'd declined the offer of tea and was content to wait.

Standing at attention was a skill, and one I'd long ago mastered. I subtly flexed various parts of my legs to change my stance and keep them from growing numb, even as I answered whatever questions Ovelia asked of me.

I hadn't expected much in the way of trouble when Ovelia's friend Alma showed up with her entourage. Alma Beoulve was, technically speaking, the bastard child of Balbanes Beoulve, as was the blond giant who accompanied her: Ramza.

As far as anyone was concerned, the Beoulve name was the next best thing to the royal family itself. They were exceptional warriors, mages, or terrifyingly enough... Both, and their loyalty to the crown was beyond reproach. Balbanes, the current family head, was a horrifically powerful warrior who was said to be the equal of any army. Only TG Cid could be said to be his rival and equal, but even TG Cid was quick to point out that he was only the second-best warrior on the continent, when anyone dared to bring the matter to point.

Balbanes Beoulve, while not a member of any particular religious order, was well known for being a pious man. I would have assumed that his family followed suit.

Yet when Alma, the man we'd assumed was her brother Ramza, and the rest of the entourage from the balcony in the arena arrived... I sensed it in an instant. The stench of it was unmistakable, and the stain of it was unquestionable.

"Ovelia, shield yourself!" I commanded, sprinting at the door where the party was entering the room. At the fore was the giant man I assumed was Ramza, so I targeted him first. A quick Stasis Sword as I ran had the giant block of ice timed to strike an instant before I would be there to run him through.

The battle would be over before it began.

I pulled my sword back and prepared to stab through my own ice as it closed on the man. Instead of flinching, or trying to dodge, he stepped forward and punched as I got close to him, his fist shattering the ice and racing towards my face-

I coughed, wondering what happened, before blinking and sitting up. Lavian and Alicia were engaging two women in dancer's silks, while the thin youth in the ponytail scrambled out of the way with Ovelia's friend Alma and her dusk-skinned friend. Ramza was shaking a bloody fist, shards of my ice still dotting his arms above the strange gauntlets he wore.

Behind me, Ovelia shone like a sun, the most powerful protective magic in the world shielding her from harm. For the next ten minutes, she was the next best thing to immortal. The protective magic shrouding her was the stuff of legends, capable of brushing off all but the most calamitous of attacks. Even should some strike actually penetrate, she would be brought back to life. And she was chanting, the strain clear on her face.

"Agrias!" Ovelia called, rather than pronouncing the name of the spell. In an instant, I stepped from the mortal plane to become someone who was almost as powerful as God himself. I wiped the blood from my nose off my face with my cuff as I stood, leveling my sword at the muscled youth as I got to my feet.

It wasn't sporting to use the spell in a duel, but this wasn't one. Whatever I needed to do to ensure the safety of Ovelia, Lavian and Alicia, and myself... It was acceptable in the face of the threat in front of me. Her safety came before anything else.

"Ramza!" Ovelia's friend Alma called, and a disturbingly rare, but familiar aura covered the young man who'd nearly took me out of the fight in one blow, despite being ambushed. I charged at him immediately as the playing field was leveled once more: I couldn't afford him any advantage.

My attack was savage, and his response met my ferocity. We were too close and moving too fast for me to employ Holy Swordsman arts, and I supposed that whatever tricks he had were similarly limited as we hammered at one another. It was refreshing to discard my defense and focus solely on offense, ignoring the punches which glanced off the protective spells shielding me as I slashed at his unprotected side... My blows as ineffective as his.

Our battle was full force, full offense. We were both fighting knowing that the victor would be whoever had had someone cast the stronger protective spells, every blow we leveled at one another being equally lethal as we continued to hammer at one another without hesitation. I held faith that Ovelia's spell would be the stronger.

Our fight was intense, but not mobile. Lavian and Alicia were doing a good job of keeping the enemy from advancing towards Ovelia, so I could continue to focus. We pounded at one another but were essentially immovable objects, none of our attacks defeating the protective magics which covered us.

I was honestly wondering which of us would falter first when a bag landed between my foe and I, spilling a small amount of black powder on the floor. My foe was as distracted as I at the interruption, and we both glanced towards the ponytailed youth who threw it, already sighting down a strange contraption in his hands.

Ramza shielded his face, and I moved to do the same.

It didn't make much of a difference, as I lost track of time for the second moment in the fight, the explosion robbing me of my senses and throwing me away from my enemy. After what felt like a moment, I shook my vision clear to see my foe being tended by his sister and her darker friend. Lavian and Alicia were still squaring off against the dancers, though they were not actively fighting at the moment. I went to lift my sword, and found it impossibly heavy, so I glanced at it.

The boot on it belonged to the young man who'd interrupted my fight with Ramza, and the weapon he'd used to detonate the bag of black powder was pointed at my face. The fact he hadn't yet pulled the trigger signaled to me that he was willing to negotiate.

"Don't worry," the ponytailed man informed me, smiling a bit as he rested his weapon on his shoulder. "Balbanes made the same mistake the first time we met with him. I can't say you fought as well as Balbanes did, obviously, but I'm honestly inpressed you managed to stalemate Ramza for as long as you did! If I didn't have to stop a political incident, I'd want to see who lasted longer!"

He took his boot off my sword and offered me his free hand. He was free for me to gut him, but chivalry wouldn't allow me to do so. I'd been at his mercy and been spared. I took the offered hand, and a small part of me was amused at how I almost pulled him off balance as he helped me to my feet. He was as whisper-thin as a curtain.

"So what now? You've bested us, even if you haven't killed us. If you wanted to kill my princess, she'd be dead," I began, staring at the huge man who'd caused me to fail in my duty for the first time I'd ever failed it.

"Welcome to the conspiracy," the ponytailed youth offered, earning a scowl from me. He shrugged it off, tilting a head at Ramza. "If you know what Celia and Lede are, you know enough that you need to know more."

Ramza sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead. "Mustadio, now I have to tell Alma and Teta. Thanks."

The two young women with Ramza were suddenly interested, and I got the impression that Ramza had been avoiding a conversation he had to have, but didn't want to have.

"What could possibly go wrong with an invitation to tea?" One of the demonic dancers mocked, prompting the blond man to rest his face against his palms. When the other started laughing, he ignored it.

oOo

Author's Notes:

Two chapters in a month after two years of nothing? I'm spoiling you guys.

I've always had a soft spot for Agrias. She fairly useless once the rest of the special characters show up (only non-WOTL Meliadoul is worse), but I really liked the optional dialogue she has if you take her to the execution site for the Gafgarion fight. I really wish FFT had had more stuff like that in it.

As always, thanks to Tovath for poking at the chapter and making sure it's done before I get it out to the rest of you.

- Gaming Ikari